Unexpected gift – Lambert living out special time in Seattle

Brad Lambert is enjoying his time with the Thunderbirds.

Brad Lambert initially took reassignment from the hockey’s professional level to the major junior ranks like most would – as a gut punch.

Lambert, who was born in Lahti, Finland, started the season with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. He put up two goals and one assist in 14 games with the Moose and was held pointless in his final 10 outings with that squad.

The 19-year-old forward proceeded to join Finland’s squad for world juniors, which were jointly held in Halifax, N.S., and Moncton, N.B. Lambert, who stands 6-feet and weighs 183 pounds, had one goal in five games as Finland bowed out falling in a quarter-final 3-2 to Sweden.

Upon returning from world juniors, the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, who are the parent club for the Moose, assigned Lambert to the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. The Jets had selected Lambert in the first round and 30^th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Lambert’s WHL rights were originally held by the Saskatoon Blades, and the Blades dealt Lambert’s right to the Thunderbirds on June 20, 2022.

With the Thunderbirds, Lambert was playing on a team that topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

Shifting from right wing back to his nature centre position, Lambert took off with the Thunderbirds putting up offensive numbers that showed why he was a first NHL Entry Draft selection. In 26 games with the Thunderbirds, Lambert piled up 17 goals and 21 assists to go with a plus-27 rating in the plus-minus department.

As the Thunderbirds marched through the WHL Playoffs posting a 16-3 record to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champions, Lambert posted six goals and 20 assists to go with a plus-13 rating in 17 post-season appearances. He missed the Thunderbirds last two games of their first round sweep of the Kelowna Rockets due to illness.

The Thunderbirds are set to open play at the Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion on Saturday against the OHL champion Peterborough Petes at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C., at 3 p.m. local time. Kamloops is hosting this year’s Memorial Cup tournament and the host Blazers open game action tonight taking on the QMJHL champion Quebec Remparts at 6 p.m. local time.

Brad Lambert has six goals and 20 assists in 17 post-season games.

Lambert said playing with the Thunderbirds has been a good thing.

“We haven’t lost a series yet, so it has been perfect,” said Lambert, with a chuckle. “We’re looking to win it here.

“Yeah, I was disappointed, but I’m just making the most out of the opportunity. It is a great team here we have and a great group of guys. I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Lambert found he had joined a Seattle side where the rest of the team accepted him right away. After making the WHL Championship Series in 2021-22 and falling to the Edmonton Oil Kings in six games, the Thunderbirds were aiming to go all the way this season. He originally played right wing on a line with two star players in Jared Davidson at centre and Kyle Crnkovic on left-wing.

The Thunderbirds made another addition helping increase Lambert’s comfort level with the team. Before the WHL’s trade deadline on January 10, the Thunderbirds acquired the WHL rights to forward Dylan Guenther, who helped the Oil Kings with the WHL title in 2022.

Guenther, who turned 20-years-old in April, started the 2022-23 campaign with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes. He appeared in 33 regular season contests with the Coyotes putting up six goals and nine assists and played games with the club to January 28.

The Coyotes allowed Guenther to play for Canada at this past world juniors, and he recorded seven goals and three assists in seven games. In Canada’s 3-2 overtime win in the gold medal game against Czechia played on January 5, 2023 in Halifax, Guenther had two goals including the winner in extra time.

On February 5, the Coyotes assigned Guenther to the Thunderbirds. Guenther made his debut with Seattle on February 10 in a 6-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels at the Accesso ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash.

Brad Lambert had 38 points in 26 regular season games with Seattle.

He started the contest on a newly created line where he was on right wing, with Lambert at centre and Reid Schaefer, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Edmonton Oilers, on left wing. The Thunderbirds have kept that unit together ever since.

“I’ve got two great shots on my wings,” said Lambert, who father, Ross, played with the Blades in 1982-83. “I just use my playmaking to get them the puck.

“They’re doing a good job of finishing.”

Lambert found he had good chemistry playing with Guenther and Schaefer and added both wingers bring different dynamics to the table.

“I know when I give him (Guenther) the puck I’m going to get it back, or he is going to create something,” said Lambert. “Just the give and goes and playing together it harder for the other team to stop.

“Reido (Reid Schaefer) is great in front of the net. He has a big body. He is great on the forecheck and a fast skater too.

“It has been a good line.”

Thunderbirds head coach Matt O’Dette has enjoyed having Lambert as part of the Thunderbirds. The bench boss said the young forward has surprised the Seattle coaching staff with how well rounded he has been in all parts of the game.

“He (Lambert) has been great for us,” said O’Dette. “Obviously, he is a highly skilled player.

Brad Lambert loves his teammates with the Thunderbirds.

“He really integrated himself well with our team right away. He was proud to be a T-bird. He is a great skater and dynamic player.

“He also competes and plays in the hard areas. That was a pleasant surprise for us. Obviously, we knew of him, but now that we’ve had him for a while here, he is a much more complete player than what we thought.”

O’Dette said Lambert rolled during the regular season with the Thunderbirds and has continued that roll in the post-season even with opposing clubs keying more on him and his line.

“He (Lambert) has picked up in the post-season right where he left off in the regular season,” said O’Dette. “He has been real good.

“Obviously, he is probably keyed on a little bit more in the playoffs. He has handled that real well. The height and physicality of the playoffs hasn’t bothered him at all.

“He has been really good for us.”

Lambert said the best about the Thunderbirds is he found he joined a group of good players, who are characters who have character. He enjoys coming to the rink, because he knows something fun will happen along with work getting done on the ice.

He has enjoyed playing with all his teammates on the Thunderbirds including the likes of Guenther, Schaefer, Davidson, Crnkovic, Thomas Milic, Luke Prokop, Nolan Allan, Colton Dach, Lucas Ciona, Jordan Gustafson, Kevin Korchinski, Jeremy Hanzel and Nico Myatovic.

Like himself, Guenther, Prokop, Allan, Crnkovic and Dach were all acquired via trades by the Thunderbirds since the club fell in the 2022 WHL final. Lambert said it has been cool to see the newcomers and the existing core of players come together.

“You wouldn’t know this team has been put together kind of throughout the season,” said Lambert. “You would think we have been together for many years.

Brad Lambert hopes to enjoy some good time at the Memorial Cup.

“Everyone is great and close with each other, so it is nice.”

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Thunderbirds one win away from WHL title

Seattle downs Ice 4-2 for frantic Game 4 victory

The Thunderbirds are one win away from claiming the WHL title.

Dylan Guenther picked an opportune time to break the Ice.

On Wednesday night at the Accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., the host Seattle Thunderbirds were locked in a 2-2 tie with the Winnipeg Ice in Game 4 of the WHL Championship Series going into the third period. During most of the first seven minutes of the third, the Ice had the Thunderbirds pinned in their own zone and at one point held a 6-1 edge in shots on goal for the frame.

It seemed like the Ice were in the groove to get the go-ahead goal to take the contest and even the best-of-seven series at 2-2.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Guenther helped the Thunderbirds flip the script. At the 7:47 mark of the third, Thunderbirds standout left-winger Reid Schaefer got the puck in the right corner in the Winnipeg zone.

Schaefer centred the puck to Guenther, who one-timed a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle past Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser to put the Thunderbirds up 3-2. That tally, which was Guenther’s WHL leading 16^th of the post-season, energized the host side, and the Thunderbirds carried play for most of the rest of the frame.

Thunderbirds standout left-winger Nico Myatovic scored into an empty net with 7.4 seconds remaining in the third to seal a 4-2 victory to the delight of a raucous gathering of 4,104 spectators.

With the win, the Thunderbirds take a 3-1 lead in the series. They will try to close out the set and win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions when they host Game 5 on Friday at the Accesso ShoWare Centre for a 7 p.m. local start time.

The Thunderbirds only WHL title came back in the 2016-17 campaign when Mathew Barzal and Ethan Bear were starring for the team. Seattle captured the WHL title that season with a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 6 of the championship series in Regina against the host Pats courtesy of Alexander True’s winner.

Thomas Milic made 31 saves for the Thunderbirds on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s Game 4 clash between the Thunderbirds and the Ice was an outstanding contest that showcased the WHL at its best. The game could have turned into a 1980s firewagon style shootout, but the star netminders on both sides were on fire.

Thomas Milic made 31 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds, who have won the last three straight games in the series. Hauser turned away 33-of-36 shots to take the setback in net for the Ice.

Winnipeg came out flying at the start of Wednesday’s game. Early in the first period, Ice right-winger Owen Pederson jetted into the Seattle zone on a breakaway, but he missed the net with his shot. A short time later, Ice star centre Matthew Savoie and import left-winger Vladislav Shilo were stopped on back-to-back close in chances by Milic.

The visitors finally broke through on the scoreboard with 3:35 remaining in the first period thanks to some great hustle by Ice standout right-winger Carson Latimer. Ice defenceman Graham Sward made a high clear into the Seattle zone and the puck sat loose halfway between the blue-line and goal-line.

Latimer beat Thunderbirds offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel in a race for the puck and popped a close in shot to the top right corner of the Seattle net to give the Ice a 1-0 lead.

The Thunderbirds evened the score at 1-1, when star offensive-defenceman Kevin Korchinski wired home a midrange shot through a screen with 16.3 seconds remaining in the opening frame.

At the 4:31 mark of the second, the Thunderbirds struck on the power play thanks to a friendly bounce off the boards. Hanzel fired a shot from the point that bounced off the boards behind the Winnipeg goal right to Thunderbirds standout rookie centre Gracyn Sawchyn at the doorstep on the left side of the Winnipeg net.

Carson Latimer scored for the Ice on Wednesday.

Sawchyn quickly popped the puck home to give the host side a 2-1 edge.

Just over four minutes later, Ice star offensive-defenceman Ben Zloty, who turned 21-years-old in February, directed a shot on goal from the point and the rebound came out to hard working Ice left-winger Evan Friesen, who was left alone in front of the Seattle net. Friesen slipped home the equalizer that evened the score at 2-2.

With 9:06 remaining in the second, Latimer thought he scored his second of the contest to put the Ice in front 3-2 knocking a mid-level high puck home past Milic. The officials went to a video review and concluded Latimer knocked the puck home with his right glove and disallowed the goal to cause the contest to remain even at 2-2.

That set the stage for the dramatics in the third period.

The WHL final between the Ice and Thunderbirds is expected to be a heavyweight tilt.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

Daniel Hauser made 33 saves for the Ice on Wednesday.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams and seven players who participated in the last world juniors. Winnipeg’s roster contained eight players who have been drafted by NHL teams and one player who participated in the last world juniors.

Each side has played the first four games of the WHL final with one notable absence each due to injury.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson, who turned 19-years-old in January. During the Thunderbirds six-game Western Conference Championship Series win over the Kamloops Blazers, it is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of that set claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3.

The Ice were without 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Due to the fact the Thunderbirds have never clinched a WHL Championship Series at home, it is expected the Accesso ShoWare Centre will be more raucous than normal with fans hoping to see a trophy presentation and enjoy the championship celebrations well into the night.

The Ice for their part should not be written off. If they can win Game 5, the final two games of the series will be played at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg. If needed, Game 6 is scheduled for a 7 p.m. local time start at the Canada Life Centre.

Gracyn Sawchyn scored for the Thunderbirds on Wednesday.

At the moment, the Ice are looking to just get one win to make the series shift back to Winnipeg. The Thunderbirds will be looking to get the party started on Friday night raising the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions for a second time.

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Thunderbirds cash in on Ice gifts in Game 2 of WHL final

Seattle claims 4-2 victory to even series at 1-1

Brad Lambert, centre, reacts to scoring his second goal in Game 2.

WINNIPEG, Man. – The Seattle Thunderbirds are always willing to receive gifts, and the Winnipeg Ice – to their detriment – were in a giving mood.

On Saturday in Game 2 of the WHL Championship Series, the Thunderbirds gained control of the contest cashing in on a pair of Ice giveaways that turned a 1-1 tie in the third quickly into a 3-1 score in favour of Seattle. That swing of events allowed the Thunderbirds to pull out a 4-2 victory to the disappointment of most of the 5,691 spectators at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.

“It was a much better game for us,” said Thunderbirds head coach Matt O’Dette, whose squad dropped a 3-2 decision in Game 1 of the series one night earlier. “I thought we played more to our identity and executed the game plan the way we need to.

Brad Lambert scored twice for Seattle on Saturday.

“It was night and day compared to last night. There were some spurts we could have been better, but overall, we were much happier with the effort in the game tonight.”

The win allowed the Thunderbirds to even the best-of-seven series 1-1. The Thunderbirds will host the next three games of the series at the Accesso ShoWare Centre in Kent, Wash.

Games 3 and 4 are slated for Tuesday and Wednesday respectively at 7 p.m. local time. After a day off on Thursday, Game 5 will go Friday for another 7 p.m. local time start.

Ice head coach James Patrick said the loss in Game 2 on Saturday was tough to take due to the fact that errors by his squad led directly to the Thunderbirds being able to pull out victory.

Brad Lambert does the fly by after scoring his first goal in Game 2.

“I thought tonight our puck management hurt us,” said Patrick. “It wasn’t our defending.

“It wasn’t our D-zone coverage. It was strictly our puck management that gave them some opportunities that they capitalized on.”

The Thunderbirds and Ice entered the third period of Saturday’s clash locked in a 1-1 draw. After what seemed like a cautious start to the frame, the complexion of the contest changed quickly.

At the 5:02 mark of the third, the Ice got careless with the puck in their own zone, and it proved costly. First, Ice veteran 19-year-old defenceman Karter Prosofsky made a bad clearing pass out of his own zone and turned the puck over to Thunderbirds star centre Brad Lambert just inside the Winnipeg blue-line.

Zach Benson scored twice for the Ice on Saturday.

Lambert powered toward the Winnipeg net and drove home a shot to the top left corner of the goal to give the Thunderbirds a 2-1 lead. The 19-year-old’s goal marked the first time the Thunderbirds held a lead in any game of the series with the Ice.

Just eight seconds later, the Ice veteran 19-year-old defenceman Graham Sward made a bad pass behind their own net that was gathered up by Thunderbirds star right-winger Dylan Guenther. Guenther set up behind the Winnipeg net and centred a pass out to standout left-winger Reid Schaefer.

Reid Schaefer had a goal and an assist for Seattle in Game 2.

Schaefer wired a shot past Hauser to give the Thunderbirds a 3-1 advantage.

“It is hard times, but you definitely don’t want to hand these guys anything,” said Ice captain Carson Lambos. “We’re going to go over the video and be better next game.”

The Ice tried to battle back. Just over three minutes after the Thunderbirds two quick tallies, there was a scramble in front of the Seattle goal, and the Ice’s top line connected on a tick-tack-toe passing play that resulted in a goal that cut the Thunderbirds lead to 3-2.

Ice star left-winger Connor McClennon and Ice star centre Matthew Savoie combined to set up Ice star right-winger Zach Benson for his second tally of the contest to trim Seattle’s lead to one goal.

Dylan Guenther had two assists for Seattle in Game 2.

Inside of the final three minutes of the third before the Ice could pull their netminder for an extra attacker, Lambert struck again for the Thunderbirds. Guenther made a high looping pass from deep in his zone to centre ice that took a positive bounce for the visitors past Ice import left-winger Vladislav Shilo.

Lambert got past Shilo, corralled the puck and jetted into the Winnipeg zone on a breakaway. Lambert snapped a shot to the top right corner of the Winnipeg net for his second tally of the night that put a capper on the Thunderbirds 4-2 victory. Guenther picked up his second assist of the contest on Lambert’s second goal and finished with a plus-three rating in the plus-minus department.

Daniel Hauser makes one of his 35 saves in goal for the Ice.

The two-goal night was a special one for Lambert, who also picked up an assist on Seattle’s first goal. Born in Lahti, Finland, Lambert has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets after being selected by them in the first round and 30^th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Lambert started the 2022-23 campaign in Winnipeg playing for the AHL’s Manitoba Moose. He played for Finland at world juniors and was assigned to the WHL’s Thunderbirds shortly after his return from that tournament. The skilled centre was pleased to return to Winnipeg and have a big night.

“It is obviously special just to be playing for the WHL championship,” said Lambert. “It is unbelievable.

Carson Lambos starts a rush up ice for the Ice.

“Not many guys get the opportunity, so we’re just trying to make the most of it. For it to be in Winnipeg, obviously, it adds a little more to it.”

In the first period of Saturday’s clash, the Ice broke through on the scoreboard at the 4:11 mark when Benson blew home a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle to top right corner of the Seattle goal to give the hosts a 1-0 edge.

At the 5:57 mark of the opening frame, Thunderbirds star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic was given a double minor for high sticking, and that infraction will trigger an automatic review by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

The Ice had pressure and chances on the four minute power play, but they couldn’t get the puck past Thunderbirds star netminder Thomas Milic.

Jeremy Hanzel had Seattle’s first goal on Saturday.

Inside the final seconds of the first, the Ice turned the puck over to Thunderbirds star 20-year-old centre Jared Davidson deep in the Winnipeg zone. Davidson was turned away on a point blank chance by Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser.

Just 1:24 into the second, the Thunderbirds pulled even on the scoreboard at 1-1, when offensive-defenceman Jeremy Hanzel one-timed home a shot from the right point. Hanzel converted a beauty setup pass from Schaefer.

That set the stage for the dramatics in the third.

Milic stopped 29 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds. Hauser turned away 35 shots to take the setback in net for the Ice, who had won their previous eight straight post-season games.

The Thunderbirds celebrate a goal from Jeremy Hanzel (#4).

Benson said Hauser gives his club a chance to win every time he takes up position between the pipes of the Winnipeg net.

“He (Hauser) is unreal,” said Benson. “He has been a rock back there all season for us.

“He is one of the best goalies in the league for a reason. He has been outstanding this series and whole playoffs.”

The WHL final between the Ice and Thunderbirds is expected to be a heavyweight tilt.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

Thomas Milic makes one of his 29 saves in goal for Seattle.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams and seven players who participated in the last world juniors. Winnipeg’s roster contained eight players who have been drafted by NHL teams and one player who participated in the last world juniors.

Each side has played the first two contests of the WHL final with one notable absence due to injury.

The fans at the Canada Life Centre cheer on the Ice.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson. 

During the Thunderbirds six-game Western Conference Championship Series win over the Kamloops Blazers, it is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of that set claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3.

The Ice were without 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Last season, the Thunderbirds made it to the WHL final and fell in six games to the Edmonton Oil Kings. 

Owen Pedersen sets up in the offensive zone for the Ice.

The Ice made it to the Eastern Conference Championship Series and fell in five games to the Oil Kings.

With that noted, the Thunderbirds have the benefit of being in the WHL final a year ago. On top of returning players from that squad, they added Guenther and defenceman Luke Prokop via the trade route from the Oil Kings, and Guenther and Prokop were important in helping Edmonton win the WHL title in 2022.

“We pretty fortunate to have that experience,” said Milic, who backstopped the Thunderbirds to the WHL final for two straight seasons. “At the end of the day, it is still the same game.

Seattle D Nolan Allan, left, battles Winnipeg RW Zach Benson.

“A lot of guys we’re played with and against also have the same experience. I think it definitely helps mostly just knowing how to handle different situations that come up in playoffs. You’re going to be tired.

“You’re body is going to start breaking down. You just know how to manage things like that, and also how to manage highs and lows during games and during series as well. Just having a short memory is really important.”

Now the focus shifts to Game 3 on Tuesday in Kent, Wash., for a 7 p.m. local time start at the Accesso ShoWare Center. Patrick said his Ice squad won’t dwell on the Game 2 loss.

“We knew it was going to be a long series,” said Patrick. “You’re going to have to put in a lot of work.

Kevin Korchinski brings the puck up ice for the Thunderbirds.

“It is not going to be easy. We’ll learn from this. We’ll move on.

“We’ll be ready for Game 3.”

O’Dette said his Thunderbirds are looking forward to playing at home, but they know they have to be at their best to keep pulling out wins.

“We’re just looking towards the next game,” said O’Dette. “We’re going to be excited to be in front of our home fans.

“Having last change, yes, it is nice to have that. They have some dangerous guys, and you want to make sure you have the right guys on the ice. Playoffs at home or on the road, I think it is a little bit less of a factor.

The Thunderbirds enjoy departing Winnipeg with a win.

“We’ll need to be ready bottom line.”

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Ice hold off Thunderbirds 3-2 in Game 1 of WHL final

Latimer ultimately gets winner for Winnipeg

Carson Latimer, right, celebrates his winning goal for the Ice.

WINNIPEG, Man. - Carson Latimer is hot when it comes to pitching in on winning goals for the Winnipeg Ice.

In the opening game of the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series played on Friday at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Latimer scored at the 7:02 mark of the second period to give the Ice 3-0 lead to the delight of the 5,531 spectators in attendance. After a power play had just expired, Ice star left-winger Owen Pederson had the puck behind the Seattle net and centred a pass to Latimer, who was just off to the right of the Thunderbirds net.

Latimer wired home his second tally of the post-season to give the Ice their 3-0 advantage. That tally proved to be a critical goal as the Thunderbirds mounted a furious rally in the third period, but the Ice ultimately held on for a 3-2 victory.

The Ice celebrate a second period goal from Carson Latimer (#22).

“It always feels good to contribute and help the team out,” said Latimer, whose Ice host Game 2 of the series on Saturday at 6 p.m. local time at the Canada Life Centre. “I’m happy that I was able to do that.

“At the same time, I think what a great play by Pete (Pederson) behind the net. It is everyone out there that makes it happen.”

Latimer was acquired by the Ice in a trade with the Prince Albert Raiders on December 31, 2022 in order to bolster the depth of the Winnipeg side. With the Ice, Latimer doesn’t play in a top-six forward role like he did with the Raiders, but he is contributing for Winnipeg at key times in an unsung hero role in the post-season.

Reid Schaefer scored 28 seconds into the third for Seattle.

When the Ice swept the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series, Latimer assisted on Briley Wood’s series winning goal in the Ice’s 3-2 victory in Game 4 of that set on May 3 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

“We have a deep group,” said Latimer, who had 14 goals and 26 assists in 53 combined regular season games with the Raiders and Ice in 2022-23. “There are a lot of talented hockey players (on the Ice).

“When I’m out there, I’m just trying to do the best I can and just support everyone when I am not. Being able to contribute feels good. It is something I want to continue to do.”

Connor McClennon had the first Ice goal on Friday.

While the Ice looked like they were going to cruise to victory after Latimer scored, things looked like they were going to come unraveled for the host side in the third period. Just 28 seconds into the third, Thunderbirds star right-winger Dylan Guenther fired a shot from the right side boards in the Winnipeg zone that was deflected home by standout left-winger Reid Schaefer to cut the Ice lead to 3-1.

“Obviously, it was not the start we wanted in the first and second,” said Schaefer. “We really keyed on to a big start in the third.

“Getting that goal, I think it was a real team booster. It gave us a little bit of life. We just continued to play hard, and we knew it wasn’t over.”

Kevin Korchinski scored for the Thunderbirds on Friday.

The Thunderbirds pulled star netminder Thomas Milic for an extra attacker with about 2:40 remaining in the third. With 1:42 left in the third, Thunderbirds star left-winger Kyle Crnkovic had the puck down low by the right post of the Winnipeg goal. He passed the puck across the face of the net that was tapped home by Thunderbirds star offensive-defenceman Kevin Korchinski to cut the Ice advantage to 3-2.

Just seconds after Korchinski’s goal after pulling Milic once again, Thunderbirds star 20-year-old centre Jared Davidson wired a shot off the crossbar of the Winnipeg goal. A short time after that chance, Thunderbirds star right-winger Dylan Guenther drove hard to the Winnipeg goal pushing Ice star netminder Daniel Hauser and the puck into the Winnipeg cage with 51.2 seconds remaining in the third. The officials immediately waved off the tally.

Evan Friesen scored for the second Ice goal on Friday.

The Thunderbirds had about three other near misses during scrambles around the Winnipeg net in the final 51.2 seconds of the third but were unable to find the equalizer.

For the most part, Ice head coach James Patrick, whose club had eight days off after eliminating the Blades, was satisfied with Friday’s outing.

“I like the way we started,” said Patrick. “Coming off the eight days off, you always wonder about it.

“I liked a lot of things we did. There are still some areas we have to clean up. Probably the last three-and-a-half minutes there, that was a bit of a concern, but outside of that, there was a lot of good tonight.”

Owen Pederson had a pair of assists for the Ice on Friday.

The Ice broke through on the scoreboard working on the power play at the 9:13 mark of the first period when star 20-year-old right-winger Connor McClennon wired home a shot from the right faceoff dot to give the host side a 1-0 lead. The tally was McClennon’s 14^th goal of the post-season to go with the 46 markers he had in the regular season.

“Anytime you get the first goal it is huge,” said McClennon. “We kind of I guess fed off that.”

McClennon’s tally got the crowd engaged in the contest, and the Wainwright, Alta., product said his side could feel that energy on the ice. In the WHL final, the Ice were able to move their home games to the Canada Life Centre that is the home of the NHL’s Winnipeg  Jets and can seat over 16,000 after playing their home dates previous to the WHL title series at the Wayne Fleming Arena that seats over 1,700 on the University of Manitoba campus.

Kyle Crnkovic set up a late third period goal for Seattle.

“It was super exciting to get to play in this building,” said McClennon. “I think we kind of fed off the crowd early.

“It was huge to get that first goal and get the 3-0 lead. They kind of helped us all night long.”

With 4:38 remaining in the opening frame, the Ice pushed their edge out to 2-0. Pederson fired a shot on goal that was stopped by Milic but the rebound came out to the left side of the net to left-winger Evan Friesen. Friesen potted the puck into an empty cage to give the hosts their two-goal edge.

That set the stage for Latimer to score in the second and for Schaefer and Korchinski to reply in the third.

Daniel Hauser made 27 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Ice.

Hauser stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Ice. Milic turned away 25 shots to take the setback in net for the Thunderbirds.

“It wasn’t our best game,” said Thunderbirds head coach Matt O’Dette. “We were slow out of the gates.

“We probably got better as the game went on. I thought they executed well and cashed in on their chances in the first part of the game. That was the difference.

“We got going as the game went on, and it wasn’t enough in the end.”

A part of the 5,531 fans that came out to support the Ice on Friday.

The WHL final between the Ice and Thunderbirds is expected to be a heavyweight tilt.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

The Seattle coaches direct their players during a timeout.

Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams and seven players who participated in the last world juniors. Winnipeg’s roster contained eight players who have been drafted by NHL teams and one player who participated in the last world juniors.

Each side started the WHL final with one notable absence each due to injury.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson. During the Thunderbirds six-game Western Conference Championship Series win over the Kamloops Blazers, it is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Jeremy Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of that set claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3.

Zach Benson jets up ice for the Ice.

The Ice were without 19-year-old defenceman Wyatt Wilson, who was injured in Game 5 of the team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.

While the Ice took the first round in their league championship battle with the Thunderbirds, Lucas Ciona, who is the captain of the Seattle side, said his squad is looking forward to being reset for Game 2 on Saturday.

“We’re still confident,” said Ciona. “It is disappointing not getting the first one right off the start.

“We had a solid third period, and we just build off of that and create life for us. The first goal Reido (Reid Schaefer) and you get Kevin’s (Korchinski’s) goal you just create more life. Coming in tomorrow, we know we can play like that and continue that.

The Ice celebrate their win on Friday.

“We are adjusting really well right now. It is just coming in tomorrow fired up and ready to go.”

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Thunderbirds repeat as Western Conference champs

WHL final to start at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg

Kyle Crnkovic had the winning goal for Seattle on Monday.

It feels like it has been WHL championship or bust for the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Last year, the Thunderbirds posted a 44-18-4-2 record to sit fourth in the WHL’s Western Conference during the regular season. In playoffs, they advanced to the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series falling in six games to the Edmonton Oil Kings.

When it came to making the WHL final, Seattle was expected to be in the mix but wasn’t a favourite to get that far. During that 2022 post-season run, the Thunderbirds won six straight contests where they faced elimination.

Seattle came into this season as one of the favourites to make and win the WHL final. That favourite status only increased as they made numerous trades to load up with older high end players until trading action was halted at the WHL trade deadline on January 10.

On Monday, the Thunderbirds took another step toward getting their hands on the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions for the first time since the days of Mathew Barzal, Ethan Bear, Keegan Kolesar, Alexander True and Scott Eansor in 2017.

Taking on the host Kamloops Blazers before 5,364 spectators at the Sandman Centre, the current Thunderbirds erased a 1-0 first period deficit to post a solid 4-2 victory in Game 6 of the WHL Western Conference Championship Series. With the win, the Thunderbirds win the best-of-seven set 4-2.

For the second straight year, they will play in the WHL final. This year’s WHL Championship Series will feature the two top teams in the 2022-23 regular season standings in the Thunderbirds and Winnipeg Ice.

Winnipeg topped the WHL regular season standings with a 57-10-1 mark and was rated third in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The 57 wins and 115 standings points are new franchise records for the Ice.

Jared Davidson scored his 10th goal of the current post-season.

The Thunderbirds topped the Western Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 54-11-1-2 record. The U.S. Division champions were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. Seattle’s 54 wins and standings points total of 111 points are new regular season club records.

On Monday, the Ice in conjunction with the WHL and True North Sports and Entertainment announced the Ice’s home games for the WHL final will be played at the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg as opposed to the Wayne Fleming Arena on the University of Manitoba campus. The Canada Life Centre is home to the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets and the AHL’s Manitoba Moose, and both those clubs have been eliminated from their respective league post-seasons.

Game 1 of the WHL Championship Series is set for Friday at 7 p.m. local time at the Canada Life Centre and Game 2 will follow on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the same venue.

With the loss on Monday, the Blazers run through the WHL Playoffs comes to an end, but their season will go on as they host the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup. The Memorial Cup runs from May 26 to June 4 at the Sandman Centre, and the Blazers open the event hosting the QMJHL champion on May 26 at 6 p.m. local time.

The Blazers finished second overall in the WHL’s Western Conference and third overall in the WHL regular season with a 48-13-4-3 mark. The B.C. Division champions were rated ninth in the final CHL Top 10 rankings.

The series between the Thunderbirds and Blazers was expected to be a heavyweight title, and it didn’t disappoint going to six games. Seattle’s roster contains 10 players who have been drafted by NHL teams, while Kamloops has nine NHL drafted players on its roster. The Thunderbirds have seven players who participated in the last world juniors, and the Blazers have three players who took part in this past world juniors.

Sawyer Mynio scored a positive-bounce goal for Seattle.

As for Monday’s Game 6 clash, the Thunderbirds came out with all sorts of momentum outshooting the Blazers 13-5 in the first period. Blazers star goaltender Dylan Ernst made a number of stellar saves to keep the Thunderbirds off the scoreboard.

Despite play being in their own zone for most of the opening 20 minutes, the Blazers actually opened the game’s scoring. With 4:03 remaining in the first, Blazers right-winger Dylan Sydor wired home a midrange shot from the front of the Seattle net to the top right corner of the goal to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

The final 40 minutes was much more evenly played, and it was over that stretch where the Thunderbirds offence broke through on the scoreboard. At the 4:46 mark of the second, Thunderbirds star 20-year-old star centre Jared Davidson blew home his 10^th goal of the post-season from the middle of the left faceoff circle to even the score at 1-1. From that point, Ernst and Thunderbirds star netminder Thomas Milic slammed the door for the rest of the second frame.

The contest remained tied 1-1 until the Thunderbirds got a positive bounce at the 5:33 mark of the third. Thunderbirds sophomore defenceman Sawyer Mynio, who is a Kamloops product, took a knuckleball shot from the right side boards just above the faceoff circle that deflected off the arm of Blazers import defenceman Aapo Sarell into the Kamloops goal to give the visitors a 2-1 edge.

Right at the 10-minute mark of the third, the Thunderbirds pushed their advantage out to 3-1 thanks to the work of a pair of Seattle stars. Davidson was cycling behind the Kamloops net with the puck, came out on the right side of the goal and passed the puck across the face of the net to left-winger Kyle Crnkovic at the left post.

Crnkovic, who turned 21-years-old in February, made a backdoor tap into an empty cage to give the Thunderbirds their two-goal edge. Right after Crnkovic’s goal, the Blazers called a timeout in order to regroup.

The Blazers came with a big push back after the timeout. The host side got a break when Thunderbirds star defenceman Nolan Allan was given a hooking penalty with 2:33 remaining in the third.

Jeremy Hanzel has been strong in the post-season for Seattle.

Kamloops pulled Ernst for an extra attacker for a six-versus-four skaters advantage on the power play. The Blazers scored a beauty tick-tack-toe goal off a rush on that power play to cut the Thunderbirds lead to 3-2 with 1:43 remaining in the third.

Star 20-year-old centre Ryan Hofer bought the puck up centre ice and passed it to the left wing to star left-winger Daylan Kuefler. Kuefler passed the puck across the face of the Seattle net to star right-winger Matthew Seminoff on the right wing, and Seminoff covered the backdoor feed to pull the Blazers to within one goal of drawing even on the scoreboard. The tally was Seminoff’s 10th goal of the post-season.

The Thunderbirds snuffed out the potential rally, when 19-year-old standout left-winger Reid Schaefer scored an empty net goal with a shot from deep in his own zone with 38.1 seconds remaining in the third to round out the 4-2 final score.

Milic made 28 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Thunderbirds. Ernst turned away 39-of-42 shots to take the setback in net for the Blazers.

The Thunderbirds were without standout centre Jordan Gustafson for a fourth straight game. It is suspected Gustafson was injured as part of the celebration for Jeremy Hanzel’s overtime winner in Game 2 of the series claimed by the Thunderbirds 4-3. The Blazers were without defenceman Ryan Michael.

The Seattle side won’t get to enjoy the series win over the Blazers for long. The Thunderbirds have three off days before opening the WHL final against the Ice in Winnipeg on Friday.

In those three days off, the Thunderbirds will travel to the Manitoba capital. The Ice will have enjoyed eight off days since sweeping the Saskatoon Blades in the Eastern Conference Championship Series before hosting Game 1 of the WHL final.

Reid Schaefer had a long distance empty-net goal on Monday.

With that noted, winning the WHL title was a goal of both the Thunderbirds and the Ice at the start of the campaign. Now, they will play for a prize that only one can win.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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