T-Birds erupt, rout Blazers 7-2 | WHL

The Seattle Thunderbirds blasted the Kamloops Blazers 7-2 Friday night at the ShoWare Center.

Thirteen different T-Birds registered a point in the Western Hockey League win as the T-Birds scored on their first three shots of the game.

Taz Burman made 22 saves on 24 shots to get the win and improve to 2-1-1-0.

The T-Birds play the Victoria Royals at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at the ShoWare Center.

Keegan Kolesar caused a turnover along the left boards with a good check. He corralled the loose puck and skated through the left circle towards the Kamloops net. Kolesar snapped a wrist shot over Blazers goalie Connor Ingram’s glove 1:11 into the game for his third goal of the season.

Seattle (4-1-1-0) went in front 2-0 at 4:24 of the first. Turner Ottenbreit dislodged the puck from a Kamloops forward with a good check. Scott Eansor got the loose puck and sent it to Nolan Volcan in the left circle. Volcan beat Ingram from the bottom of the left circle with a snap shot. It was Volcan’s second goal of the season.

Matthew Wedman made it a 3-0 game at 14:11 of the first. Jared Hauf made a stretch pass to Gustav Olhaver in the neutral zone. Olhaver fought off a check and from the left boards feathered a pass to Wedman to send him in alone against Ingram. Wedman, skating left to right, came through the top of the crease and beat Ingram with a backhand shot. It was Wedman’s first goal as a T-Bird.

Seattle outshot Kamloops 7-4 in the first period.

The T-Birds scored a power-play goal at 4:43 of the second period to make it a 4-0 lead. Mathew Barzal controlled the puck in the left circle with Alexander True stationed in front of Ingram. Barzal made a hard pass towards the net that True redirected over Ingram’s left shoulder for his fourth goal of the season. Ethan Bear had the second assist on the goal.

Seattle increased the lead to 7-0 at 5:54 of the first on Ryan Gropp’s first goal of the season. Wyatt Bear cleared the puck off the left boards in the Seattle zone with a backhand pass to Wedman. Wedman carried the puck into the Blazers zone on a two-on-one with Gropp. Wedman crossed the puck to Gropp on his left. Ingram slid over to track pass to Gropp and the left winger caught changed direction into the slot and slid the puck through Ingram’s legs.

Kamloops replaced Ingram with Dylan Ferguson with 8:56 left in the second period. Ingram had 10 saves on 15 shots.

Kolesar struck again at 13:27 of the second to give the T-Birds a 6-0 lead. Jerret Smith sent the puck behind the Kamloops net where Gropp got it. Gropp centered the puck to Kolesar in the slot. Kolesar snapped the puck over Ferguson’s blocker for the goal.

Seattle made it a 7-0 game on a goal from Scott Eansor. Jamal Watson had the puck along the left boards. He passed the puck across the high slot to Smith in the right circle. Smith quickly sent it back to Eansor on top of the crease and he tapped it past Ferguson who was out of position on Smith pass.

Upcoming

The T-Birds GLOW Valley Medical Pink The Rink night is Wednesday Oct. 21, against the Tri-City Americans at 7:05 p.m. at the ShoWare Center. The Thunderbirds will be wearing special-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off during the game to support uncompensated care at the Breast Center at Valley Medical.

Tickets are available online at the T-Birds website and at the ShoWare Center box office. The ShoWare Center Box Office is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday game days at 10 a.m. and Sunday game days at noon.

Season tickets can be purchased by calling the T-Birds office at 253-239-7825.

SCORING SUMMARY

First period – 1, Seattle, Kolesar 3, 1:11. 2, Seattle, Volcan 2 (Eansor), 4:24. 3, Seattle, Wedman 1 (Olhaver, Hauf), 14:11. Penalties – Shirley, Kam (interference), 15:33. Olhaver, Sea (charging), 17:24.

Second period – 4, Seattle, True 4 (Barzal, E. Bear), 4:43 (pp). 5, Seattle, Gropp 5 (Wedman, W. Bear), 5:54. 6, Seattle, Kolesar 4 (Gropp, Smith), 13:27. 7, Seattle, Eansor 3 (Smith, Watson), 15:07. Penalties – Hauf, Sea (roughing), :17. Braid, Kam (tripping), 3:07. Ottenbreit, Sea (tripping), 16:22.

Third period – 8, Kamloops, Shirley 3, 1:53. 9, Kamloops, Quinney 3 (Shirley), 14:27 (sh). Penalties – Ottenbreit, Sea (roughing), 5:04. Benjafield, Kam (roughing), 5:04. Neuls, Sea (hooking), 11:09. True, Sea (holding), 12:23. Kryski, Kam (hooking), 13:03.

Shots on goal – Seattle 7-12-5 24, Kamloops 4-10-10 24. Goalies – Seattle, Burman 24 shots-22 saves (2-1-0-0); Kamloops, Ingram 15-10 (1-5-0-0), Ferguson 9-7. Power plays – Seattle 1-4; Kamloops 0-5. A – 3,490. Referees – Jeff Ingram, Colin Watt. Linesmen – Devon Sephton, Zack Brooks.