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Thunderbirds clinch Memorial Cup semi-final spot; Blazers play Petes in tiebreaker

Victor Kaisar
May 31, 2023 | 9:28 PM


Thunderbirds clinch Memorial Cup semi-final spot; Blazers play Petes in tiebreaker

Ryan Hofer in action against the Seattle Thunderbirds on May 31, 2023. (Photo via Candice Ward/CHL)

Jared Davidson and Kyle Crnkovic had a goal and two assists each as the Seattle Thunderbirds clinched a spot in Friday’s Memorial Cup semi-final with a 6-1 win over the Kamloops Blazers Wednesday.

The Thunderbirds await the winner of Thursday’s tie-breaker game between the Blazers and the Peterborough Petes.

“That was clearly our best game of the tournament,” Seattle Head Coach Matt O’Dette said. “That’s more to the identity of the team that we can be.”

“We’ve had multiple high-quality games in the playoffs; that was clearly our best game of the tournament.”

It was the 11th meeting of the season between the Blazers and the Thunderbirds, and the 10th since March, with the Blazers holding a 4-6 record going into the game.

“It wasn’t our best game, I thought we looked a bit nervous,” Blazers Head Coach and GM Shaun Clouston said following the game. “Some guys just need to find a bit more confidence against that team.”

Lucas Ciona at 4:02 and Ryan Hofer at 10:50 traded goals in the first period as the two teams went into the dressing room tied at 1-1.

Davidson and Jared Gustafson scored eight seconds apart in the second period to give Seattle a lead they wouldn’t surrender.

Goals from Crnkovic and Luke Prokop 1:04 apart in the third added to the WHL champion’s lead in the third period. Crnkovic tied Quebec’s James Malatesta for the tournament lead with his fourth goal of the Memorial Cup.

Colton Dach then piled on the misery for the home crowd at 14:28 of the final period as that goal caused a number of Blazers fans to head for the Sandman Centre exits.

“We played our style of game and it’s very hard for teams to compete with us when we do that,” Prokop said. “We play a very well-rounded 200-foot game and it’s difficult for teams to keep up with that.”

Dylan Ernst turned aside 36 of 42 shots he faced in a losing effort, before making way for Matthew Kieper, who faced no shots in 1:50 of relief work.

Seattle’s Thomas Milic, the WHL playoff MVP, made 30 saves on 31 shots for his second win of the tournament. The Coquitlam native leads all goaltenders with a 2.02 goals against average and a 0.923 save percentage after the round robin.

Reid Schaefer and Dylan Guenther had a pair of assists each Wednesday night while Crnkovic had a pair of assists to go with his goal.

Thursday’s tie-breaker – the first at a Memorial Cup since the 2015 tournament held in Quebec City – is a 6 p.m. puck drop from Sandman Centre, with pre-game coverage on RadioNL getting underway at 5 p.m.

The winner will play Seattle on Friday, with the Quebec Remparts awaiting the winner of that game in Sunday’s final.

“Rest is huge, especially in this tournament,” Prokop added. “At this of year, guys are banged up, lots of injuries, nagging stuff going on so it’s nice for the guys to get a little bit of rest and regroup for the next game.”

You can find a schedule of events and more of RadioNL’s coverage of the Memorial Cup here.

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