Blazers fend off top-ranked Thunderbirds, earn shootout win

Photo: Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds

The Kamloops Blazers delivered the first couple blows Tuesday in a WHL heavyweight bout in Kent, Wash., then they needed a shootout to land the knockout punch and snap the Seattle Thunderbirds’ 13-game win streak.

The Blazers won 3-2 in a shootout, handing the No. 1 team in major-junior hockey its first loss in more than a month.

Connor Levis and Logan Stankoven were the goal scorers for the Blazers. Jared Davidson scored both goals for the Thunderbirds.

The Blazers led 1-0 after 20 minutes and Stankoven tipped a puck past Seattle goalie Thomas Milic 38 seconds into the second period to put the visitors up 2-0. Davidson scored twice in a four-minute span midway through the second to tie the game, and that’s how it stayed through 65 minutes.

Caedan Bankier and Matthew Seminoff scored in the shootout to give the Blazers the win.

Stankoven left the game in the second period and did not return.

Dylan Ernst made 34 saves on 36 Seattle shots to earn the win in net — his WHL-leading 34th of the season. Milic stopped 39 of 41 Kamloops shots in a losing effort.

The Blazers were scoreless on five power-play opportunities, including one late in the third and another in overtime. The Thunderbirds did not score on two chances.

Announced attendance at ShoWare Center was 3,677.

With the win, the Blazers improve to 41-11-4-2 on the season. They’ve already clinched another B.C. Division title and they are second in the Western Conference standings, now 11 points back of the first-place T-Birds, who move to 48-9-1-2 with the loss.

Seattle moved into top spot in the latest CHL rankings, which were released Tuesday. The Blazers are listed at No. 8.

The Blazers are back in action on Wednesday, up I-5 in Everett against the Silvertips (30-26-2-1) — the first of a home-and-home. The two clubs will play again at Sandman Centre on Friday before the Blazers host the Vancouver Giants (24-28-5-2) on Saturday.