SEATTLE — A goal by Lukas Svejkovsky at 3:28 of the third period held up as the winner Sunday as the Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the visiting Kamloops Blazers 2-1 to force a seventh and deciding game in the tight Western Hockey League playoff series.
Kobe Verbicky gave the Blazers a 1-0 lead at 12:53 of the first period, but Jared Davidson tied the game at 4:42 of the second, a goal set up by Svejkovsky and Henrik Rybinski. Kamloops outshot Seattle 35-34.
The Blazers defeated the visiting Thunderbirds 4-3 in overtime on Friday and were looking to close the Western Conference Final series on the road. Game 7 will be Tuesday in Kamloops, B.C.
The winner of the Seattle-Kamloops series plays the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL Championship Final -- that series starts Friday, June 3 in Edmonton. The Oil Kings eliminated the Winnipeg ICE 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Final series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2022
The Canadian Press
