T-Birds Douse the Blazers
KENT, Wash –Scott Ratzlaff made 41 saves and Sawyer Mynio factored in on every goal as the Seattle Thunderbirds (3-4-1-0) defeated the Kamloops Blazers, 3-1, Friday at the accesso ShoWare Center to earn their second straight win. The Thunderbirds wrap up their three game homestand with a game Saturday versus the Portland Winterhawks. Start time is 6:05 p.m.
“Both goalies were really good tonight,” said head coach Matt O’Dette as Ratzlaff and his Blazers counterpart, Dylan Ernst combined for 80 saves. “We’re happy with the win knowing we have a chance to learn from it as well.”
It was a scoreless game until the final minute of the first period when Braeden Cootes fed a puck up ice to Nishaan Parmar. Mynio jumped up to join Parmar on the rush. Parmar got Mynio the puck as they crossed the Kamloops blue line and Mynio snapped home his first of two goals on the night at 19:29.
The second period was scoreless, though the two teams combined for 40 shots. “The second (period) we kind of fell off our path,” remarked O’Dette. “We were trading chances with them and that’s not the recipe for us.” Ratzlaff’s 23 saves in the period helped preserve the T-Birds 1-0 lead.
Kamloops tied it with a power play goal at 6:27 of the third. The Thunderbirds got the lead back just over four minutes later when Nathan Pilling put in a shot from the point by Mynio. Parmar earned his second assist on the game winner.
“They tied the game, and we dug in,” said O’Dette. “We got the lead back and closed it out with some solid play and a couple good penalty kills.”
Indeed, the Blazers got another power play opportunity with just under two minutes remaining, then pulled the goalie for an extra attacker to skate 6-on-4. But Mynio buried a shot from inside his own blue line into the empty net with 64 seconds remaining.
Mynio finished the night with three points and a plus three rating, but the Kamloops native said having a big night against his hometown team wasn’t a motivating factor. “Here at the ShoWare Center, not really. When I’m at home in Kamloops, with family and friends there, it’s a little more motivating.”
T-BIRDS EXTRA
The T-Birds earned back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Seattle improved their home record to 3-1-0-0
In his last three home starts against Kamloops, dating back to last season, Ratzlaff is 3-0-0-0 with a 1.29 GAA and a .957 SVPCT. In his first two starts this season he has stopped 79 of 82 shots.
Once again Antonio Martorana remains out of the lineup with a lower body injury. He was joined on the injury list by Will Jamieson and Finn Bagley.
Boxscore: Kamloops Blazers at Seattle Thunderbirds – Friday, October 11, 2024 (chl.ca)
