WHL roundup: T-Birds cruise past Blazers 6-3 in West showdown
By The Canadian Press on March 21, 2023.
SEATTLE – Dylan Guenther scored twice, Jeremy Hanzel added three assists and the Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the visiting Kamloops Blazers 6-3 in Western Hockey League action on Tuesday night. The top two teams in the WHL’s Western Conference will head to Kamloops on Wednesday for a rematch in the B.C. community. Nolan Allan, Brad Lambert, Jared Davidson and Reid Schaefer (empty net) also scored for the Thunderbirds (53-9-1-2), who increased their lead in the West by nine points over the Blazers. Olen Zellweger scored twice for the Blazers, while Ashton Ferster added a single. Caedan Bankier and Logan Stankoven each chipped in with two assists. The Blazers led 2-1 after the first period, but trailed 4-2 heading into the third. The Blazers outshot the T-Birds 37-36. Elsewhere in the WHL: — BRONCOS 5 OIL KINGS 2 SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. – Sam McGinley had a goal and assist and his Swift Broncos scored three unanswered goals in the third period to defeat the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings 5-2. Mathew Ward, Caleb Wyrostok, Josh Davies and Brady Birnie also scored for the Broncos (30-32-1-3), who outshot the Oil Kings 37-28. Connor Hvidston chipped in with three assists. Mason Finley scored twice for the Oil Kings (9-52-4-0). — GIANTS 3 WINTERHAWKS 2 (OT) PORTLAND, Ore. – Ty Halaburda’s second goal of the game, scored at 4:24 of overtime, gave the visiting Vancouver Giants a 3-2 win over the Portland Winterhawks. Tyler Thorpe also scored for the Giants (27-31-5-3), who were outshot 39-18 but still found a way to win on the road. Robbie Fromm-Delorme and Diego Buttazzoni scored for the Winterhawks (39-19-5-3), who trailed 1-0 after the first period. The second was scoreless. * This roundup was generated automatically with a CP-developed application. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2023. 19-18
