Logan Stankoven celebrates his goal against the Regina Pats on Nov. 30, 2022. (Photo via Allen Douglas)
It was billed as the Connor Bedard show, but it was the Kamloops Blazers who put on a bigger show at Sandman Centre Wednesday night.
The Blazers erupted for seven second-period goals en route to a 9-3 win over the Regina Pats, handing the Saskatchewan team their first loss on their five game B.C. road swing.
It was standing room only as a sellout crowd of 5,544 was on hand to catch Bedard’s first – and possibly only – WHL game in Kamloops, and the projected first overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft did not disappoint. He finished the night with two goals and one assist, as well as nine shots on goal.
But it was the hometown kid, Logan Stankoven, who starred on the night, scoring a goal while adding three assists.
The Blazers led 2-1 after 20 minutes with Bedard’s first goal sandwiched between goals from Matthew Seminoff and Logan Stankoven.
Fraser Minten (2), Emmitt Finnie, Caedan Bankier (2), Connor Levis, and Ashton Ferster all found the back of the net for the Blazers in the second period, as did Alexander Suzdalev for the Pats.
Bankier’s first goal of the night was one for the highlight reels as he picked Bedard’s pocket and scored on a breakaway to make it 6-1.
📽️ HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT 📽️
A BANK robbery and a BANK deposit, all in the same clip.@blazerhockey | #WHLHoN | @mnwild pic.twitter.com/jDkLPC2Bsp
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 1, 2022
Bedard scored the game’s only goal in the third period as the Blazers appeared to be content with sitting back and seeing out the game.
Connor Bedard scores goals like THIS.@WHLPats | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/vrNoxUOXc0
— The WHL (@TheWHL) December 1, 2022
Dylan Ernst turned aside 33 of 36 shots he faced for his 11th in of the season. The Pats’ Matthew Kieper made 14 saves on 23 shots before he was replaced late in the second period by Drew Sim, who stopped all 10 shots he faced.
Fraser Minten and Caedan Bankier each had two goals and an assist on the night for the Blazers, with Logan Bairos (three assists) and Matthew Seminoff (one goal, one assist) also recording multi-point nights.
Pats defenceman, Luke Bateman, a Kamloops native, finished the night with a minus-3 rating, one shot on goal, and two penalty minutes. Sixteen-year-old Merritt twins Corbin and Jaxsin Vaughan were held off the scoresheet as well, as were former Blazer Tye Spencer and Riley Ginnell.
Wednesday’s win moves the Blazers back into top spot in the B.C. Division with a 12-5-3-1 record. They’re two points ahead of the Prince George (13-10-0-0) with two games in hand on the Cougars, who host Regina (12-12-1-1) on Friday night.
The Blazers will host the Vancouver Giants that night before heading to Langley on Saturday for a rematch.
