The Seattle Thunderbirds strengthened their push toward a Western Conference playoff spot Tuesday night with a 4–1 road win over the Kamloops Blazers at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Cameron Schmidt scored twice and goaltender Grayson Malinoski stopped 32 shots as Seattle improved to 25-26-5-3 on the season.

The T-Birds now sit 2 points out of a playoff position heading into a weekend home and away series against the Tri-City Americans.

“It was a greasy road win,” head coach Matt O’Dette said after the game. “I thought we bent but didn’t break. Obviously Mali was really good. These are the type of games you need sometimes on the road.”

Seattle struck first for the third consecutive game when Schmidt opened the scoring at 4:20 of the first period. Schmidt converted a head man pass from Coster Dunn while the teams were skating four aside. The goal held through the first two periods.

“Stats tell the story,” O’Dette said. “Scoring the first goal gives you a better chance of winning. You get some confidence early in the game and you’re not pressing as much.”

The Thunderbirds extended their lead early in the third period when Simon Lovsin finished a 2 on 1 rush with Brock England at 5:43. Lovsin’s 15th goal of the season proved to be the game winner, with Sawyer Mayes earning the secondary assist.

“Kind of a lucky bounce there,” O’Dette said. “But when you defend the right way sometimes you create odd man rushes the other way. I thought Lovy had a hard working game all night and when you do that you sometimes get rewarded with a good bounce.”

Kamloops cut the deficit to one with just under seven minutes remaining, but the Blazers could not complete the comeback. After pulling their goaltender for an extra attacker, the Thunderbirds sealed the victory with two empty net goals. Schmidt scored his second of the night unassisted at 18:15 and Mayes added another a minute later with an assist from Joe Gramer.

Schmidt’s 43 goals this season lead the Western Hockey League.

The win secured the regular season series for Seattle, which took three of five games against the Blazers after losing the first two earlier in the season.

Playoff picture tightening for Seattle

With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Seattle Thunderbirds remain firmly in the Western Conference playoff race but still have some winning to do.

Seattle currently sits 9th in the conference with 58 points, just 2 points behind the Portland Winterhawks and Victoria Royals, who are tied for the 7th and 8th playoff positions with 60 points each. The T-Birds also hold a 3 point cushion over the Tri-City Americans, who sit 10th with 55 points.

The standings place Seattle directly on the postseason bubble. Because the top eight teams qualify for the WHL playoffs, the Thunderbirds would move into a playoff spot with a single win combined with help elsewhere in the standings. Their recent form has helped keep them in the hunt, as Seattle has gone 6-3-1-0 over its last 10 games, one of the stronger stretches among teams battling for the final playoff berths.

With games remaining against conference opponents including Tri-City and Vancouver, the Thunderbirds will likely control much of their own playoff fate down the stretch. A strong finish could push the Birds into the top eight and secure a postseason berth in what has become one of the tighter playoff races in the Western Conference.

The T-Birds return to action this Friday night, Mar. 6 when they travel to Kennewick to face the Tri-City Americans at 7:05 p.m. Seattle then returns home Saturday to host the Americans at the ShoWare Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Saturday’s game will feature Union Night.

Seattle will be without Antonio Martorana for two more games as he continues serving a four game league suspension for a Game Misconduct assessed at the end of the second period during last Saturday’s game against Everett. He is eligible to return Mar. 13.

Brayden Holberton also missed Tuesday’s game while serving the fourth game of a five game suspension stemming from a one man fight in a recent game against Portland. He is expected to return to the lineup Saturday.

Fans can watch the Thunderbirds’ away games this week on Victory Plus.

Get a Lunch Bag Tote at Mar. 15 game

Fans can take advantage of a special themed ticket promotion when the Seattle Thunderbirds host the Vancouver Giants on Sunday, Mar. 15.

The team is offering a Lunch Bag Tote themed ticket special, which includes a game ticket and a Seattle Thunderbirds tote for $29 (perfect for carrying your lunch or a bunch of pucks!). The promotion is tied to the Mar. 15 matchup against Vancouver, with puck drop scheduled for 5:05 p.m. in Kent.

The lunch tote features Thunderbirds branding and is included with the purchase of the special ticket package.

Tickets for the promotion must be purchased online through the team’s ticket page.

More information and tickets are available at:

https://bit.ly/4rJSxpi

The Thunderbirds’ 2025-26 Western Hockey League regular season continues through Mar. 22, 2026, with home games at accesso ShoWare Center in Kent:

Buy Thunderbirds Tickets Here

We’ll be here every Thursday with updates on the Thunderbirds’ schedule, key performances, standout players and community activities that matter to fans in South King County and beyond.