It was the final Sunday afternoon game of the season at the Toyota Center, and while it drew arguably the smallest crowd of the year, the fans who did attend were treated to a thriller.
After a back-and-forth third period, Tri-City closed out a three-in-three with a 4–2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers, who were also playing the back end of their own three-game weekend. Once again, Xavier Wendt was brilliant.
First Period
Tri-City wasted no time getting on the board.
Grady Martin, continuing a career year, opened the scoring after a Jaxen Adam point shot missed wide and ricocheted hard off the end wall. The puck landed right on Martin’s stick, and with Ivan Kufterins well out of position after challenging Adam’s shot, Martin slid the puck into an open net.
Just before the halfway mark of the period, Tri-City had a brief scare when Jakub Vanecek took a wrist shot up high and needed help getting to the bench. He would return later in the game.
Late in the period, Jaxen Adam was called for interference, giving Kamloops a chance on a power play operating at a 29.5% clip. The Tri-City penalty kill stood tall, however, and after 20 minutes the Americans held a 1–0 lead despite being outshot 15–11.
Second Period
Tri-City extended its lead six minutes into the second.
Connor Dale circled patiently in the left circle before snapping a laser toward the net. Jake Gudelj got a last-second tip, redirecting the puck past Kufterins. Gudelj now has goals in back-to-back games and seven on the season.
The remainder of the period saw both teams trade chances without another breakthrough, and Tri-City carried a 2–0 lead into the third. With a win, the Americans had a chance to leapfrog Kamloops for fourth place and home-ice advantage in the Western Conference.
Third Period
The final period turned into wide-open, end-to-end hockey.
Early in the third, Tri-City had an opportunity to put the game away when Savin Virk, the team’s leading scorer, was denied point-blank by Kufterins, who came up with a massive stop to keep Kamloops within reach.
Moments later, Alexander Laing attempted to spark his team by dropping the gloves for the first time in his WHL career, squaring off with Asher Gingras. Laing traded punches and eventually wrestled Gingras to the ice.
Kamloops got on the board at 8:48 after Harrison Brunicke walked the line to evade Grady Martin and drove into the right circle. His pass found Ty Bonkowski at the back door, who tipped it home.
Tri-City answered quickly. Connor Dale, capping off a terrific weekend, drove down the right wing and fired a sharp-angle backhand that slipped through the five-hole of Kufterins to restore the two-goal lead.
The response didn’t stop there. Seconds later, Kamloops struck again off the center-ice draw. Vit Zahjesky burst into the Tri-City zone, took a feed in the left circle, and ripped a glove-side shot past Wendt, making it 3–2.
The Americans delivered the backbreaking goal with seven minutes remaining.
Charlie Elick, who had just three goals through his first 40 games of the season, continued his red-hot weekend by scoring for the third straight game—each from the same spot. From the top of the right circle, Elick picked his corner to make it 4–2, giving Tri-City breathing room and becoming the fourth different goal scorer of the night.
Tri-City withstood a late push from Kamloops who had the empty net and closed out the win.
Postgame / What’s Next
With the victory, Tri-City improves to 24-17-3-1, wins its second straight, and moves into fourth place in the Western Conference, leapfrogging Kamloops for a home-ice playoff spot.
Charlie Elick showcased the offensive upside that has long been projected, scoring three goals over the weekend and setting a new career high after previously topping out at four.
Tri-City did a good job generating quality looks against Kufterins, who appeared rusty in just his second game since December 12 after returning from Latvia’s World Junior Championship squad, where he did not see game action.
Kamloops outshot Tri-City 40–28. The Blazers went 0-for-2 on the power play, while Tri-City finished 0-for-1.
The Americans will reset and do it all again next weekend with another three-in-three, including two games at home.
