T-Birds clip Oil Kings 2-1 in WHL championship opener

EDMONTON – The Seattle Thunderbirds scored the first two goals on Friday night and then hung on to defeat the host Edmonton Oil Kings 2-1 in the first game of the Western Hockey League’s championship series.

Seattle, coming off a tough seven-game series against the Kamloops Blazers, got goals from Matthew Rempe and Connor Roulette, then relied on a 43-save performance from goalie Thomas Milic to get the job done.

Carter Souch scored Edmonton’s lone goal at 11:40 of the third period on the power play.

Edmonton beat the Winnipeg ICE in 5 games in the WHL’s Eastern Conference Final.

Game 2 in the series goes Sunday in Edmonton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2022