The Edmonton Oil Kings lost 2-1 at home to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday night in Game 1 of a playoff series to determine the 2022 Western Hockey League championship.
Seattle goaltender Thomas Milic was named the first star of the game, stopping 43 of the 44 shots he faced to earn the win. Edmonton netminder Sebastian Cossa allowed two goals on 22 shots.
The Thunderbirds opened the scoring off a rush 1:59 into the second period. Cossa stopped a shot by winger Reid Schaefer before Seattle centre Mattheew Rempe scored off the rebound.
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Seattle struck again 8:55 into the third period. Defenceman Tyrel Bauer took a shot from the blue line and winger Conner Roulette tipped the puck past Cossa to make it 2-0 for the Thunderbirds.
The Oil Kings managed to cut the Thunderbirds’ lead in half with a power-play goal 11:40 into the third. Edmonton forward Carter Souch redirected a shot by defenceman Luke Prokop past Milic.
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The Oil Kings pulled Cossa late in the game for an extra attacker but were unable to get the tying goal.
Seattle had the edge over the Oil Kings in the faceoff circle Friday night, winning 40 of 71 draws.
The game saw 6,428 fans in attendance. Game 2 of the series gets underway Sunday afternoon at Rogers Place. The opening faceoff is set for 4 p.m.