T-Birds knew path would go through Kamloops

MH: What constitutes success this season for the Seattle Thunderbirds?

MO: Well, I think a championship. We fell short last year. We made it to the final and fell two games short. From the time that buzzer went in Game 6 in Edmonton, our goal has been to come back and win a championship. The goal is to get two wins further.

MH: It’s no secret Kamloops wants revenge on Seattle and this is the series the Blazers wanted. Fraser Minten talked about it before the Vancouver series. Is this the series the T-Birds have wanted all along, too?

MO: I think it’s no secret that our path was going to go through Kamloops.

I’m sure they’re saying the same thing. Their path was going to go through Seattle. In order to get to where we want to go, which is the championship, odds are we were going to face Kamloops. There was some excitement looking forward to that matchup. From a competitive side, you want to play against the best. That’s part of it. You want to stay in the moment. One of our messages has been, “Be where your feet are,” and try not to look ahead so far. With human nature, it’s hard. I’m sure Kamloops’ message was probably the same — it’s take care of business first and when we get to the conference final, we can tackle that then. I think everyone is relieved it’s finally here and we can fully put our attention to it.

MH: So let’s talk about Kamloops. What are the challenges that stand out most about facing the Blazers?

MO: The talent. That goes without saying. I don’t know if it goes unnoticed, but Kamloops is a workethic-based team. They’re one of the hardest-working teams in the league, with excellent habits. I think that’s kind of gotten them where they are, combined with the elite skill. We like to see ourselves the same way. A lot of the things we do are work-ethic based. We pride ourselves on some of those good habits. It allows our talent to shine from there.

MH: Kamloops made a big splash at the deadline. How did that move change their team?

MO: Obviously a big move. Both excellent players. When you can put a guy like [Olen] Zellweger on the ice for 30 minutes a game, that’s a big factor, a guy that competitive who plays both ends of the ice and is that dangerous, especially on the offensive side. He’s clearly had a big impact for the Blazers. You get a big, heavy, 200foot centreman like [Ryan]

Hofer, he’s just a playoff type of guy. Those are the types of guys that you need in the playoffs.

MH: I don’t imagine you will offer specifics, but do you see areas for exploitation when you look at the Blazers?

MO: Not really, no. If you look at the lineup, it’s pretty solid, top to bottom. All four lines are dangerous. Their back end’s got a bit of everything. They’ve got elite, offensive-minded defencemen and some high-quality 200-foot guys, and their goaltending has been solid all year. Not a lot of weakness there to exploit. We see a lot of similarities between the two lineups and I don’t know what they would say about us, but I think two pretty evenly matched teams, to be honest.

MH: How do you see the goaltending matchup?

MO: Ernst has had an excellent year. Milic has had an excellent year.

I think Milic probably has more experience, being in the playoff run last year and his experience with the World Junior team this year. Milic has that on his side, but I think both goalies have had excellent years and have been pretty stout so far in the playoffs. We expect a tough goaltending matchup.

MH: What type of player is Tij Iginla and what traits does he share with his father [Blazers’ part-owner Jarome Iginla]?

MO: Tij is an excellent young player. He’s played some really good hockey for us this year. He’s playing behind a lot of depth up front, but the times he’s been in the lineup for us in the playoffs, he’s played real well.

2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia promises to be an actionpacked tournament in Kamloops with many activities and events off-ice for fans of all ages.

Leading the way are two fantastic events!