Blazers and T-Birds at ISC
The Kamloops Blazers continue life without defencemen Austin Madaisky and Brandon Underwood tonight (Feb. 9) against the Seattle Thunderbirds at Interior Savings Centre (ISC).
Losing two top defencemen is tough for any team — the setback is even greater for the Kamloops Blazers, a squad that has allowed 55 more goals than it has scored this season.
Madaisky, a fifth-round selection of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL’s 2010 draft, and Underwood were emerging as the Blazers’ shutdown pair before they both went down with injuries against the Chilliwack Bruins on Friday, Feb. 3, at ISC.
Out for the season is Madaisky, who sustained a fracture to the seventh cervical vertebrae when he was hit by Bruin defenceman Brandon Manning, who was assessed a boarding major and a game misconduct.
The Western Hockey League will suspend Manning for the hit, but the length of the suspension has not yet been determined.
Underwood is expected to miss between four and six weeks with a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
The Blazers are clinging to eight place in the league’s Western Conference, one point up on the Bruins and two points up on the visiting Thunderbirds, who are coming off a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday, Feb. 5.
The Bruins have four games in hand on the Blazers; Seattle has two games in hand on Kamloops.
Puck drop tonight is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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