Bankier's five-point night propels Blazers to 8-3 win in Victoria

Photo: Victoria Royals

Three Kamloops Blazers surround Victoria Royals forward Reggie Newman, a Kamloops product, in WHL action on Tuesday at Save-On Foods Memorial Arena in Victoria.

Caedan Bankier scored three goals and added two helpers on Wednesday as the Kamloops Blazers rolled over the host Victoria Royals 8-3 to improve to a perfect 4-0 on the young WHL season.

Bankier opened the scoring at the seven-minute mark of the first period, beating Victoria netminder Sebastian Wraneschitz on the power play from Mats Lindgren.

Fraser Minten made it 2-0 Kamloops early in the second period, but Victoria’s Bailey Peach beat Dylan Ernst a few minutes later to cut the lead back to one.

Bankier scored his second of the night mid-way through the second and got his third 40 seconds into the final frame.

Six different Blazers had multi-point games Wednesday. Bankier finished the night with five points. Daylan Kuefler scored twice, both late in the third, and Josh Pillar scored once and assisted on two of Bankier’s goals.

Wraneschitz was chased from the Victoria net in the third period. He stopped 24 of the 30 Kamloops shots fired his way, while Connor Martin made eight saves on 10 shots in relief.

Ernst got the win in net for Kamloops in his first start of the season, making 29 saves on 32 Royals shots.

The game, in front of a crowd of 1,805 at Save-On Foods Memorial Arena, was the second in two nights for both teams. Kamloops held on to beat Victoria 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Blazers play-by-play man Jon Keen said on Twitter the two-game sweep of the Royals is the first the Blazers have managed in Victoria since 2011.

The Blazers and the Vancouver Giants (2-0) are the only two undefeated teams remaining in the WHL’s B.C. Division.

The Blazers will be back in action on Friday in the Okanagan, taking on the 1-1 Kelowna Rockets at Prospera Place.