Connor Honey scored with 4.6 seconds left in overtime to give the Seattle Thunderbirds a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips Sunday night at the ShoWare Center and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Defenseman Shea Theodore passed the puck to Dave Sutter at the blue line. Sutter took a wrist shot towards the goal. Honey tipped the puck over Everett goalie Kent Simpson’s right side securing Seattle’s crucial win over the Silvertips just before time expired.
The T-Birds started the game four points behind the eighth-place Victoria Royals in the Western Conference playoff standings. With the win, Seattle (23-43-1-1) is now three points behind the Royals, who lost in overtime to the Vancouver Giants Sunday night. The T-Birds have two games in hand on the Royals having played 68 games to the Royals’ 70.
The T-Birds are four points behind the seventh-place Silvertips, with a game in hand. These two teams will meet again on Saturday, March 17, at ShoWare Center at 7:05 p.m. in the last regular season home game for the T-Birds.
Seattle scored quickly in the first period with a goal from Seth Swenson at 1:20. Chance Lund took a shot on goal but it was stopped by Simpson. Swenson got the rebound in traffic and beat Simpson with a wrist shot for his ninth goal of the season.
Kohl Bauml tied it 1-1for the Silvertips at 12:54 of the first. Cody Fowlie had the only assist.
Everett (21-38-1-8) and Seattle both had 13 shots on goal after the first period.
Branden Troock scored the T-Birds second goal of the night unassisted at 1:16. Troock intercepted the puck from an Everett defender behind the Silvertips net. Troock skated to the left side of Simpson and sent the puck over Simpson’s right side with his a backhand for his 13th goal of the season.
Josh Winquist scored for the Silvertips at 5:01 of the second to tie it 2-2. Josh Birkholz and Brennan Yadlowski had the assists.
Seattle led Everett 25-24 in shots after two periods and finished the game with a 49-32 advantage in shots.
Calvin Pickard stopped 30 on 32 shots increasing his record to 23-35-1-1.
Simpson made 46 saves on 49 shots bringing his record to 19-29-2-5.
Seattle faces the Spokane Chiefs Tuesday, March 13, at the ShoWare Center at 7:05 p.m. The T-Birds travel Spokane Friday night at 7:05 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – 1, Seattle, Swenson 9 (Lund), 1:20. 2, Everett, Bauml14 (Fowlie), 12:54. Penalties – Elliot, Sea (major-fighting), 2:08. Grayson, Evt (major-fighting), 2:08. Yadlowski, Evt (boarding), 4:25. Lund, Sea (goaltender inference, major-fighting), 9:17. Wardley, Sea (unsportsmanlike conduct), 9:17. Grayson, Evt (unsportsmanlike conduct), 9:17. Morden, Evt (major-fighting), 9:17. Hauf, Sea (cross checking), 13:54.
Second period – 3, Seattle, Troock 13, 1:16. 4, Everett, Winquist 19 (Birkholz, Yadlowski), 5:01. Penalties – Elliot, Sea (major-fighting), 7:11. Caron, Evt (major-fighting), 7:11.Grayson, Evt (hooking), 9:42. Jacobs, Sea (slashing), 20:00. Caron, Evt (roughing), 20:00.
Third period – No scoring. Penalties – Honey, Sea (slashing), 4:39. Caron, Evt (slashing), 17:39. Troock, Sea (slashing), 17:39.
Overtime – 5, Seattle, Honey 7 (Sutter, Theodore), 4:55. Penalties – No penalties.
Shots on goal – Seattle 13-12-20-4 49. Everett 13-11-5-3 32. Goalies – Seattle, Pickard 32 shots-30 saves (23-35-1-1); Everett, Simpson 49-46 (19-29-2-5). Power plays – Seattle 0-2; Everett 0-3. A – 4,080. Referee – Trevor Hanson, Jeff Ingram. Linesmen – Kevin Boris, Chris Sweeting.
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