The Seattle Thunderbirds rallied back from two three- goal deficits Sunday night to defeat the Tri-City Americans 6-4 at ShoWare Center.
Two T-Birds, Brad Haber and Chance Lund, scored their first career WHL goals in the win. Seattle won two of three games on the weekend and faces the Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday, January 21, at 7:05 p.m. at ShoWare Center.
Tri-City (31-13-0-3) went in front 1-0 at 2:38 of the first period on a goal by Mitch Fadden. Jason Reese and Justin Feser had the assists.
Brooks Macek scored at 3:50 of the first to give Americans a 2-0 lead. Mitch McColm and Brendan Shinnimin assisted on the goal.
Shinnimin scored at 9:47 of the first to put Tri-City in front 3-0. Macek and Petr Stoklasa had assists on the goal.
The Americans outshot the T-Birds 15-11 in the first period.
Seattle (20-22-1-3) got on the board at 5:53 of the second period. Jim O’Brien won a face-off in the left circle of the Americans zone to the left corner. Sena Acolatse got to the puck, looked up and fired the puck towards Greg Scott in the slot. Scott redirected the pass past Tri-City goalie Chet Pickard.
Reese scored a four-on-three power-play goal at 8:17 of the second to put the Americans back in front by three goals. Stoklasa and Tyler Schmidt had the assists.
Prab Rai scored at 13:06 of the second to pull the T- Birds back to within two goals. Scott stick handled through the high slot from right to left. Scott put a backhand shot on goal that rebounded to Rai at the right of the goal. Rai quickly snapped the rebound past Pickard over the glove to get his 18th goal of the year.
The T-Birds outshot the Americans 14-11 in the second period.
Seattle tied the game 4-4 by scoring two goals in 14 seconds early in the third period.
Brad Haber cut the Americans lead to one goal at 3:44 of the third when he scored his first career WHL goal. Thomas Hickey sent the puck from the left corner to Haber at the point. Haber put a low slap shot on goal that beat Pickard five hole. Rai had the second assist on the goal.
Off the face off after Haber’s goal the T-Birds got the puck deep in the Americans zone. Luke Lockhart and Chris Cloud worked the puck out of the left corner to the left face-off circle. Devon LeBlanc got the loose puck and put a spin-around shot on goal that beat Pickard over the glove at 3:58 of the third.
The T-Birds went in front for good at the 12-minute mark of the third after a scramble in front of the Americans net. Rai and Brenden Silvester got a stick on the puck before Chance Lund was able to muscle the puck into the net. It was Lund’s first career WHL goal.
Seattle added an insurance marker at 15:09 of the third with a power-play goal. Scott sent the puck from the left point to Rai in the right corner. Rai quickly crossed the puck across the slot to Jonathan Parker to the left of the goal. Parker slammed the puck past a sprawling Pickard for his ninth goal of the year.
The T-Bird outshot the Americans 19-4 in the third period and 44-30 in the game.
Seattle goalie Jacob DeSerres made 26 saves on 30 shots and his record is now 10-13-0-0.
Pickard stopped 38 of 44 shots and his record is now 20-9-0-0.
T-Birds season tickets are currently on sale. Season tickets can be purchased by calling the T-Birds office at 253-239-7825.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – 1, Tri-City, Fadden 17 (Reese, Feser), 2:38. 2, Tri-City, Macek 4 (McColm, Shinnimin), 3:50. 3, Tri-City, Shinnimin 7 (Macek, Stoklasa), 9:47. Penalties – Shinnimin, Tri (hooking), 5:58. Cloud, Sea (cross checking), 13:19. Reese, Tri (roughing), 18:37.
Second period – 4, Seattle, Scott 15 (Acolatse, O’Brien), 5:53. 5, Tri-City, Reese 24 (Stoklasa, Schmidt), 8:17 (pp). 6, Seattle, Rai 18 (Scott, Acolatse), 13:06 (pp). Penalties – Werbowski, Tri (interference), 1:20. Werbowski, Tri (roughing), 7:29. Silvester, Sea (roughing), 7:29. O’Brien, Sea (holding), 7:34. Cloud, Sea (interference, unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:46. Schmidt, Tri (high- sticking), 11:27. LeBlanc, Sea (interference), 14:46. Schmidt, Tri (roughing), 20:00. Warg, Sea (roughing), 20:00.
Third period – 7, Seattle, Haber 1 (Hickey, Rai), 3:44. 8, Seattle, LeBlanc 11 (Lockhart, Cloud), 3:58. 9, Seattle, Lund 1 (Rai, Silvester), 12:00. 10, Seattle, Parker 9 (Rai, Scott), 15:09 (pp). Penalties – Messier, Tri (hooking), 14:04.
Shots on goal – Seattle 11-14-19 44. Tri-City 15-11-4 30. Goalies – Seattle, DeSerres 30 shots-26 saves (10-13-0-0); Tri-City, Pickard 44-38 (20-9-0-3). Power plays – Seattle 1-5; Tri-City 1-5. A – 3,087. Referee – Sean Raphael, Colby Smith. Linesmen – Kevin Boris, Nathan Van Oosten.
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