Thunderbirds
Game 6: Thunderbirds whack the Bruins to win third straight
(4-2) Seattle Thunderbirds 6, (3-2) Chilliwack Bruins 3
Rouse with the hat trick..Jacobs with three points
Chilliwack– On their first trip north of the border the Birds had a bit of a slow start. After failing to get a shot on their first power play opportunity the Chilliwack Bruins were able to connect on their first chance with the man advantage as the always dangerous Ryan Howse put them up 1-0 at 9:09 of the first period. The Birds evened things up at at 15:24 when Brendan Rouse scored his first goal of the season. Jacob Doty and Brendan Persley then went at it with Doty knocking Persley’s helmet off being the only eventful part of that battle. With just 1:32 left in the first the Bruins regained the lead 2-1 on a goal by Roman Horak. The Bruins out shot the Thunderbirds 14-8 in the period. On the second Chilliwack goal Calvin Pickard (4-2) was hung out to dry as the Bruins had what seemed to be an endless amount of time to put one in. It might have been the seven day layoff but the Birds looked a bit disorganized in the period. It was Howse’s eighth goal of the season and Horak’s fourth. Those two players have tallied 13 of the Bruins first 20 goals of the season.
The Birds came out stronger in the second period and Mitch Elliot got the game tied at two on a slap shot from the left circle. It was Elliot’s second tally of the season. Colin Jacobs gave the Birds their first lead of the game at 10:32 with an assist from Elliot. Jacob’s second goal of the season put the Birds up 3-2. Only seconds later Elliot and Tim Traber got some punches in with both getting five minute fighting penalties. The Bruins got a late power play chance but could not convert so the Birds took a 3-2 lead into the third period.
The Birds made it a 4-2 game on Rouse’s second goal of the game at 3:10 of the third period. Another Doty fight soon followed and he man handled Tyler Stahl who went down hard and hard to leave the game. Doty was assessed a penalty but the Bruins couldn’t convert on the power play. Travis Toomey and Brandon Manning then got into an altercation and Toomey left with what appeared to be a left shoulder injury but he would return later in the period.The Birds took a 5-2 lead on the power play at 9:38 of the third when Rouse completed the hat trick with assists from Burke Gallimore and Brenden Dillon. Luke Lockhart and Dylen McKinlay went at it with the Birds on the penalty kill and Lockhart was given a penalty which put the Bruins up two men for 1:53. The Bruins converted on the five on three to cut the Birds lead to 5-3 with just under five minutes remaining in the third. Bruins coach Marc Habscheid then pulled goalie Lucas Gore (2-2) with his team still on the power play and over four minutes still remaining in the game. It came back to haunt him as the Birds put it in the empty net to take a commanding 6-3 lead with just over three minutes left. The Birds sixth goal of the night was scored by Toomey.
An impressive performance by the Birds especially after the first period. They never stopped pushing offensively and it may have caught the Bruins by surprise. I’m sure the fight..and I mean that literally…in the Birds also took Chilliwack by surprise as well. The biggest team in the league is showing that there is some muscle behind that size. The win pushes the Birds record to 4-2 overall and 2-2 on the road. Seattle seems to be gaining confidence as the game progresses. In the last two victories over Portland and Chilliwack the Birds had sub-par first periods but have come out very strong in the second and even stronger in the third. Once the offense got rolling tonight it was tough for the Bruins to stop the Birds momentum. It was talked about before the season started how the Birds needed to learn how to win, and how to put teams away when they have the chance. What’s surprising is how quickly they have learned that lesson.
The Thunderbirds will go for their fourth victory in a row on Friday in Vancouver against the Giants.
Game notes
– F Tyler Alos was back in the lineup after missing the first five games with an illness. He had two points in the game.
– D Austin Baecker and F Connor Sanvido were healthy scratches.
– There were five fights in the game. Doty had two and he also picked up his first WHL point.
– Announced attendance in Chilliwack was 3,099.
– Seattle was 1 for 4 on the power play, the Bruins were 2 for 6.
Scoring Summary
1st Period-1, Chilliwack, Howse 8 (Manning, Pauls), 9:09 (PP). 2, Seattle, Rouse 1 (Jacobs, Bonsor), 15:24. 3, Chilliwack, Horak 4 (Einhorn, Howse), 18:28. Penalties-Habscheid Cwk (tripping), 6:48; Toomey Sea (elbowing), 8:22; Magee Cwk (hooking), 10:44; Doty Sea (major-fighting), 16:04; Persley Cwk (major-fighting), 16:04.
2nd Period-4, Seattle, Elliot 2 (Jacobs, Alos), 2:21. 5, Seattle, Jacobs 2 (Alos, Elliot), 11:32. Penalties-Noebels Sea (tripping), 7:07; Elliot Sea (major-fighting), 10:36; Traber Cwk (major-fighting), 10:36; Bonsor Sea (tripping), 18:10.
3rd Period-6, Seattle, Rouse 2 (Doty, Wells), 3:10. 7, Seattle, Rouse 3 (Gallimore, Dillon), 9:28 (PP). 8, Chilliwack, Horak 5 (Howse, Pauls), 15:14 (PP). 9, Seattle, Toomey 2 16:25 (EN). Penalties-Doty Sea (roughing, major-fighting), 4:32; Stahl Cwk (major-fighting), 4:32; McKinlay Cwk (roughing), 5:36; Toomey Sea (slashing, major-fighting), 7:03; Manning Cwk (instigator, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 7:03; Horak Cwk (checking from behind), 7:55; Dillon Sea (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 8:32; McKinlay Cwk (holding), 8:32; Lockhart Sea (instigator, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 14:24; McKinlay Cwk (major-fighting), 14:24.
Shots on Goal-Seattle 8-8-12-28. Chilliwack 14-10-8-32.
Power Play Opportunities-Seattle 1 / 4; Chilliwack 2 / 5.
Goalies-Seattle, Pickard 3-2-0-0 (32 shots-29 saves). Chilliwack, Gore 2-1-0-0 (27 shots-22 saves).
A-3,099
Referees-Ryan Bonnett (39), Brett Montsion.
Linesmen-Mike Basford (107), Chris Dehaan (74).
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