Game 5: Seattle gets another shootout victory in a hard fought win in Portland

Seattle Thunderbirds 3, Portland Winterhawks 2 (shootout)

(3-2)(2-1-0-1)

(Portland)- It was a very different Winterhawks team that the Thunderbirds played tonight at the Rose Garden in Portland. The Ryan Johansen express flew into Portland about two hours before game time. Actually it was a local as the 18 year old forward was returned from Columbus with a stop in Las Vegas. Seattle survived an early furious round of flurries by the Winterhawks in which they missed on several scoring chances. After getting the first seven shots on goal and not connecting, it was Burke Gallimore that made them pay for it as he converted the Birds first shot into the game’s first goal to put the Birds up 1-0 at 7:19 of the first period. With the way the Hawks were dominating play you knew it wouldn’t be long before they did convert and at 10:45 it was Taylor Peters who tied the game at 1-1. Portland kept on coming and when Brad Ross was allowed to skate into the zone unimpeded he made the Birds pay by putting one top shelf past Calvin Pickard (3-2) to put the Hawks up 2-1 at 15:48. Portland dominated play and out shot the Birds 22-3 in the first 20 minutes.

Even though Portland’s official opening night was last Monday against the Vancouver Giants it was obvious that this was their “real” home opener on a Saturday night against Seattle with a large crowd. This along with all of the players that returned from NHL camps definitely energized the Hawks. At the halfway point in the game Portland lead in shots 32-6. If not for some stellar goaltending by Pickard and a handful of doorstep chances that the Hawks just couldn’t convert on, it would have been much worse than a one goal lead. But the Hawks let the Birds hang around and a misplay by Portland goalie Keith Hamilton (2-1-0-1) allowed Mitch Elliot to cash in and tie the game at 2-2 with just over four minutes remaining in the second period. That’s the way the period would end.

Just as with Friday night’s game, this year’s Seattle Thunderbirds found a way to overcome adversity and didn’t succumb to it as the T-Birds of last season may have. With Elliot’s goal the Birds began to pick up their play and were no longer dominated the way they were in the first half of the game. After tying the Hawks in shots at 12 in the second period, at the midway point of the third period shots were 7-6 in favor of Portland. The Thunderbirds penalty kill was extremely effective tonight stifling the Winterhawks on all five opportunities while only getting two power play chances of their own. Two key kills in the third period really gave the Birds a big lift and they out shot Portland 16-10 in a scoreless period that got the game to overtime tied at 2-2.

There would be no scoring in overtime and so for the second straight night the Birds would head to the shootout and for the second straight night the Thunderbirds would take the game. Marcel Noebels, who is now a perfect four out of four in the shootout going back to preseason once again netted the game winner in what can only be described as a scintillating and up lifting victory for the Thunderbirds in Portland. Their first win there since the 2008-2009 season.

The Thunderbirds are now over .500 for the first time this season. They improve to 1-2 on the road and 2-2 against U.S. Division rivals. The Birds bent quite a bit tonight but they did not break and they are now 2-0 against a team that has been picked by many to go all the way.This is the kind of win that can really give a team confidence and we’ll see if it carries over into the Birds next game which will be Saturday the 9th in Chilliwack against the Bruins.

Game notes:

–Calvin Pickard stopped 44 of 46 shots as well as all three Portland attempts in the shootout.

– Attendance at the Rose Garden was announced as 7,775.

– The three stars of the game were Calvin Pickard (Seattle), Taylor Peters (Portland) and Brad Ross (Portland)

– F Tyler Alos (illness) , F Branden Troock (illness), F Justin Hickman (fractured hand), D Scott Ramsay (concussion), and D Austin Frank (healthy scratch) did not play.

Scoring Summary

1st Period-1, Seattle, Gallimore 4 (Lund, Dillon), 7:19. 2, Portland, Peters 1 (Leipsic, Jordan), 10:45. 3, Portland, Ross 4 (Johansen, Aronson), 15:48. Penalties-Dillon Sea (holding), 18:59.

2nd Period-4, Seattle, Elliot 1 (Jacobs), 15:38. Penalties-Lund Sea (slashing), 5:01; Ponich Por (high sticking), 6:13; Bobbee Sea (checking from behind), 9:36; Rutkowski Por (tripping), 16:47; Aasman Sea (hooking), 19:05.

3rd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Dillon Sea (tripping), 14:25.OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No PenaltiesShootout – Seattle 1 (Gallimore NG, Noebels G), Portland 0 (Rattie NG, Ross NG, Johansen NG).

Shots on Goal-Seattle 3-12-16-2-1-34. Portland 22-12-10-2-0-46.

Power Play Opportunities-Seattle 0 / 2; Portland 0 / 5.

Goalies-Seattle, Pickard 2-2-0-0 (46 shots-44 saves). Portland, Hamilton 2-1-0-0 (33 shots-31 saves).

A-7,775

Referees-Trent Knorr (42), Steve Papp (36).

Linesmen-Justin Hull (49), Nathan Van Oosten (115).