Game 14 vs. Tri City Recap

Tbirds win tonight in dramatic fashion and what better way to break a 3 game losing streak than to break it in this way.

For 40 minutes tonight this game looked like the exact blueprint for a Rob Sumner type victory.... and then the 3rd period happened and Seattle won in a very not Rob Sumner system type of game.

Seattle took the lead at the 3:33 mark of the 1st period when Ian McKenzie made a nice move into the American zone and put a shot on goal to the right of Chet Pickard, the rebound went to the sharp angle where Thomas Hickey swooped in and poked a shot towards the near post that snuck between the post and Pickard's right shoulder and into the net.

Bud Holloway made it 2-0 Seattle at the :31 second mark of the 2nd period on a beautiful exchange between Scott and Holloway. Holloway brought the puck into the zone on a criss-cross with Scott to the left hand side and flipped a pass to the far post where Scott (on his backside) managed to slide the puck back to the other post where Holloway snuck it in on the sharp angle.

Tri then got on the scoreboard with a goal by Procyshen at the 13:33 mark, is was his 11th of the year.

Procyshen then tied the game at 7:02 of the 3rd period when Seattle got caught in a bad line change and Procyshen went in all alone on DeSerres for the game tying goal. A horrible breakdown by the Tbirds at the worst possible moment.

Seattle then battled back and took the lead at the 8:15 mark of the 3rd period on a goal by Greg Scott. Holloway made another great play in the American zone and managed to get the puck to Lindsey Nielsen who fed it across the slot to Scott for the go-ahead marker.

Tri City tied it nearly 3 minutes later on a goal by Colton Yellow Horn who snapped in the tying goal over the right shoulder of DeSerres at the 11:16 mark of the 3rd.

Yellow Horn then put Tri City in front with little over 3:30 minutes to play with a deflection goal coming off the pass of Kruise Reddick. Yellow Horn's 2nd of the night and 7th of the year game Tri City their first lead of the game.

Holloway and the Tbirds then started their march back at the 17:15 mark of the 3rd when Nielsen brought the puck to the right circle where the Am defender took him off the puck but lost it to Holloway who deposited a quicker wrister under the glove of Pickard to tie the score.

Seattle looked headed to OT (as usual) until Thomas Hickey brought the puck from his own blue line down the left hand side of the rink and around the American D where he puck a quick, hard and low shot to the low glove side of Pickard. The rebounded bounded out to a streaking Holloway who completed the Hat Trick by burying the puck into the back of the net and giving the Tbirds a 5-4 lead with :33 seconds to play.

Holloway then completed his night and the game with an empty net marker with :05 seconds to play on a pass from Lindsey Nielsen. His 4th of the night (and also a natural Hat Trick) gave Holloway 4 goals for the game, 5 points for the night and 14 for the season, completing the Thunderbird comeback and an end to the 3 game losing streak.

Seattle finished with an edge in shots on goal 25-22 over Tri City for the game.

Jacob DeSerres finishes 18/22 and Chet Pickard finishes 20/25 (even though the WHL scoreboard says 19/25 and apparently did not accurately record the empty net goal, I know feel Andy Kemper's complaint).

Needless to say this was a pretty big win for Seattle. I never want to say that a game at the #14 mark is THAT big of a win but to stop a 3 game losing streak on home ice against the team in 1st place in your division is a big win early in the season. Couple that with the fact that you had the lead, lost it, and regained to take the game is an important thing.

An added note... this was a horribly officiated game. I don't say that from a one sided prospective. This was, on both sides, horrible. Seattle wa called for ONE minor and Tri City for TWO minors, one of which was the over the glass DOG call. Seriously Matt Kirk... I just saw a WHL game where only two penalties were committed all game? Seriously? Horribly called game. There were at least 2 high sticking calls on each side that were missed. Simply horrible.

Seattle moves to 7-4-3, 17 pts, .607 good for 3rd in the U.S. Division.

Let's Go Birds Three Stars of the Game:

1. Bud Holloway, 4 goals and 1 assist and a +5 rating and was simple a force all over the ice tonight.
2. Colton Yellow Horn, his 2 goals were more important than Procyshen's so I give him the 2nd star.
3. Greg Scott, 1 goal and 2 assists and had a great game on the Holloway, Nielsen line.

Honorable Mention: Procychen, had 2 goals and could have very easily been #2 or #3. Lindsey Nielsen, 3 assists and had his best game at a Tbird on that line. Thomas Hickey, 1 goal and 2 assist for the best D-man I have seen in the league this year.