Let's Go Birds

Bantam Draft Day

2013-05-02T07:58:00.002-07:00

The draft has already started... and the Tbirds are up in two picks after Everett. I'll try to update this as the day goes along.

With their first 1st round selection the Tbirds have selected Dante Fabbro. Fabbro is a former teammate of Mathew Barzal and I don't think that's truly a coincidence. Fabbro is 6'0" and about 170 lbs. He's an offensive defensemen and was the captain of the Burnaby Winter Club.

Here are some links on Fabbro:

http://www.whl.ca/article/2013-whl-draft-profile-dante-fabbro
http://westernelitehockeyprospects.com/bantam-prospects/western-elite-hockey-prospects-release-top-10-player-rankings.html
https://twitter.com/17Fabbro

Seattle picks again at #22 and #27

At #22, Seattle selects Center Kaden Elder. Elder is 5'10" and 160 lbs. Played for the Notre Dame Hounds. He appears to be a right hand shot and it touted as a good two way player. I like hearing us select guys that have intangibles. For years we've heard about Seattle taking guys with "upside" and "size". Maybe Elder is finally the guy I've been hoping for who has great work ethic combined with some good skill and hockey sense. ~~It appears to me as though he was the captain of the Notre Dame club but I can't confirm that. That would make two captains Seattle has selected in the first round.~~ Now appears to me that the pick before Dillon Dube was the captain but Elder might have served as Captain at times.

Links for Elder:
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=247880
http://westernelitehockeyprospects.com/news-by-region/alberta/wehp-announce-provincial-award-winners.html
https://twitter.com/KELDER_11
http://hockeynow.ca/posts/42956-notre-dame-hounds-bantam-team-leads-midget-standings

Ar #27, Seattle selects Nolan Volcan, 5'6.5" Left Wing from Edmonton. This is a departure of sorts for the organization as they select a player on the small side and quite frankly I'm fine with that. In fact, I'm excited for it. The last few years have proven that you don't have to be 6'2" and above to dominate in the WHL. You need speed, skill and hockey sense. Playing for Edmonton MLAC Bantam AAA last season he amassed 40 Goals and 36 Assists for 76 Points.

This nugget directly from the team: Marty Volcan, father of Nolan Volcan, played with the Seattle Breakers in 1983-84
Links for Volcan:
https://twitter.com/n_volcan20
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=153134
http://www.edmontonsun.com/2012/12/09/steel-and-benson-a-dynamic-duo

In the 5th round Seattle selects Brandon Schuldhaus. Schuldhaus is listed at 6'0" and 166 lbs which is much different from his Elite Prosepects profile that lists him at 5'9" and 175. So I don't know. I would assume the 6'0" is probably more accurate. He's a left handed shot defensemen from Bearspaw, AB and played for Airdrie Bantam last year.

Links for Schuldhaus:
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=157265
https://twitter.com/BSchuldhaus3
http://www.airdrieecho.com/2012/09/05/shuldhaus-sizzles-at-tie-dye-game

In the 6th round, Seattle selects Jagger Williamson, Right Wing from Lumby, BC. He played last season for Vernon Tier 1 and checks in at 5'7" and 150 lbs.

Couple of links on Williamson:
https://twitter.com/jags_williamson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-v7yjDW8vM
http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/sports/119878769.html

That will be it for me today. I have some things going on... make sure you follow your twitter feed to get some stock quotes from Russ and Colin about the players we select.

Seattle announces the signing of Mathew Barzal

2013-05-01T10:33:00.003-07:00

At a press conference this morning/afternoon at the WHL Awards presentation, the Thunderbirds have announced the signing of 2012 1st overall Bantam Pick Mathew Barzal.

This is, quite obviously, a huge turning point for the Seattle franchise. Barzal is a once a decade (maybe more) type of talent who will see immediate time on the Power Play and has a very good chance to post significant points in his 16 year old season.

From what I saw during training camp... Barzal is exceptionally gifted with vision and hands for a player his age. He isn't the dynamic scorer that you would associate with someone like Ovechkin but he has a good shot and will score his fair share of goals (and possibly more as he matures). He's a player that has a very good chance of playing only 2 seasons in Seattle, being selected in the 2015 NHL draft and never seeing the WHL again.

Beyond having Barzal playing in Seattle next season, his presence also could create a domino effect whereby players like Ryan Gropp and Dylan Gambrell might come to Seattle simply for the opportunity to play with Barzal.

Nothing is guaranteed. Barzal isn't guaranteed to be a superstar any more than any player is guaranteed anything but... I will say this... Barzal is more talented than any draft pick Seattle has had in a very long time. Remember how excited everyone was when Thomas Hickey burst onto the scene as a 15 year old? Barzal has a chance to be better and more special than that.

Let's not hand the championship trophy to the Tbirds quite yet... but this is a major step in the right direction for the franchise.

Is it September yet?

Game 7 Thread - Seattle at Kelowna

2013-04-03T16:02:00.002-07:00

Too scared to write anything... Have at it.

Game 6 Thread - Kelowna at Seattle - Do or Die

2013-04-02T14:55:00.002-07:00

Very short update for today because I won't actually be able to be at the game tonight. I have a couple playoff games of my own... sucks... but that's the breaks.

A few things to look for tonight:

Connor Honey was suspended for three games for his hit in Game 4. I didn't like the call and I don't like the suspension but there is no sense in Seattle dwelling on it. I hope every player realizes that to a certain extent it really is them against everyone else in the league. If I were Russ Farwell, I would have whipped out my checkbook and had a few choice words for the league... and not in private... to the media.
Watch for the team that is the aggressor tonight. It has appeared to me that Seattle got under Kelowna's skin in Games 1-3 and Kelowna was able to turn the tables on them in Games 4 and 5. The team that can push the edge without getting penalties is probably the team that wins tonight. Seattle has got to be aggressive and risk everything without sitting in the box 6 or 7 times tonight.
Crowd is expected to be close to 5000 again tonight. For a weeknight playoff game... that's an amazing number. Seattle will want to do some hitting (and goal scoring) early in the game to get the crowd going. If they can do that... they may not look back.
I wish I could say differently... but I think if Seattle loses this game they are dead in the water. I wouldn't want to going back to Kelowna having just blown a 3 game lead facing a 108 point club in their home building for a Game 7. It's win tonight or face extremely long odds tomorrow night.

Let's Go Birds!!

Game 5 Thread - Seattle at Kelowna

2013-03-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Seattle had a chance to close things out at home on Wednesday night and simply couldn't get it done.

They looked tired... both physically and emotionally and they allowed Kelowna to be the aggressors. They spent far too much time worrying about officials and not enough time worrying about keeping their composure and keeping Kelowna's PP from attacking.

The good news is that the Tbirds played pretty poorly on Wednesday night and Kelowna didn't exactly blow their doors off. Now the Rockets have two more injuries to deal with but have momentum on their side and the home crowd behind them.

Connor Honey is out until further notice as he has been suspended by the league for the hit that has knocked MacKenzie Johnston out for the remainder of the playoffs. I thought the hit was too aggressive and probably warranted a penalty for Charging but I thought where he hit Johnston got a lot of shoulder and drove Johnston's opposite shoulder into the boards (hence the dislocated shoulder). So I'm not sure that I agree with the leagues assessment here.

You never want to see players get hurt and you feel for Johnston who will be out 6-8 weeks... but the punishment shouldn't be based on the outcome, it should be based on the action and I just didn't think the action was very different from what we see happened in hockey in general and certainly in playoff games where the intensity and the checking/hitting is more intense.

So Seattle has that to deal with and they'll attempt to close out the series up in Kelowna where the Tbirds have had a ton of success over the years but haven't had success closing out a playoff series.

If they can regain their energy and intensity and get back to the trapping, mucking style that slowed the Rockets down in the first 3 games AND stay out of the penalty box, they should have an excellent shot to close out the series tonight against all reasonable expectations.

Game 4 Thread, Kelowna at Seattle: Close Out Edition

2013-03-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

Confidence is a dangerous drug. It's a drug the Tbirds are cresting on right now. Kelowna come out firing last night and for about 10 minutes it appeared as though they would be returning to their Regular Season form. Roberts Lipsbergs pushed home a rebound and in a flash the tables turned back in the favor of the home team.

Seattle is now one game away from pulling off one of the more improbably upsets in team history and easily the biggest series upset since the 2002 playoff series against the Portland Winterhawks. That series saw the 4th place US Division Tbirds beat the US Division Champion Winterhawks in Game 7 in Portland 3-2. Seattle went 21-40-11 that year, earning 53 points while the Winterhawks were 36-25-11 (83 points).

Statistically this upset would be far bigger. Seattle earned only 58 points this year while the Rockets came into this game with a franchise record 52 wins (108 points, 2nd in franchise history). I'm a math wizard, so I can tell you that's a difference of 50 points in the standings and 50 is bigger than 30.

However... let's not get ahead of ourselves here. There is still one win to grab and anything can happen. If Kelowna has finally lifted the weight from their shoulders by being down 3 games to 0 they could come out firing on all cylinders tonight. Should they win tonight, they would have some momentum going back home on Saturday. Win that game.... and things could start to snowball a little bit. There is a reason why Yogi said "It ain't over, 'til it's over" and clearly the best route to the 2nd round for Seattle is to take care of business tonight at home and not give Kelowna any reason to gain any momentum.

Again... I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, so let's continue to call this a possibility. IF Seattle can win the series and should the Winterhawks defeat the Silvertips in their playoff series (currently tied a 1, Game 3 tonight) it would put together an extremely interesting Seattle/Portland 2nd round match-up.

Other random thoughts from the game.

Evan Wardley "The Wardog" was the obvious hero last night with the overtime winner but the shot would have never been possible if not for a nifty move by Shea Theodore. He turned around the Kelowna forward two different times to keep the puck in the zone and dish it over to Wardley for the shot. Seattle needed Theodore to elevate his game and he has most certainly done that. His offense will usually be there but he is also taking much better angles on defense and even throwing his body around a little. I would have to imagine that scouts are taking notice.
Brandon Glover struggled a little early in the game and especially after giving up two goals seemed to really fight the puck. Give him and the team credit though... they buckled down in the 2nd period and allowed Glover to reset things mentally and by the 3rd period he was really dialed in. Shots were sticking in his pads and he was able to come up with a couple of huge saves that could have turned the game in the favor of the Rockets.
Biggest reason Seattle has been able to win these three games... they've mucked things up defensively on Kelowna and not allowed them to get any kind of rhythm offensively. Kelowna is supposed to be a much faster team and Seattle just hasn't allowed it to happen. They've also been excellent on special teams and bodies are flying to the shooting lanes to block shots. They're buying in... and Coach Konowalchuk should get a lot of credit for that.
Yes, the Season Ticket Holder of the night had a familiar name. I don't like being on camera.

Game 4 is tonight. Don't expect the same kind of crowd as last night as it appears to me that several thousand tickets are still remaining for the game tonight. Those that are going, be loud and proud and let's hope this team can wrap things up tonight.

Game 3 - Kelowna at Seattle, White Out Edition

2013-03-26T10:34:00.000-07:00

March 25th, 2009. That's the last time we saw playoff hockey in the Showare Center. That Tuesday night game drew a crowd of 2872 that saw the Tbirds lose to the Spokane Chiefs 3-2. NHL players Brenden Dillon, Jim O'Brien and Thomas Hickey played for the Tbirds while Tyler Johnson scored a goal for the Chiefs.

Thunderbird fans have waited just a day over 4 years to see a home playoff game again and I have a feeling everyone is going to be ready to pop tonight.

The players have asked fans to WHITE OUT the building. Wear white. I don't even have a white jersey but I'll find a white t-shirt just to support the effort. I can't bring myself to wear my white Hockey Challenge jersey. That just feels a little too pretentious. Wear white tonight. Tell your friends to wear white.

The team is expecting over 5500 for the game tonight and the game may approach capacity. The atmosphere is likely to be awesome. I can't wait.

Seattle has dictated the pace of play in both of the first two games of the series and they've frustrated Kelowna at every turn. That's the good news. The bad news is that I can't imagine Seattle playing a whole lot better and it took overtime to win both games.

Make no mistake... Seattle has put themselves in a position to win the series but the margin of error has remained very small. They have to fore-check with a purpose, they have to stay simple in the defensive zone to minimize mistakes and they have to continue to have Brandon Glover make all the saves that he should reasonably make. Kelowna is frustrated and I would expect them to come out fired up... but I also expected that in Game 2 and it didn't really happen. If Seattle gets a lead... I will be very curious to see how Kelowna responds. At some point, you get so frustrated you either go nuts or you give up.

It will be equally interesting to see how Seattle responds to some adversity (if it happens). If Kelowna goes up by a goal or two (or three) will Seattle be able to remain confident and loose or will they tighten up knowing they are just two games away from pulling off a stunning upset.

I know one thing for sure... tonight is going to be fun. Wear White. WHITE OUT!

Seattle at Kelowna, Game 2 Thread

2013-03-23T14:14:00.001-07:00

Last night was glorious. But it was also just one game and there are 15 more to go to win the WHL Championship (hey we can dream right?).

I think Regan Bartel hit the nail on the had in his blog post today by saying that Seattle looked like a team playing with nothing to lose and Kelowna played like a team that was bit nervous and knew they were "supposed" to win. The bad news is that I don't think Seattle can play a lot better and Kelowna probably can't play a whole lot worse and it took over 79 minutes for the Tbirds to win by a goal.

That doesn't mean they can't pull off a shocker here. Confidence is a dangerous drug and as long as the Tbirds continue to play like they have nothing to lose, anything can truly happen. How the game evolves tonight will probably be critical to the rest of the series. If Kelowna finds their game and just buries Seattle by 4 goals or more... this thing could turn bad quickly. On the other hand, if Seattle wins (obviously) or even if they lose by a close margin, this series could be in for 6 or 7 games.

I didn't like all the penalties Seattle took last night but I do like the edge they are playing with. Especially Shea Theodore. If your teammates can pick you up and kill off a few penalties that edge is going to help his overall game a ton. However, Seattle probably can't survive too many games where Kelowna has 6 Power Plays and Seattle only has 2.

Brandon Glover can't afford to have a bad night. He didn't see as much action as Kelowna's Jordon Cooke but he made plenty of important stops. As I stated above, I don't think Seattle can afford to get their doors blown off in any of these games and making sure they don't give up soft goals will be critical.

Mitch Elliot once again proved last night that he's probably the best fighter in the league. All apologies to Jacob Doty but I think I'd probably take Elliot in a head to head match-up.

Nobody really thinks Seattle has a chance to win this series (myself included) but tonight will probably set the stage for the entire series.

Seattle at Kelowna, Game 1, Series Prediction

2013-03-22T13:34:00.002-07:00

Playoffs!

Here is a game thread for everyone to complain about things when the team loses or rejoice when the team pulls off a big Game 1 upset.

Let's talk about the series a little bit and get to my prediction.

Seattle comes into the series playing their best hockey of the season and Kelowna comes into play losing their Captain Colton Sissons for this series and possibly the entire playoffs.

Losing Sissons is a blow to Kelowna's chances at winning the WHL Championship but I don't think it's something that will bother them too much in this series.

Kelowna has an excellent Power Play that checks in at 4th in the WHL, converting at a rate of 22.2%. Ryan Olsen leads the way with 15 PP goals, with Sissons and Tyson Baillie checking in with 7 each before Myles Bell, Damon Severson and JT Barnett with 6 each.

However, they don't rely on the Power Play to generate offense. Their stats are littered with players in the double digits for Plus/Minus. +46, +20, +55!, +43... and the list goes on and on. This team was prolific on offense and they excelled in 5 on 5 play as well as the Power Play. We can all agree that Portland had/has an excellent offense, right? Kelowna scored just 25 fewer goals in 72 games... a difference of less than a half a goal per game.

They were also excellent on the Penalty Kill, checking in at 5th in the WHL at a kill rate of 83.9% and they scored 13 short handed goals, 6 of them coming from Dylan McKinlay. They do give up a decent number of chances though with 323 chances in 72 games (4.49 per game) and Seattle will have to capitalize on their chances should they arise.

If Kelowna has any statistical weakness... they've surrendered 11 shorthanded goals while Luke Lockhart led the league in shorthanded goals with 7.

So here is how I see it...

Even as Seattle played better down the stretch... they were still surrendering plenty of goals. 6 and 8 to Portland, 3 to Tri-City and 4 to Everett. I think Seattle will be able to score some goals on Kelowna but I don't think they'll be able to slow down the Rockets offense very much with a (still) young defensive core.

Massey Ratings has Kelowna as the 2nd best team in the league behind the Portland Cheaterhawks. 2nd in offense, 4th in defense and their schedule was roughly the same as Portland's with the U.S. Division being rated slightly better than the B.C. Division.

Seattle will win a game or possibly two. They'll win a home game and they may even steal a game on the road but I'm going to go with my gut (and head) and say Kelowna in 5.

Final Shot at Portland

2013-03-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

Seattle gets one final shot at Portland tonight and they'll have Brandon Glover and Evan Wardley back in the lineup after serving their two game suspensions.

I don't have much to offer about last night's game. I thought Seattle played pretty well and the shorthanded goal by Portland to start the 3rd period just kind of broke things open. I would suggest going HERE and getting Andy's recap of the game for more details.

I was happy with the added fight that Seattle showed to end the game. Obviously, you don't ever "want" to lose but you want to lose like they have been doing lately with some grit and toughness. That doesn't mean you have to start a dozen fights just for the sake of fighting but if other teams are running up the score on you and doing things you don't like... you're supposed to fight back. They're going to have to play that way to have any chance in the playoffs. They can't let teams do whatever they want without an answer.

The game tonight should be interesting but I have a feeling that both teams will tone down the fighting to a certain degree. Nobody wants to get any kind of suspensions going into the playoffs. So while I might expect fireworks... I'm actually thinking things will be a bit toned down.

Danny Mumaugh has improved a ton and while I thought the 5th goal he gave up was a bit soft, I'm far more confident in his ability to be the backup next season than I was in December. If he can continue this learning curve, he should eventually be a fine WHL goaltender.

This might not actually be the final shot at Portland this season but we're all kind of hoping that Seattle can sew up the 7th seed and face Kelowna instead of Portland. Funny to me that the announcers (Ian and Kevin) seems to dance around the subject without actually saying it... but I think it should be pretty clear that Seattle wants to avoid Portland in the first round. By no means is that a shot at Kelowna... the Rockets are an excellent team and Seattle will have plenty of trouble playing against them... but let's be real here... you're always going to try to avoid the team with the best record in the entire league.

Can a loss and a fight galvanize this team?

2013-03-10T14:57:00.000-07:00

Seattle loses a tough one last night to the Everett Silvertips before a passionate and divided crowd at Showare Center.

The loss is frustrating and potentially damaging as far as getting the 7th seed in the Western Conference (something that, quite honestly, may not really matter much anyways).

However... the good news is that Seattle still controls their own fate. Win a game or two and you'll get the 7th seed no matter what.

Tri-City comes into town on Tuesday and that's going to be a tough game. The Yams are locked in a battle with the rival Chiefs to get the 4th seed and earn home ice against the other one in the first round.

Seattle then gets Portland twice. Once down in the rose city and once back at home to end the season. Nothing, and I repeat nothing, will be easy about those two games but Portland will likely have home ice throughout the entire playoffs locked up and I would guess they will rest a couple of players each night.

The road is tough. Whether it really matters or not is probably up for considerable debate.

Let's talk about last night.

First off, let me emphasize that referees are not to blame for the Tbirds losing that game last night. They have nobody to blame but themselves and quite frankly they just aren't that good. Everett and Seattle are equally inept and they are only divided by a bounce of the puck... which is what happened last night.

Referees make mistakes and they especially make mistakes in the WHL. These are guys (often young guys) learning their craft along with the players that are playing the game. Some will graduate to higher levels and some won't. Think about how many times a game you can count the mistakes that players are making (or coaches) and ask yourself why we expect referees to be any better. This doesn't excuse the mistakes when they are made... it just explains it.

When the referees are bad, I'm going to call them bad. When they screw up, I'm going to say they screwed up. But let's keep in mind that it IS a part of the game, it will ALWAYS be a part of the game and nothing will change that.

So let's take some issue with some things.

I thought the 3rd actually started the way it should have. Referees were letting the small stuff go and letting the teams fight it out and decide the game on their own. The team that wanted it more, wanted to fight through the clutch and grab, was going to be the victor. It appeared to me that the mantra was going to be to let the teams play and let them decide the game... and then things changed. Referees have to have a feel for the game. It's an incredibly difficult thing to do... I don't envy them. If you're going to let things go in the 3rd, you can't make the Delay of Game call against Glover half way through the period. I admit... fully... I couldn't tell whether the puck was over the line but several people closer than I said it was at best close and at worst on the line. You can't make that call. You just can't. Everett then scores on the Power Play and a questionable call directly leads to a significant moment in the game.
What makes that call even worse? If you're going to call a ticky tack, questionable Delay of Game penalty you MUST call a penalty when a player (Delnov) gets boarded. Even if we call the play questionable... you can't call a questionable DOG and then not call a questionable boarding/checking from behind. You can't proclaim to be letting the players play with 15 minutes left, then call a soft one with 10 minutes left and then allow a dangerous hit with 3 minutes left. That is simply poor game management and poor game mechanics by the officials.
As for the hit itself. In the interest of full disclosure... Delnov turned his back, no question about it. But a player that turns his back and is more than a foot from the boards simply can't be legally and forcibly checked into the boards. It's a dangerous play. Writers like Gregg Drinnan (who I have a tremendous amount of respect for) are irresponsible when they call for the outlaw of fighting in the game yet say very little about dangerous hits (or LEGAL hits) that can also cause head injuries. Incidentally, this is why I think the debate about fighting is ridiculous and misses the mark. If we're so concerned about fights that cause head injuries, we must be equally concerned about checking, both legal and not. Next thing you know, we'll all be playing flag-hockey and touching won't be allowed. But I digress.
Because the hit on Delnov was allowed and no penalty was being called, players are then tasked with protecting their own players. You can't allow the other team to hit your players dangerously without a response. You just can't. I'm not so sure that Wardley's actions were the best possible choice but I certainly can't blame him for the decision that he made. He effectively enforced justice where officials didn't. In my mind, this places the entire blame for the brawl on the two guys with the orange bands on their arms. They are tasked with keeping the peace and handing out justice and in this instance, they completely and utterly failed.
It didn't stop there... ohhhh no it didn't. Brandon Glover then races to fight Lotz who was encouraging a fight and dropped the gloves at the same time Glover did. Ryan Gibbons does his job (even if we don't like it) and tried to break them apart before eventually pealing off. I've seen a ton of Instigator penalties (and the rule is dumb in the first place) and that was one of the worst Instigator penalties I can remember. Here is the definition of the Instigator rule (again, a dumb rule). I'm only going to include the first line because it is the most relevant part: 46.11 Instigator - An instigator of an altercation shall be a player who by his actions or demeanor demonstrates any/some of the following criteria: distance traveled; gloves off first; first punch thrown; menacing attitude or posture; verbal instigation or threats; conduct in retaliation to a prior game (or season) incident; obvious retribution for a previous incident in the game or season. I'm pretty certain that the part of the rule they would cite is going to be the distance traveled. Glover came from the other end of the rink to fight Lotz. I can't deny that. However, there is letter of the law and intent of the law. Every game there are dozens upon dozens of interpretations of the rules that aren't followed by the letter of the law. The intent of the Instigator penalty is to punish players who "jump" other players. I think just about every hockey player would agree with me. This was most certainly not a case where Glover jumped Lotz. Both players had their gloves off first, neither through a "first punch" and neither of them fit any of the other descriptions described in the rule. Why do I care? Here's the rub. Clearly the officials applied the mechanics of the rule correctly. They deemed Glover to be the instigator and that meant Lotz stayed in the game... and that's the rub. Lotz staying in the game could have made a huge difference in the final couple of minutes if Everett had been forced to put a cold Cotton in the game.
Just to drive the hammer down... 11 seconds later the same officials called Mueller for tripping. It was a horrible and obvious makeup call. How they let Delnov get boarded and then call a soft trip like that speaks volumes to the lack of control and lack of feel they had for the game.
Seattle also wound up with 1 PP and Everett had 5. Again... in a game that was so evenly contested, that's just bad game management.

Complaining about the Referees is both futile and likely a waste of time. It also can't explain the outcome of games. You can't blame officials for the outcome of games. You can't leave the margin of error so close that you allow a few calls to decide the outcome of the game. If Seattle puts 55 shots on Lotz and scores 4 or 5 goals, a few calls that don't go your way, don't matter. It's still frustrating to deal with, especially when calls have a significant impact on the outcome of the game.

Is it possible that this game and fight can galvanize this team going into the playoffs? Maybe this is exactly what the team needed. They needed a reason to think that everyone (including officials) is against them and nobody believes in them. I certainly don't think they can beat either Kelowna or Portland in the first round but maybe, just maybe, this gives them all a reason to say "F it... it's us against everyone... let's prove them all wrong".

To Brandon Glover. Congrats kid, you've now jumped several levels in your historical popularity of the Thunderbirds franchise. Last night I heard the name Cody Rudkowsky mentioned by several people and he last played (and fought) for the Tbirds in 1999. 15 years from now, we'll all be talking about the night Brandon Glover raced down the ice to fight Austin Lotz and how Ryan Gibbons tried to stop them.

What a night at Showare.

Anyone else besides media members want to get fighting out of the game?

Big Weekend Looms

2013-03-08T15:42:00.002-08:00

I'm back from a little mini hiatus again. Around this time I head to Vegas with a travelling hockey team for a tournament. Tons of fun... but no wins this year. Better luck next year.

Seattle picked up a huge win in Spokane on Wednesday night that moved them two points clear of Everett for the 7th seed in the Western Conference.

Seattle gets 4 of their last 5 games at home, including Prince George tonight and Everett tomorrow. Followed by Tri-City and Portland with a trip to Portland squeezed in there.

Everett is in Spokane tonight and Seattle tomorrow. Their season ends with a 3 in 3 where they have to travel to Victoria Friday night before returning for the Royals on Saturday and finishing home against Tri-City. Advantage Seattle.... but they have to take that advantage.

Why, exactly, does this matter?

Let's see if our hunch can be confirmed through some stats.

Vs. Portland this year:

2 Wins, 8 Losses

Total Averages - 2.3 Goals For, 5 Goals Against, 29.7 Shots For, 42.7 Shots Against

At Home - 2.6 Goals For, 5.6 Goals Against, 31.2 Shots For, 38.8 Shots Against

On Road - 2 Goals For, 4.4 Goals Against, 28.2 Shots FOr, 46 Shots Against

Now let's look at Kelowna, since they appear to be the opponent for the 7 seed. Kamloops still had a chance to catch them, but it's looking like the Rockets.

1 Win, 2 Losses, 1 OTL

Totals - 2 Goals For, 4.5 Goals Against, 24.25 Shots For, 32.5 Shots Against

At Home - 3.5 Goals For, 3 Goals Against, 30.5 Shots For, 35 Shots Against

On Road - 0.5 Goals For, 6 Goals Against, 18 Shots For, 30 Shots Against

The totals for Kelowna are pretty similar to that of Portland but if you take out the 8-0 drubbing the Tbirds took up in Kelowna they've actually played them much tighter and even more so at home.

Seattle might actually have a punchers chance to win one or two games at home in Games 3 and 4 against the Rockets and that might actually make the series interesting. Beyond that, you never know.

I have to miss the game again tonight with a family situation. I will be watching from home though and tweeting some thoughts.

Just a quick word about "Dump and Chase"

2013-02-27T12:09:00.002-08:00

Tbirds fall to the Oil Kings last night 6-2. Seattle managed to mostly stay out of penalty trouble but Edmonton still managed to take advantage and go 3-3 on the PP.

Edmonton was just too tough for this team. Our talent level is just so far behind a team like Edmonton... I don't know what to say.

I want to take a moment to conduct a quick lecture on dumping the puck into the zone.

For several years there has been a common complaint that Seattle has a "system" of dumping and chasing the puck into the zone. It started years ago when Rob Sumner was Coach and now I've been hearing lately that the team plays the same "system" under Steve Konowalchuk.

Obviously, the team has gone through various levels of frustration over the past 10 years and has reached a crescendo over the past 4 seasons. With these frustrations, fans tend to over analyze things in an effort to explain what is wrong and explain why the team is bad. This is human nature... I don't blame anyone for doing or thinking that.

Fans have then tried to explain things away by saying that this "system" of dump and chase has to get thrown out and that somehow it is a coaching problem that plagues this team and franchise. But... here's the thing.

1) A certain amount of "dump and chase" is always going to be around in hockey. It's just smart hockey. You want to force the other team's defenders into spending energy chasing the puck back into their zone and facilitate the attacking team's forecheck while the other team has their back turned to chase the puck. If you watch other teams play against the Tbirds, they do plenty of dumping and chasing. But this isn't the primary point... the primary complaint is that we do this more than other teams.

Which brings me to...

2) Do the Tbirds dump and chase more than other teams? Guess what? They probably do. Is it a "coaching system" that causes this. Hell no... and here's why. Anyone who has played hockey and specifically anyone who has played hockey against players that are much better skaters (or faster skaters) than them knows that dumping and chasing often occurs because the puck carrier doesn't have the requisite speed to threaten the defender around the edge without dumping and chasing.

This isn't a system problem. This is once again a talent problem. We aren't fast. We don't have fast skaters and I was reminded of this last night watching Edmonton. You know why Edmonton doesn't dump and chase as much? They don't have to!! They were able to generate plenty of speed through the neutral zone with multiple passing options that also have speed! That allows them to make a pass, with speed, and beat or threaten the defender to the outside and open things up without having to dump and chase.

This is a talent issue (again) not a system problem. If you asked Konowalchuk I guarantee you he wouldn't prefer the dump and chase. I guarantee you that the dump in chase is simply the best option when you don't have enough skating ability to threaten defenders.

Hockey Talk? Sure.

2013-02-26T15:27:00.001-08:00

Let's talk some hockey shall we? I know lately I've been very focused on the Hockey Challenge (and for good reason in my opinion) but with that behind me we can get back to focusing a little more on hockey.

One last note on the Hockey Challenge. My team still rules the roost. We raised just a hair over $31,000 for the Ronald McDonald House, which was the most of any team for the second year in a row. Overall, the event raised over $170k and I couldn't be more proud to be a part of it.

Seattle welcomes Edmonton to town tonight in the second to last 2 for Tuesday. The Oil Kings are the defending league champions and enter with a stellar 43-15-5 record... but they are coming off of 3 straight losses. They were beaten at home by Regina before leaving for their U.S. Division tour and they were beaten in Spokane on Friday night and hammered by Tri-City 8-1 on Saturday night. They will be in Portland tomorrow night so you have to wonder whether they will be pissed off and treat this game like a tune-up or be looking past Seattle to the showdown with Portland tomorrow night.

Seattle has been dropping important points lately... so stealing a point or two from a team like Edmonton would actually go a long ways in the battle for the 7th seed.

I actually kind of expect the Tbirds to play well tonight. They typically have played better at home against quality teams outside of the conference.

Things get pretty tough for Seattle from this point out...

Edmonton tonight.
At Kelowna Thursday.
At Tri-City Friday.
Home for Tri Saturday.
At Spokane.
Home for Prince George.
Home for Everett.
Home for Tri.
At Portland.
Home for Portland.

I wouldn't want to be looking for points on the final weekend of the season playing against Portland twice... although Portland may have the top seed in the league locked up at that point and they will probably rest some guys.

We haven't checked the Massey Ratings in a while. Let's take a look.

Seattle checks in at 18th. Ahead of Regina, Brandon, Prince George and Vancouver (the team they just lost to 4-1 on Sunday). 14th in Offense, 20th in Defense.

This team clearly misses Connor Honey. The team seems to noticeably play worse when he is out of the lineup.

Also... the number of penalties have to be reduced. These past couple of games they have been killing themselves with dumb penalties. Sure some of the calls aren't very good but they also can't ALL be bad. It's not as if Seattle is the only team that has to deal with the WHL officials.

In the past 2 games... they've surrendered 5 Power Play goals. That can't continue.

This team is just maddening because they can't seem to be consistent about anything. Once night it's the offense, one night it's defense, one night the effort is good, one night it sucks. One night it's goaltending, one night they can't hit the net... etc.... Put together just a couple of complete efforts and they can make it to this 7 seed and offer everyone a glimmer of hope.

Last Call Hockey Challenge

2013-02-21T12:22:00.001-08:00

The Tbirds take on the Silvertips on Saturday in another very important game but it will also be the arrival of the Hockey Challenge 2013. My good buddy John Barr spends countless hours organizing our team and we have already collected over $25,000 as a team.

My team, Team IEB, plays at 1:55pm against a team from Vancouver called the Tiny Zamboni Hockey Club. The game will be pretty fast paced and skilled if anyone is interested in coming down to watch us. I'll be wearing #10 for the "Puke Green" team.

Also... I was asked to play in the Celebrity All-Star Team and will be wearing #33 for Team White in the game directly after the Tbirds game concludes. My team will include former Tbirds Brett Duncan, Blake Knox and Ryan Gibbons as well as former pro Doug Kirton and Celebrity Cameron Bancroft.

Team Blue will have Steve the Producer from KISW in net along with former Tbirds Jamie Huscroft, Danny Lorenz and Regan Mueller as well as Bill Wixey from Q13.

It isn't too late to sneak in some last minute donations in my name and in the name of Team IEB to make sure we raise the most money of any team!! Please see the link at the top and follow the instructions. Leave a comment for Team IEB and Tyler Hunnex.

I can't thank you guys enough for the support and the donations. This year has been extremely successful and I couldn't have done it without all the loyal fans that read this blog and follow the Tbirds.

Here is to a victory on Saturday for Team IEB, the Tbirds and Team White!!

Reality Check, Playoff Position

2013-02-20T10:18:00.003-08:00

Ok... let's just back up a step (again) and let's try to calm things down and think about things rationally.

This argument between the "whiners" and the "apologists" is just ridiculous and I'd like to think that the readers of this blog are above this crap.

To the "whiners": Yes the team isn't good, the franchise is a loser franchise and hasn't even been moderately good in 5 years. All of this is true and I would never deny it. You accomplish nothing by coming on this blog and whining about things. If you have the guts... call Russ and complain directly to him. It's really passive aggressive to come on a fan blog and complain about the team after every single loss and then stay quiet after they win a game or two. It's hollow.

In the long term, should the Seattle organization compete with the big boys? Sure! There shouldn't be anything holding the franchise back outside of the decisions being made about players and personnel. On the other hand, expecting this team to compete with "anyone" THIS season? That's crazy. This team isn't that good. They aren't anywhere close to Portland and they have to play perfect hockey to compete with the top 5 or 6 teams in the conference. So I think it is perfectly reasonable to be happy with getting 5 out of 6 points against teams like Everett or Vancouver? Why you say? Because those teams aren't easy for THIS team to beat!! They had to actually play well to beat those teams.

So settle down a little. Nobody is telling you that you're wrong... you're just whiny. Everyone on here is well aware of how bad the team is and how bad the franchise has been for the last couple of years and there isn't anything any of us on here can do about it.

As for the "apologists": Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm not sure I understand why people come on this blog to complain every time the team loses... yet things are pretty quiet when the team wins... BUT... understand this. This franchise hasn't been really truly good since the 1989-90 season. There is a reason why this fan base is beat up, skeptical, whiny, annoyed and quite generally pissed off after every loss and every losing season. A lot of them (myself included) have been watching the same mediocre crap (or lately crap crap) for a very long time and it gets quite tiresome to "wait til next year" every single year.

So I can understand the frustration of the "whiners". I just don't agree with the way they express it.

I stopped moderating comments a long time ago. I want fans to come here to voice their opinion and frustration. I don't always agree with it... and I wish the whiners would enjoy the WINS as much as they hated the losses (they don't) but I'm not going to stop them from doing it.

Now... let's actually talk about some hockey real quick.

The 5 points over the weekend were huge, as Seattle pulled 2 points clear of Everett and 5 points clear of Prince George. This is huge for two reasons. One, it puts Seattle in an improve situation to make the playoffs and no matter how I feel about the team making the playoffs just to get stomped... there is no question the franchise would benefit financially from getting back into the playoffs. The home playoff games are important and especially if Seattle somehow found a way to get more than 2 of them (obviously that's going to be tough).

Second, getting into the 7th seed (and keeping it) should make for a much more competitive series. Seattle hasn't sniffed a win against Portland with Carruth in net but they have played both Kelowna and Kamloops pretty tough at home (and been trashed on the road). Getting that 7th seed gives me some hope that Seattle might play either of those teams tough at Showare Center and who knows, maybe steal a game or two.

Seattle catches Everett, Marleau Jersey

2013-02-17T08:43:00.002-08:00

By virtue of the 4-1 win last night in Everett, Seattle has now caught Everett for 7th in the conference. Everett has assisted the process by losing 10 straight.

This could be a huge development. While I wouldn't give Seattle a great chance to beat Kelowna (or Kamloops) in the first round of the playoffs should they earn the 7th seed, I give them a much better chance in that series than I do against Portland.

Seattle played with good energy last night, something that isn't always easy to do when facing a packed house at Comcast Arena. The game had a chance to get away from them when they nearly killed off a 2 man advantage and Everett took the lead 1-0 but they answered back and scored almost immediately to tie the game before Roberts Lipsbergs gave them the lead with just 13 seconds to go in the first period.

A big win for Seattle and a chance tonight to get points against a Vancouver team that beat them Friday in Kent. A win would get the TBirds 2 points clear of Everett.

Other notes - Please don't forget to donate to the Ronald McDonald House for the Hockey Challenge. Also, a good fan and reader of the blog has donated a 1997 road Patrick Marleau jersey (#14 his draft jersey) that is SIGNED by Marleau and is being raffled off by the Booster Club. Tickets are $5 and the money will be split between the Education Fund and the Ronald McDonald House. Check the Booster Club desk for tickets. I'm not sure if tickets will be available tonight but they will certainly be available on the night of the Challenge on the 23rd.

Donate for the Hockey Challenge

2013-02-16T08:07:00.001-08:00

Just a quick note here. The most important thing going on right now, by far, is the Hockey Challenge is just a week away and there is still time to get your donations in. You guys know the drill, the link is above and remember to do me a favor and reference Team IEB, Tyler Hunnex.

Last night's game was an all too familiar sight. The difference was that last night was played against a team they really needed a win against. Vancouver is not a very good team (neither is Seattle) and yet Seattle just didn't play with urgency for most of the night. After jumping out to a 6-0 lead in shots, the Tbirds went flat for most of the game until Evan Wardley kind of got things going with a good fight and an even better/awful celebration. As we have seen many times before though... Seattle shot themselves in the foot as Danny Mumaugh misplayed a shot off the end wall and gave up the winner just 23 seconds into overtime. Mumaugh played well for the most part but he'll be kicking himself for the loss, especially the goal that tied it with a little over 8 minutes left in the game.

Sadly, we've seen this all season long. This team just isn't mentally tough and the margin of error is too razor thin to overcome mistakes.

They still have a chance to pick up points this weekend at Everett tonight and home to the Giants again tomorrow. At this point, I'm trying to come up with reasons why it all matters. Sure... they would like to make the playoffs but what would be the point in making the playoffs only to get hammered by Portland in the first round. Everett made the playoffs as the 8 seed last year and got hammered in Round 1 while Seattle missed out and won the lottery and the rights to Mathew Barzal. I'm not so sure you aren't better off missing the playoffs at this point but I'm not sure Prince George is capable of really pushing Seattle out of the 8 spot.

Seattle vs. Calgary Game Thread.

2013-02-09T19:05:00.000-08:00

Okay let's have everybody just take a breath calm down a little bit. Obviously none of us like losing and everybody's on edge a little bit when the team loses 22 of 25. Arguing with each other will most certainly accomplish nothing.

I can assure everyone that Russ isn't going anywhere. Like it or not. He's here to stay. Some may not like it but that's just a reality we have to deal with. I can also assure you that Russ and everyone in the front office wants to win. Nobody is trying to lose games. We can guess as to whether it ever happens with Russ in charge but I can guarantee that they are trying to make things happen.

Everyone take a deep breath and we will hope the team gets better eventually. Timetable to be announced.

Victoria Trip Thread

2013-02-06T20:40:00.003-08:00

I don't have much insightful to say about these past two games that you haven't already heard. Barring a 3rd period comeback here Seattle will be swept in the season series with the Royals.

Same problems the past two nights... poor marking of offensive players in front of the net, not enough defense and not much capitalization of the chances they are getting. Same old story.

Hockey Challenge, One Point Weekend

2013-02-04T09:56:00.001-08:00

I busted a finger over the weekend. Actually, I don't know that it is broken because of the swelling and I refuse to go to the doctor's but the nail is all mangled and my finger looks like a Jimmy Dean Sausage.

All this to say that typing is tough... so this will be short.

Please donate to the Ronald McDonald House in the name of myself and my team. The Challenge is less than 3 weeks away and it's time to push this total up.

As far as hockey goes... I thought the team played decent over the weekend. They held things together on Friday night despite stupid penalties and some questionable calls thanks to some solid defense and goaltending by Danny Mumaugh.

Saturday was obviously a disappointing result because based on reports they played extremely well for two periods and let things fall apart a little bit in the 3rd. Points are still points and at least games seem to be more towards the games we saw at the beginning of the season as opposed to the games in late December and early January. Every point matters from here on out... though I think the result of any playoff appearance is already a formality.

Injury Update

2013-01-29T13:08:00.000-08:00

Bad news.

This isn't inside information... but the WHL weekly report shows both Branden Troock and Justin Myles listed as being out indefinitely.

I would hate to speculate on what that means but for a guy who is constantly injured, that cannot be a good sign for Troock.

Friday Night Game Thread and Ugly Pictures

2013-01-25T18:40:00.001-08:00

Please donate to the Hockey Challenge - Click the banner above to give.

Most of you probably won't see this until later tomorrow night or perhaps tomorrow... but I wanted to get a thread up for the game tonight and also make a comment about the game last night.

I just got finished watching the highlights of the game from the WHL website....

This is a team that simply doesn't care enough about not losing. It isn't that they aren't trying, they just appear to be indifferent to the outcome of the game. They "hope" they will win and they're going to try to win but they don't want to win as badly as the team across the ice wants to win.

Too many times you see Seattle players wandering around the low slot area without actually guarding ANYONE. They're just standing there taking up space. On one goal you can see THREE Seattle players surround ONE Kelowna player and the Rockets player wins the battle for the rebound and knocks the puck into the net.

Look... I'm not saying this team is supremely talented and wins are just a matter of caring more. This team isn't as short on talent as it has been in the past few years but they are still pretty short on talent. I'm also not saying I'm an expert... but when you get your tail kicked in 8-0 there really isn't much room for debate.

If/When this team brings passion and effort to he ice, they have a chance to win. Kelowna is a very good team but in this league, if you don't bring passion and effort, you get your ass whipped and that is what happened last night.

Want some depressing evidence. Check these out.

#1

Three Tbirds players in the deep end of the zone and none are close to two rebounders standing around Glover.

Three more Tbirds "defenders" in the deep end of the zone and all have established outside position relative to the offensive player. Exactly opposite of what I'm absolutely positive they are being taught and told by the coaching staff. Inside position has to be established to keep offensive players away from rebounds and push them out of shooting lanes. Glover arguably should have had this shot but with the Kelowna traffic in front, even if he makes the initial save there is a great chance the rebound is slammed home.

Here, Seattle has at least established inside position but they haven't bothered to mark the one player in the slot who had a chance to score. Wardley is to the left and he was marking the passer who has left the picture to the left so he is exempt from this one but the other two are standing in the slot not marking up on Carter Rigby in the slot.

This one has two elements. Seattle is actually marking better but as things have gone lately they mark better and Glover doesn't make a save when they need it. That circle? That's the leak in the pads the puck slips through. Glover just has to get a better and quicker seal. BUT. We can't ignore the fact that Shea Theodore blindly and softly threw the puck up the middle of the slot as if he was setting up Heffley for the slapshot.

This one is a little tough to see but the point is... Seattle actually outnumbers the Rockets 5-3 in bodies here and still manages to let the slot player get open for a pass and shot and score.

Last one, because I have to leave to get down to tonight's game. Here is perhaps the worst one. Swenson, Wolf and ~~Elliot~~ Theodore surround Rigby in the slot and Rigby wins the battle and gets off TWO rebound shots and the second one goes in. I'm really kind of speechless about this one.

Let's hope things are a little better tonight.

Seattle loses, Hockey Challenge Time

2013-01-23T11:05:00.002-08:00

I think I would prefer to just pretend that last night's game didn't happen and keep continuing to feel great about the Portland game on Saturday... so I'm just going to pass on that game last night.

I will point out one very huge problem I have. The Tunein Radio App I use to dial into 1090 The Fan when I am at home... keeps going to commercials smack in the middle of the game. How this happens... I have no idea. And one fan on Twitter told me that the same thing happens on the 1090 The Fan internet stream as well. Clearly either someone at The Fan 1090 is either incompetent and doesn't understand why going to commercials during a live broadcast of a game is bad OR they simply don't give a shit about the Thunderbirds partnership and they're going to just run their commercials no matter what. It sucks and it has to stop.

Ok, rant over.

Back to more important things.

Hockey Challenge 2013 is exactly one month from today and it is time for me to start begging and pleading with my awesome readers to start donating to this great cause in the name of my team.

The banner above is a live link that sends you directly to the Ronald McDonald House donations page. Make sure you select "Hockey Challenge" in the program area and leave a comment saying this is for Team IEB - Tyler Hunnex.

I'm going to personally match donations on whatever you guys donate... so get those donations in early and often.

Many Musings

2013-01-22T11:03:00.001-08:00

A bunch of thoughts on this past weekend that saw the Tbirds finally break their 15 game losing streak by beating the hated Portland ~~Cheater~~Winterhawks. Let's just jump right to the bullet holes.

Friday night in Everett was a complete disaster from a results stand point but it wasn't necessarily a terrible effort by the team. Danny Mumaugh started in goal for Seattle and wasn't sharp. I still have hope/faith in his development but right now Mumaugh is over his head playing in the WHL. His movements are not efficient and his read/react to the play just isn't quite up to WHL speed. Please remember... it's rare for a 16 year old goaltender to come into the league and immediately be ready to play. Calvin Pickard's don't come along or happen very often. Mumaugh will benefit from the game experience he is getting and I hope it will motivate him to improve rather than frustrate him. The first goal he gave up was a perfect example of where is at right now as he over-reacted to a shot that went wide of the net on the Power Play and was slow to recover to the backside where the shot was blasted in before he was even able to turn his head. This isn't his fault... he shouldn't be in this situation but Justin Myles is still experiencing some head and neck issues from a car accident and Seattle doesn't have any other options right now. Russ probably should have acquired a backup goaltender at the deadline and sent Mumaugh back to Colorado to get more playing time... but for whatever reason that didn't happen.
Seattle played better than the 5-1 result. They fired 45 shots on Austin Lotz and they were bested by a good goaltender. I believe the television broadcast mentioned that they attempted around 75 shots and 45 hit the net. Everett blocked quite a few and others missed the net. Sometimes that happens. The Tbirds also showed they weren't going to take their frustrations, tuck their tail between their legs, and limp away from the EEC by getting into 5 fights. Regardless of your opinion on fighting there is a time and place where fighting can mean something and I think Friday night was one of those times. The team was mad and frustrated and they weren't going to just take it.
Saturday... oh what a day. The way Seattle played on Saturday has to be the blueprint for every game the rest of the season. The sobering news is that they played about as well as they could and only beat Portland by 1 goal. One game doesn't change the fact that Portland is a really, REALLY excellent team. They might be in the middle of a 3 game losing streak currently but they are a team that should win the WHL and would have an excellent chance at winning the Memorial Cup.
Seattle forechecked relentlessly and that was the key to the game against the Winterhawks. Portland has an extremely talented defensive core led by guys like Seth Jones, Troy Rudkowski and Tyler Wotherspoon and the Tbirds were able to force them into difficult spots and force them to make quick and difficult decisions. When you pressure people, they have less time to find the right option and the perfect pass... something the Portland players do excellently. Seattle found a way to pressure them enough to force some turnovers and find the back of the net. Seattle outshot Portland 39-28. The last time Seattle out-shot Portland? You'll have to go back to January 28th of last year when the Tbirds out-shot Portland 54-47 and lost 8-3.
Brendan Leipsic, the ultra talented agitator from Portland, was awarded the 3rd star but did not come out of the locker room to receive his medal. I've had conflicting reports about this. Some have said the three stars were late getting down to rink-side while at least one fan who I know sits right by the tunnel claims he saw Leipsic told about the star. I don't know all of the facts... so I'll stick to what I know... He didn't come out and I haven't seen that happen in a while at Showare. I would actually prefer to believe that the stars were sent down late and he wasn't told. I'd like to give him the benefit of the fact. Seriously. What I won't give him the benefit of the doubt on... is getting blown up by Jesse Forsberg only to come back and try to bait Forsberg into a penalty by hooking his knee after the whistle. Either take your hit like a man... tip your helmet and skate away or drop the mitts and do something about it. Super talented, probably smart, but not real brave.
Sunday saw the Tbirds take on Lethbridge and fall behind 3-1 before Coach Konowalchuk used his timeout to calm things down and re-focus the troops. Timeouts don't always work very well but in this case it worked to perfectly. Connor Honey scored about 6 minutes later and Andrew Johnson added another goal just two minutes later and Seattle had re-tied the game going into the 3rd period. After taking the lead and extending it to two goals at 5-3... you would have loved to see Seattle clamp down late in the game and salt away the victory. Playing their 3rd game in 3 nights (same as Lethbridge) they weren't able to put the win away and were forced to take things to overtime. Seattle dominated the first 3 minutes of overtime, firing 8 shots on net but had to hold off a Hurricane charge in the final two minutes to get things to the shootout. In the shootout... Luke Lockhart was the only scorer and Seattle managed to escape with 2 points and turn another potentially disastrous weekend into 4 points. My only question... Riley Sheen has some of the best hands on the team (arguably the best) and isn't selected in our top 3 shooters. I don't know if that is a "reward" system type of thing for Coach K but I find it hard to believe you have 3 guys better suited for the shootout than Sheen.
You know who is working his tail off and just not getting any "puck luck" right now. Alexander Delnov. He keeps playing like this and the points will come in bunches.
I think Connor Honey really IS this important to the team. The lost a bunch while he was out with an injury... he comes back and they win two. His scrappy hustle in infectious and his hockey IQ is excellent. His pass out from behind the net to Lipsbergs in the Portland game was an outstanding setup and I can't count how many times he has done that this season. Additionally... he fired a one time rocket past Ty Rimmer in the Lethbridge game to get Seattle's momentum going again.

Seattle is back in action tonight in Tri-City where they have not been very good the past several years... with the exception of the December 6th game where they snapped a long losing streak in Kennewick. The Americans are a solid team but they are a team Seattle has to target for points, even if it is a road game. They can ill afford to "punt" points the rest of the way if they want to make the playoffs and especially if the want to catch Everett for 7th place and avoid playing Portland in the 1st round.