WHL Tri-City Americans

Macek's OT-Winner Sends Tri-City Past Seattle 2-1

Published on January 14, 2010 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


KENNEWICK, WA - It is only mid-January according to the calendar, but Wednesday night at Toyota Center sure felt like a playoff game.

In a season series that has already seen its fair share of great goaltending performances, Tri-City's Drew Owsley and Seattle's Calvin Pickard put on another duel on Wednesday. But, Brooks Macek's netted the overtime winner to lift the Tri-City Americans (32-11-0-1, 65 pts) to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds (14-23-3-4, 35 pts) in front of 3,233 fans. With the win, the Americans have won two straight and seven of their last 10 games. Meanwhile, Seattle lost their seventh game of the season in either overtime or a shootout, as they sit just five points back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The division rivals will host a rematch this Friday, January 15 at Toyota Center.

Both squads put on a fine defensive show, consistently disrupting passes, clogging passing lanes and creating turnovers. Through the first 40 minutes of play, both teams only generated a handful of good scoring opportunities. But, with neither goaltender giving up rebounds and both defenses forcing shots from long range, the game remained scoreless until late into the third period.

When Tyler Schmidt was called for hooking with 6:38 remaining in regulation, the T'birds went on their third power play of the game. With just seconds remaining in the man-advantage, Chance Lund put the puck on net, where a scrum ensued in front of Owsley. Play would continue and, when a stoppage occurred, referee Pat Smith requested the play be reviewed. The video goal judge confirmed that the puck slid under Owsley's knee, then went across the goal line before Owsley kicked it out. And, in heartbreaking fashion, Seattle went up 1-0.

Down but not out, Tri-City got their opportunity to tie the game three minutes later. Seattle's Prab Rai was sent to the box after a hooking penalty, giving the Americans their fifth power play of the night. Coming into the game as the League's second-best power play unit, Tri-City connected when they needed it most. With 1:33 remaining in regulation, Brendan Shinnimin lifted a backhander over Pickard's stick, igniting the crowd with his 22nd goal of the season and tying the game at 1.

After the final minute ticked away, the game headed to overtime. With less than a minute remaining in the 5-minute overtime, Tyler Schmidt brought the puck up the left wing before sending it to Shinnimin in the corner. Shinnimin then found Macek in the slot, who faked a shot, but had the puck roll off his stick. However, Pickard, anticipating the shot, overcommitted to his left and could only watch as the puck rolled across the goal line to end the game.

It was a rough ending for Pickard, who collected 30 saves in yet another fine performance against his older brother's former club. Calvin is 2-1-1-1 vs. Tri-City this season, allowing just 12 goals on 216 shots faced, including two 50+ save performances. Regardless, Pickard has won just once in his last eight starts. Meanwhile, Owsley had his best outing since posting back-to-back shutouts going into the Winter Break. Owsley finished the night with 24 saves in picking up his League-leading 28th win of the season. The Americans finished the night 1-for-5 on the power play, while Seattle went 1-for-3 on the man-advantage.

Now halfway through their 10-game regular season series, the two squads will prepare to face-off again on Friday. Game time is 7:05 p.m. Currently, Tri-City leads the series 3-2 with three of the five games being decided by just one goal and two meetings have needed to be decided in extra time. The Americans are currently riding a nine-game home winning streak vs. Seattle. Meanwhile, the T'birds will be looking to get their first victory at Toyota Center since 3-1 win back on Jan. 27, 2008. Tickets are available through all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Toyota Center box office, all Fred Meyer outlets or online at ticketmaster.com. The game will also be broadcast live on NewsTalk 870 AM, starting with the Sterling Savings Bank Warm-up Show at 6:45 p.m.

Applebee's 3 Stars:

1, Brendan Shinnimin, Tri-City

2, Drew Owsley, Tri-City

3, Calvin Pickard, Seattle

Check out the Tri-City Americans Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 14, 2010


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