Seattle falls short on four-point goal
Published on January 31, 2004 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release
SEATTLE, JANUARY 30, 2004 â Skating to win and gain points in the Western Hockey League's U.S. Division standings, the Seattle Thunderbirds came up one goal short. The T-Birds failed to post back-to-back wins tonight while gunning for their third and fourth points of the weekend. They fell to (15-24-8-3) after losing a one-goal battle to the Kootenay Ice in front of 4,124 fans in KeyArena.
Tomorrow, the Seattle Thunderbirds will travel to Spokane to take on the Chiefsâthe team that the T-Birds are trailing for the last playoff spot. With a win, the Thunderbirds could close the gap to only nine points.
"Tomorrow is a really big game for us," said Seattle Head Coach Dean Chynoweth.
All three of the goals scored in tonight's game were scored in the game's first period.
On the first shot of the game Brett Sutter scored his fourth goal of the year for Kootenay. At 5:02, he hit Seattle goalie Bryan Bridges with a shot from the top of the circle; Bridges was unable to handle the puck after the initial hit and the puck would roll down his pads and into the net. Mike Boxma and Brad Zanon were credited with the assists for the Ice.
Chynoweth would pull Bridges who faced only the one shot in 5:02. Josh Lepp was called on to complete the game. Posting the eventual loss, Lepp's record fell to 4-11-3.
Dustin Johner evened the score at one goal a piece at 12:31. He scored his team-leading 18th goal of the year on assists from Chris Durand and Nate Thompson. Though leading his team in scoring, Johner is second on the T-Birds list of point getters. Tyler Metcalfe leads the teams with 40 points on 16 goals and 24 assists.
The game winning goal was scored 3:18 later. Kootenay's Adam Cracknell was assisted by Adam Taylor and Igor Agarunov. It was Cracknell's 16th goal of the year. It was the only goal scored on Lepp.
The next home game for the Thunderbirds is a Friday match up with the Portland Winter Hawks on February 2. The puck will drop at 7:05 p.m.
Western Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2004
- Silvertips Blaze to Victory - Everett Silvertips
- Brandon Wheat Kings Game Notes - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Winter Hawks Edge Silvertips 3-2 - Everett Silvertips
- Seattle falls short on four-point goal - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Hawks Zero In on Second Place with Win - Portland Winterhawks
- Chiefs drop heartbreaker in OT - Spokane Chiefs
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