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WHL Seattle Thunderbirds

T-Birds Battle past Broncos

November 18, 2015 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release


KENT, November 17, 2015 - Jamal Watson scored with 1:49 left in the third period Tuesday night at ShoWare Center to secure a hard fought 5-4 win for the Seattle Thunderbirds over the Swift Current Broncos.

The T-Birds had a two-goal lead after one period but ended up being down a goal midway through the third period. They were able to tie the game on Alexander True's 10th goal of the season before Watson's game winner.

Ryan Gropp had a goal and two assists while Turner Ottenbreit, Ethan Bear, Watson and True each had a goal and an assist.

The T-Birds have now won four consecutive games and are undefeated at ShoWare Center this season with a 7-0-0-0 home record.

The T-Birds peppered Swift Current goalie Landon Bow with 44 shots. Bow made several very good saves over the course of the game to keep his team in the contest.

The T-Birds travel to Kamloops to play the Blazers on Friday at 7pm. They host the Portland Winterhawks for the first time this season on Saturday at 7:05pm at ShoWare Center.

Seattle (13-6-1-0) went in front 1-0 three minutes into the third period. Bear passed the puck from the right circle in the T-Birds zone to Ottenbreit in the left circle. Ottenbreit threaded the needle with a pass up center ice to Gropp. Gropp split the defensemen and came in alone on Bow. Gropp, a left handed shot, faked backhand forcing Bow down then brought the puck back to his forehand. He slid the puck into an empty net as Bow was out of position on the backhand fake.

Gropp returned the favor to Ottenbreit to give the T-Birds a 2-0 lead at 7:23 of the first. Gropp came out of the right corner with the puck. Ottenbreit pinched down from the left point and Gropp hit him with a cross-ice pass. Ottenbreit beat Bow five-hole for his first goal of the season. Mathew Barzal had the second assist on the goal.

Swift Current (8-11-2-0) came right back and cut the lead to one goal 20 seconds after the T-Birds second goal. Glenn Gawdin took a pass from Cavin Leth on a two-on-one and beat Seattle goalie Logan Flodell. Andreas Schumacher had the second assist.

The T-Birds got the two-goal lead back at 11:41 of the first on a power-play goal from Ethan Bear. Keegan Kolesar passed the puck from the left corner to Gropp at the right point. Gropp slid the puck over to Bear at center ice. Bear took a slap shot with Alexander True screening Bow. Bear's shot hit the top left corner of the net for his fifth goal of the season.

Seattle outshot Swift Current 11-10 in the first period.

The Broncos scored two goals in the second period, one coming in the last second of the period, to make it a 3-3 game heading into the second intermission.

First Scott Feser poked in a rebound at 11:51 to cut the T-Birds lead to one goal. Cavin Leth and Calvin Spencer had the assists.

Then Gawdin scored his second of the night with one second left in the period to tie the game 3-3. Gawdin scored on a backhand through traffic from the slot. Tyler Steenbergen and Artyon Minulin had the assists.

The T-Birds led 29-22 in shots after two periods by outshooting the Broncos 18-12 in the second period.

Jon Martin scored at 5:16 of the third period to put the Broncos in front 4-3. Martin forced a turnover on the left boards and then skated left to right though the slot and beat a lunging Flodell. Steenbergen had the only assist.

The T-Birds tied the game 4-4 on an unlikely goal from True at 12:36 of the third. Flodell passed the puck from behind the net to Jamal Watson on the right boards. Watson passed the puck to True at the blue line just before absorbing a hard check. True skated to the red line and dumped the puck high towards the Broncos net. Bow mishandled the puck and it went through the space between his body and right arm and trickled across the goal line.

The T-Birds won the game on Watson's second goal of the season. Donovan Neuls and Watson were battling for the puck in the right corner. Neuls was able to win the puck battle and skate behind the goal line toward the net as Watson headed to the front of the net. Neuls passed the puck to Watson who swept it by Bow's right pad into the lower left corner of the net. True had the second assist on the game-winning goal.

The T-Birds outshot the Broncos 15-7 in the third period and 44-30 in the game.

Flodell finished with 26 saves and his record is now 9-3-1-0.

T-Birds single game tickets for the 2015-16 season are available online at the T-Birds website and at the ShoWare Center box office. The ShoWare Center Box Office is open Monday through Friday 10 am to 5 pm Saturday game days at 10 am and Sunday game days at noon.

T-Birds season tickets are currently on sale. Season tickets can be purchased by calling the T-Birds office at 253-239-7825.

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