T-Birds Go Extra to Beat Portland
Published on February 20, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release
KENT, Wash. - Cameron Schmidt had a pair of goals, including the overtime winner, and Matthew Gard chipped in with a goal and an assist as the Seattle Thunderbirds edged past the Portland Winterhawks, 3-2, Friday at the accesso ShoWare Center. The second game of the Thunderbirds three game weekend is Saturday at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett against the Silvertips. The weekend concludes Sunday in Portland.
"Gard has been a guy who fits in seamlessly with our identity, he plays a gritty game. And yeah, as you saw in overtime, what Schmidty can do, flip the game in the blink of an eye." said head coach Matt O'Dette of two players acquired by Seattle at the trade deadline.
For the fourth time in their five-game winning streak the Thunderbirds (23-23-4-3) surrendered the game's first goal as Portland struck at the 2:35 mark of the opening period. Seattle equalized with a Schmidt power play goal at 11:54, assisted by Coster Dunn and Antonia Martorana.
The Winterhawks regained the lead at 3:59 of period two, a lead they would carry into the third period. "It wasn't our greatest first forty," remarked O'Dette of being down a goal after two periods. But twenty saves through two periods from Grayson Malinoski kept the T-Birds close. "Once again he was really good," said O'Dette of his netminder's performance. "There were chunks of the game where we weren't playing well and we needed him to make some saves and keep us connected to the game."
The T-Birds tied the game with Gard's goal at 10:39 of the third with Matej Pekar and Joe Gramer assisting. That set up the Schmidt overtime game winner, his 40th of the season, 63-seconds into the extra period. The breakaway goal came off an assist from Gard.
"We're just trying to focus on the next opportunity to get points," explained O'Dette as Seattle moved within a point of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. "We didn't quite get on our path early but got going in the third. Getting that second point in overtime was big."
T-BIRD EXTRAS
The win was the T-Birds first in overtime this season. They are now 1-4 in extra time.
Not only is Seattle one point out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but they are just nine points back of fifth place Kamloops with three games in hand.
In four games against Portland since coming to Seattle at the trade deadline, Matthew Gard has four goals. Meanwhile Schmidt has 15 points in eight games this season against the Winterhawks.
Western Hockey League Stories from February 20, 2026
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