WHL Seattle Thunderbirds

T-Birds roll past Winter Hawks

Published on March 17, 2007 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release


SEATTLE, March 16, 2007 - The Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Portland Winter Hawks 6-3 Friday night in front of 5,078 at KeyArena.

The Thunderbirds have won 14 of their last 15 games, including the 11 straight home wins. The T-Birds improved their record to 37-19-3-11, with 88 points, and will finish the season no worse than third place in the U.S. Division. If Tri-City looses their last two games, the T-Birds and Americans would tie for second in the division, with the Americans still getting home-ice in the playoffs with overall wins being the tiebreaker.

The T-Birds are in Portland tomorrow for the second game of the home-and-home series with the Winter Hawks. Game time is 7:30 p.m. The T-Birds wrap the regular season on Sunday, March 18 against their first round opponents, the Tri-City Americans. The puck drops for the final regular season game at 5:05 p.m. at KeyArena. Tickets are currently on sale for the First Round of the 2007 Playoffs versus the Tri-City Americans. Playoff ticket packages are available by calling 206-448- PUCK (7825). Playoff tickets may also be purchased at The Hockey Store located at 14326 124th Ave NE in Kirkland. For additional playoff ticket information call 206-448-PUCK.

The Winter Hawks scored first at 1:20 of the opening period on a goal from Teegan Moore. Viktor Sjodin and Matt Schmermund had the assists.

Jan Eberle quickly tied the game at 2:57 of the first on his 17th goal of the year. Eberle stole the puck in the T- Bird zone and battled two defenders as he skated into the Portland zone. Eberle put the puck through one defenders legs and went around him on the right side to recover it. Eberle fired a wrister that beat Portland goalie Kurtis Mucha high on the left side for the short- handed goal.

Portland (16-51-1-2) outshot Seattle 12-9 in the first.

The Winter Hawks made it 2-1 at 7:37 of the second period on a goal from Sjodin. Schmermund had the lone assist.

Aaron Gagnon got his 42nd goal of the year at 8:44 of the second. On the power-play, Thomas Hickey dumped the puck into Portland zone off the far boards. Bud Holloway played the puck and swung it to Gagnon near the goal line on the left side. Gagnon crashed the crease and managed to sneak the puck five-hole on Mucha.

The T-Birds added another at 13:13 of the second on the fifth goal of the year from Josh Schappert. Prab Rai delivered the puck to Lindsay Nielsen stationed in the right face off circle. Nielsen slid the puck across the slot to Schappert, waiting above the crease, on the left side. Schappert waited for someone to cut towards the net, but instead elected to take the shot himself. Schappert ripped a shot that hit the glove of Mucha and fell behind him. The puck slowly trickled across the goal line to give the T-Birds a 3-2 lead.

Eberle did it again at 17:47 of the second. Portland attempted to clear the puck from their zone, but was unsuccessful as Holloway intercepted the puck behind the Winter Hawk net. Holloway slid the puck up to Eberle stationed left of the slot. Eberle fired a one- timer that hit Mucha in the pads and went in at the left post.

Seattle outshot Portland 14-5 in the second. The T- Birds led in shots on goal, 23-17, through two periods.

The Winter Hawks made it 4-3 at 16:45 of the third on a power-play goal from Sjodin. Max Gordichuk had the lone assist.

Holloway got his 27th goal of the season at 17:14 of the third. Hickey took control of the puck in the slot and dished to Holloway creeping into the crease on the right side. Holloway banged it in past Mucha for the 5- 3 lead.

The T-Birds added one more at 17:53 of the third on an empty-net goal from Brett Robertson. Bretton Stamler corralled the puck in the T-Bird zone and hit Scott Jackson at the blue line. Jackson dumped the puck to Robertson along the near boards and he fired a shot from the opposite blue line into the empty net to make it 6-3.

Seattle outshot Portland 14-5 in the third and 37-22 on the night.

Jacob DeSerres stopped 19 of 22 shots and improved his record to 7-7-0-2.

Mucha stopped 31 of 36 shots as his record falls to 16-41-1-1.

Check out the Seattle Thunderbirds Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 17, 2007


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