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WHL Seattle Thunderbirds

T-Birds Take Down Tigers

February 1, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release


KENT, Wash. - Scott Ratzlaff stopped 31 shots through regulation and overtime and eight more in the shootout as the Seattle Thunderbirds edged the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-3, Saturday at the accesso ShoWare Center. The win moves Seattle into a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Seattle returns to the ice next Friday when they host the Spokane Chiefs. Game time is 7:05 p.m.

We've got some confidence going," said head coach Matt O'Dette of a team that has won four of their last five home games. "We're playing some good hockey. We knew it was going to be a challenging game against a really good team, but we knew if we duplicated the efforts we've been getting recently, we'd give ourselves a chance to win."

After a scoreless first period, Seattle (18-27-2-1) would build a two goal lead through the first fourteen minutes of the second period. Coster Dunn scored on the power play at 6:16, assisted by Radim Mrtka. Dunn now has seventeen points (7g, 10a) in his last fifteen games. Eight minutes later Matej Pekar stole a puck near the Tigers blue line, skated in and would score unassisted, his fifth goal in his last five games.

Medicine Hat would battle back, scoring the next three goals to take the lead with just over seven minute remaining. The T-Birds answered with a Hayden Pakkala tying goal at 14:23 of the third period. Pakkala's 11th of the season came off a goal mouth scramble in front of the Tigers net. Simon Lovsin and Sawyer Mayes earned the assists.

After a scoreless overtime, the shootout would go eleven rounds before Radim Mrtka put the T-Birds ahead and Ratzlaff sealed it by stopping Medicine Hat's final shooter.

Ratzlaff, meanwhile, has now won his last four starts. "He's played well for us all year, not necessarily getting the bounces or the play in front of him," remarked O'Dette of his netminder. "But we know what he's capable of and it's showing. The team is playing better in front of him but he's shutting the door."

T-BIRDS EXTRAS

Seattle improved their shootout record this season to 6-1.

All five games the T-Birds played this season against the five Central Division teams went past regulation. The T-Birds finished with a record of 3-0-1-1.

Four of the T-Birds seven wins the past month have been against either division or conference leaders.

The Thunderbirds are 7-5 in 2025.

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