T-Birds Take Game Two
April 2, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release
KENT, Wash. -Lucas Ciona scored the game winning goal midway through the third period and the Seattle Thunderbirds beat the Kelowna Rockets, 4-1, Saturday in the second game of their opening round playoff series at the accesso ShoWare Center. Seattle leads the best of seven matchup, 2-0. The series now shifts to Prospera Place in Kelowna for Game Three Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.
Ciona's goal, at 9:35 of the third period, broke a 1-1 tie. It came on a partial breakaway on a stretch pass from teammate Nolan Allan, "Great play by Al(len) to have his head up," commented the T-Birds captain. "He found me in the middle and I kind of caught a break, got a little lucky. The puck went through the goalie, I found my rebound and finished it."
Allan then would add some insurance with his first playoff goal six minutes later. "We finally stepped up there in the third," said the Chicago Blackhawks prospect. "We put the pressure on there and scored some goals."
Allan was one of Seattle's key acquisitions through the course of the season as the Thunderbirds added to their roster in hopes of making a long playoff run. "You can see what Bil is trying to do here," said Allan of Thunderbirds General Manager Bil LaForge's in season trades. "With the moves he made and the guys he brought in, it's our jobs now to help this team win by stepping up in these moments."
As they did in Game One, a 3-2 win, Seattle used a strong third period to pull away from the Rockets. Head coach Matt O'Dette would still like to see a more complete sixty-minute effort.
"It was a better first period," he remarked of his team's start. "We came out the right way, especially the first ten minutes. I thought we got a little off that the rest of the first. And in the second, we definitely had some poor stretches in that period. The third period was out best period, clearly, and has been in our recent games."
Ciona agreed with his coach's assessment. "We play really well in the third period," he said. "We have to start bringing that to all three periods. If we come out the first two periods like that, it makes it tough for the opposing teams. We have to start working on having a full sixty-minute game."
The Thunderbirds opened the scoring with a Dylan Guenther power play goal in the first. Kelowna tied it at 7:38 of period two, setting the stage for Seattle's third period outburst. Jared Davidson's empty netter finished off the scoring.
Game Four of the series is also set for Prospera Place in Kelowna Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. If Game Five is necessary, it would be Friday at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent.
T-BIRDS EXTRAS
Dylan Guenther has three goals in the first two games of the postseason. Kevin Korchinski assisted on Guenther's goal giving him three assists in the first two games of the series.
In the third period of the first two games of the series, the Thunderbirds have outshot the Rockets 36-18 while outscoring them 5-0.
Thomas Milic (16-11) earned his sixteenth career playoff win with a 25-save effort. That ties him with Carl Stankowski for the most playoff wins by a T-Birds goalie. Stankowski went 16-4 in the 2017 playoffs as Seattle won the Ed Chynoweth Cup that spring.
Western Hockey League Stories from April 2, 2023
- Stringer Scores in OT, Pats Take 2-0 Series Lead - Regina Pats
- Broncos 2022-23 Season Recap - Swift Current Broncos
- Jaxsen Wiebe's Overtime Winner Lifts Cougars over Americans - Prince George Cougars
- Pats Look to Take 2-0 Series Lead vs. Blades - Regina Pats
- Rockets Downed by Thunderbirds - Kelowna Rockets
- Warriors Roll to Game 2 Win; Take 2-0 Series Lead - Moose Jaw Warriors
- Americans Drop Game 2 in Overtime to Cougars - Tri-City Americans
- Hitmen Win in Overtime - Calgary Hitmen
- Špunar Shutout Paces Portland's Game 2 Win - Portland Winterhawks
- T-Birds Take Game Two - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Hawks Dominate Game 2, Take 2-0 Series Lead - Portland Winterhawks
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