WHL Seattle Thunderbirds

T-Birds Tame Wild in Wenatchee

Published on February 16, 2025 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release


WENATCHEE, Wash. - Scott Ratzlaff stopped all 28 shots he faced and the Seattle Thunderbirds blanked the Wenatchee Wild, 4-0, Sunday at the Town Toyota Center. The win gives the Thunderbirds a three point lead for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The T-Birds wrap up their three-game President's Day weekend Monday afternoon in Portland against the Winterhawks

"Finding ways to win," explained head coach Matt O'Dette. "Overall, the game wasn't our best. We weren't efficient enough over the course of the game, but we buckled down in the third and found a way to get the job done."

The game was scoreless through the first two periods as neither team was able to manufacture many opportunities in the offensive zone. The complexion of the game changed earlier in the third period after both teams were assessed minor slashing penalties.

Seattle (22-28-2-1) took advantage of the extra ice. Skating 4-on-4 the T-Birds scored twice in a span of 48-seconds. Sawyer Mayes struck first, pushing a puck past the Wild goalie at 4:25. It was Mayes' fifth goal of the season and second with the T-Birds. "It felt really good getting the monkey off the back," he commented of his game winner. "Getting the boys going. I feel that one kickstarted out team and we took off from there." Hayden Pakkala and Tai Riley had the assists.

At 5:13 Brayden Schuurman raced down the left wing and sniped in his eighth of the season on an assist from Radim Mrtka. The T-Birds stretched the lead to 3-0 when Matej Pekar scored his third goal of the weekend, and tenth in his last ten games, at 14:30. The assist went to Ashton Cumby.

Brayden Holberton closed out the game by scoring into an empty net at 18:28. Coster Dunn was credited with the lone assist.

Through the first two games of the weekend, Ratzlaff has turned aside 68 of 70 shots in posting wins over the Wild and Portland. "He was dialed in tonight," remarked O'Dette of his goalie who has now won ten of his last 12 starts. "He's continuing his good stretch of hockey, very confident, and there for us when we need him."

The win was the T-Birds fourth in a row and eighth in their last ten games as they moved three points ahead of the Kamloops Blazers in the chase for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Wenatchee is now four points back.

T-BIRDS EXTRAS

The T-Birds have outscored their opponents 26-14 in the third period in their last 14 games, compiling a 10-4 record.

Seattle once again played without leading scorer Braeden Cootes, who is listed as day to day with a lower body injury.

Seattle has won four in a row against the Wild with one game remaining in the regular season series next Friday back in Wenatchee.

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Western Hockey League Stories from February 16, 2025


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