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WHL Seattle Thunderbirds

T-Birds Vanquish Victoria

February 20, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Seattle Thunderbirds News Release


VICTORIA, B.C. -Gracyn Sawchyn scored twice, Thomas Milic made 26 saves and the Seattle Thunderbirds shut out the Victoria Royals, 7-0, Monday at Save on Foods Memorial Centre. It was Seattle's seventh straight victory, leaving them with a 42-9-1-1 record. The Thunderbirds stay on Vancouver Island for a second game Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

Thunderbirds head coach Matt O'Dette said while the game wasn't as clean as their 8-1 win over the Royals Saturday at home, it was another example of how he wants his team to play. "It was a more physical battle. They came out looking to push back and we had to stand up for ourselves." He then added, "There were a lot of good things to take out of tonight's game. There were times the good habits waned a bit but all in all we're happy with the game."

Seattle would race out to a 4-0 first period lead. It started in the game's first minute when Jared Davidson's shot ricocheted in off a Victoria skate. The goal was Davidson's team leading 32nd of the season. It also earned him his 200th point in the WHL, all with the Thunderbirds.

"It's special," he said. "It's nice to especially have it all as a T-Bird. He added there are bigger, team-oriented goals he hopes to accomplish before his time in Seattle is done. "Most importantly is winning this year and hopefully getting that championship under our belts here."

The lead stretched to 2-0 when Sawchyn sprinted up ice on a breakaway. At the last second, he dropped a pass back to Colton Dach, who tapped it home. "I kinda saw him out of the corner of my eye," said Sawchyn. "He was talking behind me, so I just tried to get the goalie to slide over and feed him back door." The goal was Dach's first as a Thunderbird, in just his second game.

Six minutes later Sawchyn scored his first of two on the night. "Just trying to shoot the puck more," he commented. "Hopefully some will go in after a bit of a dry spell of not scoring too much." The goal was Sawchyn's first in ten games.

Just over a minute later Sam Popowich tapped home a puck after a Mekai Sanders shot fell in behind the Victoria goalie. Seattle tacked on two more in the second period as Tij Iginla and Dylan Guenther scored 34-seconds apart. Sawchyn scored again at 16:23 of the third period to close out the scoring.

Milic turned aside everything thrown his way to earn his third shutout of the season and second in his last three starts. "It was a good team game all around," he said. "A lot of special teams going on, but we did a good job killing penalties and scored one on the power play. Obviously when you're getting shutouts, the team is winning so overall a great team game."

Following the Tuesday game in Victoria Seattle heads home for a pair of games this weekend at the accesso ShoWare Center. First up is a Friday matchup with the Tri-City Americans. Game time is 7:05 p.m. That's followed by a 6:05 p.m. start Saturday versus Portland.

T-BIRDS EXTRAS

Eleven different Thunderbirds earned a point in the win. Two nights earlier fourteen different players found themselves on the scoresheet.

O'Dette said that is the team depth coming through. Seattle's fourth line has contributed seven points (3g, 4a) in the last two wins "There's a healthy competition for ice time and staying in the lineup. Those guys are raising their game and playing really well for us. It's making for some hard lineup decisions but that's how we want it."

Coupled with Portland's shootout loss in Prince George, Seattle stretched their lead atop the U.S. Division to nine points.

Through the first three games of the four game season series against Victoria, the Thunderbirds have outscored the Royals 18-1.

Seattle's all-time record at the Save on Foods Memorial Centre is now 12-6-1-2.

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