(Kent, WA) The Seattle Thundebrirds (6-9-2-1) and Portland Winterhawks (11-5-1-2) never fail to put on an entertaining product. With local television broadcasting the games, the two teams combined for 79 shots and back-and-forth, high-scoring chance hockey.
The game could not even be settled in 60 minutes with overtime and then a shootout being needed. It was the third straight game for Portland to go past regulation. Seattle walked away with a 5-4 shootout win.
The Thunderbirds, without captain and leading scorer Mathew Wedman, were led by Payton Mount and Conner Bruggen-Cate who each had three points. Mount and Simon Kubicek both scored in the shootout, and goalie Roddy Ross did not let either Portland shooter find the net behind him.
Mount, who had just two points over his last 12 games, broke out in a big way.
“Really big game for him. I thought he played solid at both ends of the ice and got rewarded for it. He’s a smart kid. Really reliable. He’s been in a little bit of a funk but this is a big game for him. Hopefully this propels him for the next stretch,” O’Dette said.
Four different Thunderbirds scored in the game and Reid Schaefer netted his first WHL point.
“Some young guys getting the call tonight, Took a little bit of everything to get it done. Took all our guys. There were some momentum swings in the game. We didn’t get too down when that was happening. We have really been focusing on staying positive and creating positive momentum and energy from the bench. It was helpful for us to stay in the game,” Seattle head coach Matt O’Dette said.
Young guys finding the score sheet for the first time was a theme in this game. Portland rookie forward Gabe Klassen nabbed both his first WHL assist and WHL goal for two points. James Stefan also netted his first WHL goal.
The young guys chipping in was necessary as Portland was without key forwards Seth Jarvis, Robbie Fromm-Delorme and Simon Knak due to injuries.
“It was really good to have some diversity in the lineup, (Nick) Perna on forward, Gabe getting called up. A lot of guys chipped in tonight,” Stefan relayed.
Portland opened the scoring on the power play.
After Brendan Williamson hooked up a driving Jonas Brøndberg, Reece Newkirk set up Johnny Ludvig and the Winterhawks captain wired home a wrist shot from the point.
The marker was his fourth on the power play and ninth this season. Ludvig, Newkirk, Jaydon Dureau and Klassen led the way for Portland with two points each.
Seattle tied the game up 2:30 later. Off a face off, Bruggen-Cate fired a wrist shot from the high slot that was redirected by Alex Morozoff in front and by Portland goalie Isaiah DiLaura.
Immediately afterwards, Dureau and Newkirk almost retook the lead for Portland. They burst with speed in on Roddy Ross, forcing the Thunderbirds goalie to scramble to just keep the puck out.
Then Portland had another prime chance with Kishaun Gervais hitting a defender’s skate and then the post as Ross scrambled again to keep the puck out.
Ross was forced to make 47 saves on 51 total shots. The shot total was a season high for Portland.
Those stops proved key as Seattle scored twice to start the second and took a 3-1 lead.
After creating some pressure on power-play time that carried over from the first period, Seattle got another opportunity on the man advantage after Newkirk caught Tyrell Bauer from behind while fore-checking.
Bruggen-Cate made the Winterhawks pay with a redirection in front on a point shot from Owen Williams.
Then Portland was handed back-to-back power plays and given 58 seconds of 5-on-3 time.
Seattle blocked shots and locked down the passing lanes, killing both penalties.
Bruggen-Cate then burst in on a breakaway and had possibly the best opportunity thus far in the frame that did not end in a goal. DiLaura cut off his angle and made the stop.
“That was key point in the game, obviously. Trying to stop Portland on a 5-on-3 for that amount of time is definitely not easy. Our guys dug in and got that done,” O’Dette said.
Mount then extended the Seattle lead on the power play by following up a shot from Kubicek. The initial shot was blocked down by Mount himself.
The three points for Mount are his most since a four point effort on October 5th and the three from Bruggen-Cate are his most as a Thunderbird.
“We battled all 60 minutes (plus) and stuck to the plan and they almost came back. That shows a lot of character as a young team,” Bruggen-Cate relayed,
Despite leading the T-Birds in shots 28-17, the Winterhawks were trailing by a 3-1 score and failing to get much generated.
Then 16-year-old rookie forward James Stefan changed things. He battled in front and got himself in position for an incoming point shot from Klassen. He got enough of the shot to redirect it by Ross and get Portland within one.
“It felt really good especially in Seattle, a good team. It felt really good, a lot of pressure building up, just to get the first one out of the way felt good. Gabe made a really nice play getting the puck to the net. Luckily, I was able to get a stick on it,” Stefan recounted.
That goal provided a spark and Portland scored again to tie the game just 12 seconds later. Ludvig’s shot off the rush squeezed through Ross and was slowly sliding in the crease. Dureau went hard to the puck and tapped it in. The goal was his second this season and first since September 22nd.
That momentum swing to Portland was temporary though.
Off a face off in the Portland zone in the third period, Keltie Jeri-Leon picked the top corner on DiLaura to give Seattle a 4-3 lead with 12 minutes left. Schaefer picked up his first WHL point with an assist on the goal.
Not to be outdone, Klassen tied the game. He spun off a Seattle defender in the corner, drove the net and beat Ross for a dandy of a first WHL goal.
“It was really cool to be able to find (Stefan) for his first one and get that one for him; and then to come back and do it for myself I thought was a nice play. It is just a really cool feeling especially with the atmosphere, nice to get that one out of the way,” Klassen said.
The entertainment value only went up in overtime.
An errant Portland pass led to a Henrik Rybinski breakaway with just over a minute remaining in OT. Newkirk hauled down Rybinski leading to a penalty shot for the Florida Panthers draft pick.
DiLaura stood tall and closed down Rybinski’s angle and turned him away on the penalty shot.
In just his third start with Portland, he stopped 24-of-28 shots, none bigger than the overtime penalty shot save.
In the shootout, Seattle sent their 5,554 fans home happy with a win thanks to Mount, Kubicek and Ross.
The Thunderbirds snapped a four-game losing streak with the win. Portland has dropped two straight this weekend, both in extra time.
Tomorrow Portland hosts the Winnipeg ICE. Seattle rests up and and does not play again until Tuesday against that same ICE squad.
Notes:
-Kevin Korchinski made his WHL debut for Seattle. The 2019 WHL Bantam Draft pick stepped in and impressed his coach. “He’s a smart kid. I don’t think the moment was too big for him. He doesn’t get overwhelmed,” O’Dette said.
-Perna skated at forward for the first time this season.
