RECAP: Americans down Thunderbirds in come-from-behind shootout win
Kennewick, WA. – The Tri-City Americans (15-13-2-0) sent fans at the Toyota Center home happy in their final home game before the Christmas break with a come-from-behind 4-3 shootout win over the Seattle Thunderbirds (11-14-2-1) Sunday night.
A timid start to the game saw just a handful of shots over the opening minutes before Seattle struck first. Matthew Hilderman, playing his first WHL game, fired a shot through traffic and beat Ryan Grout over the glove for his first WHL goal to put Seattle ahead 6:04 into the game.
Just over three minutes later, Hilderman was given a double-minor for slew-footing, sending Tri-City to a four-minute power play. Five seconds after the puck dropped on the man advantage the Americans tied the game.
The puck was caught up in skates off the faceoff and was fished loose by the Americans before Savin Virk cut across the crease and lifted a backhand shot over the blocker of Grayson Malionoski for his 12th goal of the year.
The two teams went to the locker room tied at one after 20 minutes, but the Americans were given a penalty after the buzzer to start period two shorthanded.
Seattle took advantage of the power play when Grayson Tash blasted a slap shot from the blue line through traffic and past the blocker of Grout for his first WHL goal, putting Seattle ahead 2-1 just 1:53 into the period.
Thirteen minutes later Matej Pekar pushed the Thunderbirds lead to 3-1 by banging in a rebound in front of the Americans net.
It looks as though Tri-City would be trailing 3-1 heading into the third, but Connor Dale struck in the final minute of the period to cut the deficit to one.
Seattle looked to pass the puck up to the point in the Americans zone, but the pass was tipped by Virk right to Dale. Dale turned on the jets and caught the Seattle defensemen flat footed, taking off on a breakaway.
Blazing into the Thunderbirds zone, Dale faked a move to his backhand before slamming the puck past the right pad of Malinoski with 30 seconds left in the period, getting the Americans within one heading into the third.
The Thunderbirds maintained their 3-2 lead until a little over the halfway mark of the final frame. After Tri-City recovered the puck behind the Seattle net, it was worked up to the blue line where Cruz Pavao was covering.
Pavao took the pass and skated down the slot before firing a shot through traffic that beat Malinoski on past the glove, tying the game with 8:28 left.
Tri-City had an excellent chance to end the game in regulation, receiving a power play with under two minutes left on the clock, but couldn’t capitalize as the two teams went to overtime.
Neither team was able to end it during the five-minute overtime session as Tri-City and Seattle went to a shootout, the first for both teams in 2025-26.
Pavao led it off by scoring for the Americans before Antonio Martorana tied it in round two for Seattle. The next eight shooters were denied by Grout and Malinoski before Jesse McKinnon jumped onto the ice for Tri-City.
McKinnon slowly skated down the right wing, galloping towards the middle of the ice before snapping a shot off the post and in, putting the Americans in the driver’s seat.
Brendan Rudolph was the last hope for Seattle, but he was turned aside by the blocker arm of Grout as Tri-City held on for the 4-3 win.
The Americans wrap up their first-half schedule with a Wednesday meeting in Kamloops against the Blazers (14-12-2-3).
Announced attendance was 3,886.
