T-Birds Bear-y Lethbridge in a Shootout
KENT, Wash. – An early goal from Braeden Cootes sent the stuffed animals over the boards and the Seattle Thunderbirds went on to defeat the Lethbridge Hurricanes, 5-4, in a shootout Saturday at the accesso ShoWare Center on the annual Fred Meyer Teddy Bear Toss Night. The Thunderbirds wrap up a three game homestand Wednesday against the Wenatchee Wild. Game time is 7:05 p.m.
“It was a gutsy win for the team,” commented head coach Matt O’Dette. “The guys really persevered. It was obviously a rollercoaster of emotions in the game, getting big goals, getting scored on at inopportune times. But that can be junior hockey at times. You just have to stick with it.”
Cootes opened the scoring four minutes into the contest with his ninth of the season, assisted by Nathan Pilling and Owen Boucher. The goal came in his first game as a T-Birds co-captain. “Obviously getting that honor at such a young age is pretty special,” he said. “And yeah (scoring a goal) first game too and it was good to get a win.” The goal also extended his point streak to four games.
After Lethbridge tied it on the power play at the 11:20 mark, Seattle regained the lead thanks to Coster Dunn’s sixth of the season at 16:47. Dunn now has four goals in his last six games. “I feel good with the puck,” he remarked of his recent offensive success. “I like to make plays, so it feels nice that they’re starting to go my way and I’m getting the bounces. Can’t complain about that.”
Early in the second period, the T-Birds added to their lead when Antonio Martorana put in a rebound of a Dunn shot but Lethbridge responded with another power play goal four minutes later, then tied the game 3-3 with just two seconds left in the period while shorthanded.
The T-Birds took back the lead with a Nishaan Parmar unassisted goal at 11:23 of the third period only to have the Hurricanes force overtime when they scored with under two seconds remaining, after pulling their goalie for the extra attacker. After a scoreless overtime period the Thunderbirds won the shootout, and the game, as Cootes and Martorana found the back of the net while goalie Scott Ratzlaff stopped two of the three Lethbridge shooters.
The T-Birds won despite going 0-for-6 with the man advantage and surrendering a shorthanded goal.
“Different aspects of our game need to step up at different times,” remarked O’Dette on the win. “Our power play has been carrying us on many nights. Some nights you need 5-on-5 play to do the job and tonight we got four even strength goals. And it was nice to see us not give up any 5-on-5 goals. In the end it doesn’t matter how, as long as you get the job done.”
T-BIRDS EXTRAS
This was the earliest in the season the T-Birds have hosted their Fred Meyer Teddy Bear Toss game. In fact, they were the first team in the WHL to host a Teddy Bear Toss night this season.
Earlier in the week the T-Birds announced their leadership group for the 2024-25 season. Sawyer Mynio and Braeden Cootes were named co-captains while Nathan Pilling, Simon Lovsin, Coster Dunn and Scott Ratzlaff were named alternate captains.
Seattle has played four of the five Central Division teams thus far this season and all four games have gone past sixty minutes. The T-Birds are 2-0-1-1. The fifth team, Medicine Hat will be in Kent February 1st.
Boxscore: Lethbridge Hurricanes at Seattle Thunderbirds – Saturday, November 23, 2024
