T-Birds Blanked in Regina
REGINA, Sask. – The Seattle Thunderbirds were held off the scoreboard for the first time this season as they were shutout, 8-0, Saturday by the Regina Pats at the Brandt Centre. The T-Birds will have a couple of days off before they resume their six-game road trip Tuesday in Moose Jaw against the Warriors.
“Very disappointing game,” said head coach Matt O’Dette of the loss. “Just not focused out of the gate, not ready to play out of the gate. Our T-Bird identity, our character, we didn’t put much of that on display.”
The Thunderbirds (4-6-1-0) troubles began early, taking a penalty 43-seconds into the game. Regina capitalized quickly, scoring a power play goal just three seconds later. “I don’t know how many times we come out of the gate and take a penalty in the first couple minutes,” remarked O’Dette. “It puts a lot of pressure on our kill. It’s not ideal to start the game on the penalty kill and it’s happened often this year.”
The Pats would add two more goals later in the period to take a 3-0 lead into the first intermission. They picked up where they left off with four more goals in the second period.
“The things we focused on in our team meetings, we weren’t ready for on the ice,” said O’Dette. “We’re at a low spot right now and we have to dig our way out of it.” O’Dette says the buck stops with him. “I take ownership. I have to get the guys ready to play and they weren’t ready to play.”
Regina would tack on an eighth goal in the third period, their third power play goal on the night. Opposing teams are 7-for-14 on the power play against Seattle over the past three games.
“We’re having a hard time grasping some of the concepts right now. There are intangibles that go into the penalty kill. There’s blocking shots. You have to win battles, win faceoffs, get clears. We’re not doing those things,” explained O’Dette. “But it’s just not the PK, it’s 5-on-5 as well. It’s all facets of our game right now.”
With the shutout, Braeden Cootes saw his five-game point streak come to an end. He’s still tied for the team lead in scoring with ten points (2g, 8a) through eleven games.
T-BIRDS EXTRAS
The last time Seattle was shut out was last November 21st in Kennewick, a 5-0 loss to the Tri-City Americans.
Nathan Pilling has served his two-game suspension and is eligible to return to the lineup Tuesday against the Warriors. Pilling started his WHL career back in 2021 with Moose Jaw.
Boxscore: Seattle Thunderbirds at Regina Pats – Saturday, October 19, 2024 (chl.ca)
