T-Birds Blast Past Brandon
KENT, Wash. – A five goal second period spurred the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 7-3 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings Tuesday at the accesso ShoWare Center. Matthew Gard and Sawyer Mayes led the attack with two goals each. Up next for the T-Birds is the Battle of the Sound Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena versus the Everett Silvertips. Game time is 6:05 p.m.
“It was important to get on track tonight,” said head coach Matt O’Dette after the win. “Just get some momentum going into the weekend. We have two tough games coming. It’s nice to go into three days of practice with a good feeling and some positive vibes.”
The two teams traded first period goals. Brandon struck first, scoring ninety seconds in. Seattle (18-21-3-2) responded with a Gard shorthanded goal at 15:15 assisted by Ethan Bibeau.
The Wheat Kings regained the lead at 4:11 of period two. A three goal burst by the T-Birds midway through the middle period turned the game in Seattle’s favor. Ashton Cumby tied it at 10:41. Mayes tipped in a Radim Mrtka blast at 12:14 to give the Thunderbirds the lead and Gard struck again at 13:44.
Brandon got it back to a one goal game with a power play goal at 14:07. Once again, the T-Birds struck back, scoring twice in the final ninety seconds of the period. Coster scored his own power play goal at 18:29 and Bibeau followed with his third of the season at 19:47. “Mrks (Mrtka) had his head up, found me, soaked my blade.” Bibeau said, describing his goal. “I tipped it, hit the post turned and found my rebound and thankfully it went in.”
The Thunderbirds controlled the third period, protecting their three goal lead. “I thought we got to our formula, our game plan,” explained O’Dette. “Putting their D in uncomfortable positions where we’re making their team defend. That led to some turnovers and extended Oh-zone time for us.”
Seattle salted the game away with an empty net goal from Mayes at 17:13. Mayes now has four goals in his last two games and thirteen on the season. “It’s nice to contribute to team success,” he remarked. “And it’s nice when I contribute that it leads to a win. It’s nice to solidify the win and get the empty netter and close the game out.”
Marek Sklenicka picked up his thirteenth win in net with a 25 save effort.
T-BIRD EXTRAS
With the win Seattle moved within five points of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The T-Birds second period power play goal ended an 0-for-14 stretch with the man advantage. Meanwhile Seattle is tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals with ten.
Seattle has scored a combined 13 goals in their last two home games against Brandon, both wins. The Thunderbirds finished the six games against Eastern Division teams with a 4-0-2-0 record.
Boxscore: Brandon Wheat Kings at Seattle Thunderbirds – Tuesday, January 27, 2026
