T-Birds Busted by Broncos
SWIFT CURRENT, Sask. –Despite two goals each from Eric Alarie and Kazden Mathies, the Seattle Thunderbirds fell, 6-4, to the Swift Current Broncos Friday at the InnovationPlex. It was the first time this season Seattle (7-3-0-0) has dropped back-to-back games. The T-Birds wrap up their six-game road trip Saturday in Medicine Hat against the Tigers. The Thunderbirds next home game is Friday, November 3rd against the Spokane Chiefs. Game time is 7:05 p.m.
The Thunderbirds played the game with just seventeen skaters. Three of their best offensive weapons are out with injuries. While disappointed with the result, head coach Matt O’Dette said, under those conditions, the effort was there.
“We said after the Wednesday game (5-0 loss in Lethbridge) we’ll never be happy losing, that there needs to be a level of compete and T-Bird identity and I feel that was there tonight,” he explained. “We tried extremely hard, competed really hard. We’re disappointed with the loss but not the compete. We competed really well under the circumstances.”
Seattle started fast with Alarie scoring the opening goal at 3:29 of the first period. But the Broncos would get two before the period ended and take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.
Swift Current’s speed and transition game seem to give the T-Birds some trouble. “We got beat to the back end, to the far post a couple of times,” said O’Dette. “They’re a fast team and their transition game is really good. We’ll have to address that.”
The Thunderbirds got it back to even with Mathies’ third goal of the season at 3:55 of the second period but a 90-second stretch midway through the second stanza was the difference. The Broncos scored at 8:01, 9:29 and again at 10:31 to grab a 5-2 lead. The third goal came on the power play as Seattle was shorthanded seven times over the final 35 minutes.
“Being short staffed, penalty killing is taxing,” said O’Dette. “Seven is too many, that’s for sure.”
Alarie’s second of the night got the T-Birds back to within two at 11:13 of the period and Seattle left the ice down 5-3 after two. It stayed that way until a turnover in the offensive zone led to a 2-on-1 rush the other way and Swift Current scored at 10:31 of the third period to regain their three-goal advantage.
Seattle got back to within two while killing a Broncos five-minute power play. Sawyer Mynio sprang Mathies for a shorthanded goal at 14:11. The T-Birds thought they had pulled within one with under a minute left in the game, but Alarie’s goal was waved off due to contact by a Seattle player with the Swift Current goalie.
T-BIRDS EXTRAS
The T-Birds lost Gracyn Sawchyn to a lower body injury late in Wednesday’s loss in Lethbridge and he was unavailable against Swift Current. Sawchyn is second on the team in scoring with 11-points (3g, 8a) through eight games.
Also out of the lineup due to injury are Nico Myatovic, a 30-goal scorer last season, and Jordan Gustafson, who has yet to play this season. Gustafson scored 16-goals in just 40 games a year ago. Additionally, defenseman Owen Boucher missed his fourth straight game. Kevin Korchinski, the T-birds third leading point producer last season, remains in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks.
After missing three games with an upper body injury, Cru Hanas was back in the lineup and assisted on Seattle’s second goal, registering his first point as a Thunderbird.
Prior to the home game on November 3rd, the T-Birds will retire the number 12 in honor of Patrick Marleau. Marleau played for the Thunderbirds from 1995-97, leading them to the 1997 WHL Championship Series. He was selected second overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the San Jose Sharks. He holds the NHL record for most regular season games played at 1,779.
Boxscore: Seattle Thunderbirds at Swift Current Broncos – Friday, October 27, 2023 (chl.ca)
