T-Birds Open Season With Win Over Tri-City
2017 WHL Champions get three assists from Strand in 4-3 win over Americans
KENT, September 23, 2017 — The 2016-17 WHL Champion Seattle Thunderbirds opened the 2017-18 season with a 4-3 win over the Tri-City Americans in front of a sellout crowd of 6,104 at accesso ShoWare Center Saturday night.
The T-Birds celebrated their Western Conference Championship and WHL Championship with a special pregame banner raising ceremony.
Sami Moilanen, Zack Andrusiak, Elijah Brown and Jake Lee scored for Seattle and Austin Strand had three assists.
Matt Berlin made 31 saves on 34 shots to get the win for the T-Birds.
Tri-City took a 1-0 lead on a five-on-three power-play goal by Jordan Topping at 5:47 of the first period. Morgan Geekie and Nolan Yaremko had the assists.
The T-Birds came right back and tied the game 1-1 at 9:33 of the first period. Nolan Volcan brought the puck off the right boards and into the top of the right circle. Volcan took a slap shot that Moilanen tipped past Tri-City goalie Beck Warm.
Seattle went in front 2-1 at 10:41 of the first on a goal from Andrusiak. Donovan Neuls passed the puck from the left boards to Andrusiak in front of Warm. Andrusiak beat the goalie low for the tying goal. Strand had the second assist on the goal.
The Americans tied the game 2-2 at 17:38 of the first on Topping’s second goal of the game. Roman Kalinichenko and Geekie had the assists.
Tri-City outshot Seattle 16-9 in the first period.
The Americans took a 3-2 lead on a shorthanded goal by Parker AuCoin at 2:23 of the second period.
The T-Birds tied the game 3-3 at 7:01 of the second on Brown’s first goal of the season. Strand passed the puck to Brown on the left wing to create a two-on-one break. Brown skated into the left circle and beat Warm over the left shoulder with a hard wrist shot.
Seattle outshot Tri-City 12-9 in the second period. Tri-City led 25-21 in shots after two periods.
The T-Birds took a 4-3 lead 48 seconds into the third period on Jake Lee’s first career goal as a T-Bird. Lee beat Warm from the right circle with a wrist shot while the teams were playing four-on-four. Strand and Neuls had the assists.
The Americans pulled Warm with a minute left in the game to try and tie the game. Berlin was up to the task and kept the Americans at bay.
Tri-City outshot Seattle 34-29 in the game.
Warm had 25 saves on 29 shots.
The T-Birds next game is Friday, September 29, against the Prince George Cougars at 7:35pm at ShoWare Center.
T-Birds single game tickets for the 2017-18 season are currently on sale online on the T-Birds website and at the accesso ShoWare Center box office.
Season Tickets for the WHL Champion T-Birds 2017-18 season are currently on sale. Season tickets can be purchased by calling the T-Birds office at 253-239-7825.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – 1, Tri-City, Topping 1 (Geekie, Yaremko), 5:47. 2, Seattle, Moilanen 1 (Volcan), 9:33. 3, Seattle, Andrusiak 1 (Neuls, Strand), 10:41. 4, Tri-City, Topping 2 (Kalinichenko, Geekie), 17:38. Penalties – Coghlan, Tri (interference), :32. Bench, Sea (too many men-served by Katzalay), 2:50. Tyszka, Sea (hooking), 5:15. Fuller, Tri (roughing), 8:08.
Second period – 5, Tri-City, AuCoin 1, 2:33 (sh). 6, Seattle, Brown 1 (Strand), 7:01. Penalties – Coghlan, Tri (interference), 1:51. Volcan, Sea (roughing), 3:50. Neuls, Sea (roughing), 3:50. Sawchuk, Tri (roughing), 3:50. Fuller, Tri (roughing), 3:50. Lee, Sea (high-sticking), 11:14. Tyszka, Sea (hooking), 19:12.
Third period – 7, Seattle, Lee 1 (Strand, Neuls), :48. Penalties – McNelly, Sea (kneeing), 9:12. James, Tri (cross checking, roughing-served by Johnson), 12:01. Krebs, Tri (major-fighting), 12:01. Moilanen, Sea (major-fighting), 12:01. Volcan, Sea (roughing), 12:01. Coghlan, Tri (game misconduct), 20:00. Topping, Tri (double minor-roughing, game misconduct), 20:00. Yaremko, Tri (game misconduct), 20:00. Bargar, Sea (game misconduct), 20:00. Moilanen, Sea (game misconduct), 20:00. Tyszka, Sea (roughing, game misconduct), 20:00. Volcan, Sea (cross checking), 20:00.
