T-Birds Rally Past Rebels
KENT, Wash. –Braeden Cootes scored twice in regulation and once in the shootout as the Seattle Thunderbirds came back to beat the Red Deer Rebels, 3-2, Tuesday at the accesso ShoWare Center. The win put an end to the T-Birds seven game losing streak. Seattle travels to Kelowna Wednesday to take on the Rockets at Prospera Place. The Thunderbirds return to the accesso ShoWare Center Saturday to host the Everett Silvertips at 6:05 p.m.
“It feels really good,” said head coach Matt O’Dette of the comeback win. “Not dissimilar to other games that we’ve had. We’ve always kept fighting. Unfortunately we fell short in those games. In this one we kept fighting and got rewarded for it.”
Seattle (6-11-1-1) fell behind, 1-0, after the first period but the deficit might have been larger if not for the effort of goalie Grayson Malinoski who stopped 17 shots in the opening twenty minutes. “He held the fort,” remarked O’Dette of his rookie netminders performance. “If they had gotten a bigger lead, we’d have been in trouble. He’s a gamer and he showed that off tonight.”
Red Deer increased the lead to 2-0 with a goal early in the second period. The T-Birds comeback began midway through period three. Cootes scored on the power play at 9:22, assisted by Hyde Davidson and Antonio Martorana. Less than two minutes later the Thunderbirds found themselves on the penalty kill. But instead of surrendering a power play goal to the Rebels, Cootes chased down a loose puck into the Red Deer zone and scored shorthanded to tie the game at the 11:55 mark.
“Cootes kind of just willed us back,” commented O’Dette of the second year player’s effort. “Heck of a night for him.”
After a scoreless five minutes of overtime Cootes and Matej Pekar converted for the T-Birds in the shootout. Meanwhile Malinoski stopped both Rebels shootout attempts to preserve the win.
T-BIRDS EXTRAS
The Thunderbirds concluded their five game homestand to start the month of November by going 1-2-1-1.
Seattle is now 6-1 versus the Rebels at the accesso ShoWare Center and have won five in a row.
Defenseman Owen Boucher returned to the lineup after missing the last 11 games with an upper body injury. It meant Seattle had three 20-year-olds in the lineup for the first time this season. Meanwhile, Will Jamieson and Sawyer Mynio remain out with injury.
Boxscore: Red Deer Rebels at Seattle Thunderbirds – Tuesday, November 12, 2024
