Thunderbirds season ends in Game 6 loss to Giants

Vancouver captures first-round series

March 31, 2019 8:30 am
Thunderbirds center Noah Philp pushes the puck up the ice with the Giants’ Dylan Plouffe during Game 6 action Saturday night. COURTESY PHOTO, Brian Liesse, T-Birds

The Vancouver Giants eliminated the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-1 in Game 6 of their first-round Western Hockey League playoff series Saturday night at the accesso ShoWare Center.

Vancouver, which took the best-of-7 series 4-2, will face the winner of the Kamloops Blazers vs. Victoria Royals first-round series.

Vancouver took a 1-0 lead on Bowen Byram’s goal at 11:01 of the first period.

The Giants went in front 2-0 on a Jared Dmytriw’s shorthanded goal at 7:14 of the second period.

Jadon Joseph scored at 15:08 and 18:13, on the power play, of the second to put the Giants in front 4-0.

Tristen Nielsen scored the Giants’ fifth goal at 2:40 of the third period.

Seattle got on the board at 15:32 of the third period. Noah Philp took shot from the left circle that hit Vancouver goalie David Tendeck and dropped to the ice. Andrej Kukuca crashed the net and banged the rebound past Tendeck. Cade McNelly had the second assist.

Seattle goalie Roddy Ross had 28 saves.

Tendeck had 33 saves.

SERIES GLANCE

Vancouver vs. Seattle, best-of-seven series

Game 1 – At Vancouver 7, Seattle 1

Game 2 – Seattle 4, Vancouver 1.

Game 3 – Vancouver 6, Seattle 4

Game 4 – Seattle 4, Vancouver 3

Game 5 – Vancouver 3, Seattle 2

Game 6 – Vancouver 5, Seattle 1 (Giants win series 4-2)

SCORING SUMMARY

First period – 1, Vancouver, Byram 3 (Koch), 11:01. Penalties – Bafaro, Van (slashing), 6:26. Wedman, Sea (interference), 11:30. Kannok Leipert, Van (slashing), 13:08. Rybinski, Sea (elbowing), 17:21.

Second period – 2, Vancouver, Dmytriw 1, 7:14 (sh). 3, Vancouver, Joseph 5 (Kannok Leipert, Watts), 15:08. 4, Vancouver, Joseph 6 (Bowen, Roman), 18:13 (pp). Penalties – Dmytriw, Van (tripping), 3:29. Tendeck, Van (delay of game-served by Svejkovsky), 6:26. Wedman, Sea (checking to the head), 17:56.

Third period – 5, Vancouver, Nielsen 2 (Koch), 2:40. 6, Seattle, Kukuca (Philp, McNelly), 15:32. Penalties – Bauer, Sea (slashing), 5:02. Nielsen, Van (cross checking), 5:02. Plouffe, Van (holding), 9:28.

Shots on goal – Seattle 10-10-14 34, Vancouver 13-17-3 33. Goalies – Seattle, Ross 33 shots-28 saves (2-4); Vancouver, Tendeck 34-33 (2-1). Power plays – Seattle 0-5; Vancouver 1-3. A – 3,113. Referees – Chris Crich, Brett Iverson. Linesmen – Brett Mackey, Michael McGowan.