T-Bird Goalie Calvin Pickard wins gold for Team Canada at U-18 championships

August 18, 2009 6:43 pm

Seattle Thunderbirds goalie Calvin Pickard has won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2009 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Canada beat Russia 9-2 on Saturday in the Gold Medal game at Alcaplast Arena in Breclav, Czech Republic.

The Ivan Hlinka Tournament is a annual summer Under-18 Championship featuring national teams from Russia, Finland, Sweden, United States, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Canada.

Pickard made 34 saves on 36 shots against Sweden on Aug. 11, to help Team Canada to a 3-2 win. He made 14 saves on 17 shots in a 6-3 victory over Switzerland on Aug. 12. Pickard finished the tournament with a 2-0 record, .906 save percentage and a 2.50 goals against average.

Last season was Pickard’s first with the T-Birds. He finished his rookie campaign with a 23-16-1-4 record with three shutouts. He had a goals against average of 3.05 and a save percentage of .896.

Pickard was one of two players from Manitoba and one of seven players from the WHL on the 22-player Team Canada roster.

The T-Birds open the season on Sept. 18, at 7:35 p.m. against the Everett Silvertips at ShoWare Center. Then play the Portland Winter Hawks on Sept. 19, at 7:05 p.m.at ShoWare Center before finishing out the weekend against the Vancouver Giants at Pacific Coliseum at 5:05 p.m. on Sept. 20.

T-Birds single game tickets for the 2009-10 season will go on sale on Aug. 19, at 10 a.m. online on the T-Birds website and at the ShoWare Center box office.

The Thunderbirds have a five-game preseason schedule. The only home preseason game of the year will be on Sept. 12, against the Everett Silvertips at ShoWare Center at 7:05 p.m. This game is a special fundraiser game for the Kent School District.

They will face the Portland Winterhawks at 7 p.m. Aug. 29, at Memorial Coliseum. They will then play three games in the Silvertips Preseason Tournament at Comcast Arena over Labor Day Weekend. They will play the Prince George Cougars on Sept. 4 at 11:30 a.m. The T-Birds then take on the Silvertips at 7 p.m. on Sept. 5. They finish out the weekend against the Spokane Chiefs at 3 p.m. on Sept. 6.

T-Birds season tickets are currently on sale. Season tickets can be purchased by calling the T-Birds office at 253-239-7825.