T-Birds stretch win streak to 5 games | WHL

True has two goals, Bear has three assists in 6-4 win over Chiefs

January 16, 2017 10:30 am
The Thunderbirds’ Alexander True brings the puck up the ice against the Chiefs on Sunday. COURTESY PHOTO, Brian Liesse/T-Birds

Alexander True scored two goals and Ethan Bear had three assists to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 6-4 Western Hockey League victory over the Spokane Chiefs at the ShoWare Center on Sunday night.

Seattle (23-14-3-1) took a 1-0 lead at 6:10 of the first period on a power-play goal from Austin Strand. Nolan Volcan sent the puck from the right corner to Strand at the right point. Strand took a slap shot with traffic in front of Spokane goalie Jayden Sittler. Strand’s shot beat Sittler high for his second goal of the season. Aaron Hyman had the second assist.

The T-Birds extended the lead to 2-0 at 9:31 of the first on Jarret Tyszka’s fifth goal of the season. Sami Moilanen passed the puck to Tyszka in the left circle. Tyszka took a wrist shot that beat Sittler over the glove. Aaron Hyman had the second assist.

Seattle outshot Spokane 9-6 in the first period.

Moilanen gave the T-Birds a 3-0 lead at 4:59 of the second period. Ethan Bear sent the puck up the ice into the Spokane zone. Volcan chased the puck down on the right-wing boards. Moilanen was chasing the play and Volcan found him with a pass in the slot. Moilanen moved left and roofed the puck over a lunging Sittler for his 13th goal of the season.

Spokane (18-20-5-2) cut the T-Birds lead to two goals when Hayden Ostir scored at 10:22 of the second. Keanu Yamamoto and Matt Leduc had the assists.

The Chiefs cut the T-Birds lead to one goal at 13:13 of the second on a power-play goal from Kailer Yamamoto. Keanu Yamamoto and Jaret Anderson-Dolan had the assists.

The T-Birds took the two-goal lead back on the power play at 16:14 of the second. Mathew Barzal had the puck in the left circle. Barzal passed the puck to Bear at the high point. Bear took a slap shot that Alexander True tipped past Sittler for his 12th goal of the season.

Both teams had 15 shots on goal in the second period and the T-Birds led 24-21 in shots after two periods.

Ryan Gropp banged in a rebound at 4:25 of the third period to give the T-Birds a 5-2 lead. Turner Ottenbreit took a shot that rebounded off Sittler right to Gropp coming down the slot. Bear had the second assist on the goal.

True scored his second of the night, on the power play, at 12:39 of the third to make it a 6-2 lead. True beat Sittler from just inside the left circle off assists from Keegan Kolesar and Barzal.

Ondrej Najman scored at 14:32 of the third to get the Chiefs third goal of the game. Alex Mowbray and Riley McKay were credited with the assists.

Kailer Yamamoto score the Chiefs four goal with 53 seconds left in the game off assists from Anderson-Dolan and Riley Woods.

Spokane outshot Seattle 12-6 in the third period and 33-30 in the game.

Seattle goalie Rylan Toth improved his record to 19-14-1-0 with 29 saves on 33 shots.

Sittler made 24 saves on 30 shots and his record is now 11-9-2-1.

‘Tips visit Tuesday

The T-Birds play the Everett Silvertips at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at the ShoWare Center on a Director’s Mortgage 2-for-Tuesday. All tickets are two-for-one and there is $2 soda, $2 popcorn, $2 hot dogs and two-for-one beer purchases.

Fans can purchase single-game tickets online or at the ShoWare Center box office. Season tickets can be purchased by calling the T-Birds office at 253-239-7825.

SCORING SUMMARY

First period – 1, Seattle, Strand 2 (Volcan, Neuls), 6:10 (pp).2, Seattle, Tyszka 5 (Moilanen, Hyman), 9:31. Penalties – Toporowski, Spo (tripping), 4:35. Bench, Sea (too many men-served by Wedman), 7:02. Tyszka, Sea (cross checking), 18:30.

Second period – 3, Seattle, Moilanen 13 (Volcan, Bear), 4:59. 4, Spokane, Ostir 4 (Ke. Yamamoto, Leduc), 10:22. 5, Seattle, Ka. Yamamoto 27 (Ke. Yamamoto, Anderson-Dolan), 13:13 (pp). 6, Seattle, True 12 (Bear, Barzal), 16:14 (pp). Penalties – Ottenbreit, Sea (high sticking), 12:49. Ostir, Spo (tripping), 14:51.

Third period – 7, Seattle, Gropp 11 (Ottenbreit, Bear), 4:25. 8, Seattle, True 13 (Kolesar, Barzal), 12:39 (pp). 9, Spokane, Najman 3 (Mowbray, McKay), 14:32. 10, Spokane, Ka. Yamamoto 28 (Anderson-Dolan, Woods), 19:07. Penalties – Barzal, Sea (cross checking), 7:04. Ke. Yamamoto, Spo (slashing), 11:09.

Shots on goal – Seattle 9-15-6 30, Spokane 6-15-12 33. Goalies – Seattle, Toth 33 shots-29 saves (19-14-1-0); Spokane, Sittler 30-24 (11-9-2-1). Power plays – Seattle 3-3; Spokane 1-4. A – 5,003. Referees – Ryan Benbow, Sean Raphael. Linesmen – Michael McGowan, Nathan Van Oosten.