March 15, 2012 - March 21, 2012

Recap | Spokane (03/16) | Everett (03/17) | Portland (03/18) | Archive

RECAP

Mar. 10, 2012

Portland 11, Seattle 3

(Post-game – Stats)

The push for the playoffs did not start well for the Thunderbirds, as they fell behind 3-0 before three minutes had elapsed in the game. Portland continued to pour it on, eventually winning 11-3. Calvin Pickard broke the WHL record for career minutes played in the third period.

Keys from last week:

1: Can the T-Birds maintain physical play for 60 minutes? They played well in Portland through 1.5 periods last week, but fell apart down the stretch.

They showed flashes of good play in the 2nd period, but it’s hard to find a significant stretch of solid play in this one.

2: Special teams. The Seattle power play unit has been stifled lately, which may continue against a strong Portland penalty kill.

Seattle went 2 for 5 on the power play, but allowed Portland to go 3 for 7 on the other end.

Mar. 11, 2012

Everett 3, Seattle 4 (OT)

(Post-game – Stats)

In a critical game with playoff implications, Dave Sutter scored with less than 5 seconds left in the overtime period to win the game for the T-Birds. The shot deflected off Connor Honey, who originally was credited for the goal, then off an Everett defender and into the net.

Keys from last week:

1: Home ice advantage? These two teams have traded dominating shutout victories in their last two games, each winning at home.

The crowd was average for a Sunday night game, but they brought much needed energy, particularly in the overtime period.

2: Power play goals? The Thunderbirds need to score on the power play against a below-average penalty kill.

Both teams were scoreless on power plays, with the T-Birds failing to score on two opportunities.

Mar. 13, 2012

Spokane 1, Seattle 3

(Post-game – Stats)

Calvin Pickard was dominant in net, saving 41 of 42 shots. The Chiefs only goal came off a deflection that bounced through Pickard’s legs as he stretched to the right post. The T-Birds scored all three of their goals on the power play, including two by Honey.

Keys from last week:

1: Can the T-Birds put shots on goal? Spokane’s defense has been very good limiting opponents’ chances against their sometimes-shaky goaltenders.

The T-Birds were outshot 42-24, but that may be misleading. Many of Spokane’s shots were low-quality chances thrown on the net from a distance. Still, Pickard was in top form to keep the Chiefs off the scoreboard.

2: Can the T-Birds avoid late period mistakes? In their last two games against Spokane, the T-Birds have allowed last minute goals to the Chiefs, significantly shifting momentum heading into intermission.

The T-Birds finished each period with intensity. They held off a late flurry by Spokane to preserve the victory in the 3rd period.

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SPOKANE CHIEFS

Friday, March 16 (7:05pm) @ Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, WA

Season Series: 5-2 Spokane

The T-Birds enter the weekend two points out of the playoffs and will look to steal another win against Spokane. The Chiefs followed their loss in the ShoWare Center with a 6-4 win against Kamloops at home on Wednesday. Brenden Kichton scored two goals and added an assist. In a playoff race of their own, Spokane is tied with Vancouver in points, but sits in 5th place after the tiebreaker. They will be motivated to win home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Offensively:

Dominik Uher and Mitch Holmberg remain the top scoring forwards for Spokane. Uher scored two points in the Chiefs winning effort on Wednesday to bring his season totals to 33 goals and 35 assists. Holmberg has not been productive in March, only scoring three points (1G, 2A) in seven games this month.

The Spokane power play ranks 20th (16.2%).

Defensively:

The Chiefs’ leading scorer is Kichton, who still leads the WHL in scoring by defensemen. He has nine points in seven games this month, adding six assists to the three points he scored Wednesday.

Goaltending remains a question mark for the Chiefs, though starter Mac Engel has played better than his record indicates this month. Despite a 1-2-0-1 record in March, Engel has allowed just 2.24 goals per game with a respectable .894 save percentage. Backup Eric Williams started against Kamloops, bringing his March record to 2-0-0-1, though he has allowed 3.33 goals per game during that stretch with a .870 save percentage.

The Chiefs penalty kill, exploited by the T-Birds on Tuesday, ranks 11th (78.7%).

What to watch for:

1: Goaltender Calvin Pickard has been outstanding during the T-Birds two-game winning streak. He’ll have to be on point against a motivated Spokane team playing in front of their home crowd.

2: T-Birds power play vs. Spokane penalty kill. In a rare dominating performance, the T-Birds power play scored three times in their last meeting.

Notes & Trivia:

• Even if you take away Kichton’s goal totals, he would still rank #5 in WHL D-men scoring (via @WHLFacts on Twitter)
• The Chiefs, tied with Vancouver at 83 points, are a full 14 ahead of 6th place Kelowna.
• Seth Swenson carries a 3-game goal streak into Spokane.
• Friday’s game will be broadcast on ROOT Sports.

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EVERETT SILVERTIPS

Saturday, March 17 (7:05pm) @ ShoWare Center, Kent, WA | Buy Tickets

Season Series: 5-4 Seattle

This will likely turn out to be the most important game of the year for both squads as they battle for a spot in the Western Conference playoffs. The Silvertips enter the weekend with a 21-39-2-8 record (52 points), two points ahead of the 24-43-1-1 Thunderbirds. They lost 4-2 in Kelowna on Wednesday and travel to Kennewick for a road game before returning to western Washington for the Saturday matchup against the ‘Birds. If, at the end of the regular season, both teams are tied in points, the Silvertips and T-Birds would play a tiebreaker game at ShoWare Center (the T-Birds have more wins earning home ice).

Offensively:

There are familiar opponents in the Silvertips forwards as Josh Birkholz, Ryan Harrison, and Joshua Winquist lead the way. Birkholz remains the leading scorer for the ‘Tips (28G, 28A), though Harrison has used a strong March (1G, 5A in 7 games) to come within six points. Winquist has been perhaps the hottest goal scorer on the team, scoring a goal in all but one game for Everett this month. However, he didn’t play against Kelowna on Wednesday.

Everett’s power play ranks 18th (19.2%).

Defensively:

Ryan Murray is the heart of the Silvertips’ defense, as the high-ranking NHL prospect is the 7th-leading scorer on the team and, though the WHL doesn’t officially track ice time, surely leads in that category. He is a leader on Everett’s special teams units and the power play runs visibly smoother when he is on the ice.

Kent Simpson has been outstanding lately and is a big reason for the Silvertips’ race to the playoffs. Through six games started in March, Simpson is 4-1-1-0, allowing just 1.64 goals per game with a .950 save percentage.

The Everett penalty kill 18th (76.6%).

What to watch for:

1: Who will win the physical battle? Everett appeared tired down the stretch last game, possibly tired from the physical play of the T-Birds.

2: Kent Simpson vs. Calvin Pickard. Both goaltenders have been stalwarts in net for their teams this year.

Notes & Trivia:

• Everett plays Tri-City on Friday. Tri-City is in a battle for the #1 overall seed in the playoffs.

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PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS

Sunday, March 18 (5:00pm) @ Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR

Season Series: 10-1 Portland

The Winterhawks enter the weekend with a 48-18-3-1 record (100 points) with two games to play. They lost in overtime to 7th-place Victoria on Wednesday – a disappointing loss as they try to earn the #1 seed. If Tri-City wins their remaining two games, the Winterhawks will finish as the #3 seed regardless. The loss to Victoria on Wednesday came despite outshooting the Royals 35-19.

Offensively:

Ty Rattie will not catch Brendan Shinnimin for the WHL scoring title, but his 55 goals and 62 assists are still quite the performance – still with two games to go. He has 11 points in eight games this month, including four assists against the T-Birds on March 10. Sven Bartschi, Portland’s 2nd-leading scorer, has been away from the team since March 3 – he was an emergency call-up to the Calgary Flames and has yet to return.

The Portland power play, which scored three times against Seattle last game, ranks #1 (29.3%).

Defensively:

Portland’s defense has struggled from poor goaltending lately. Starter Mac Carruth, in the month of March, has posted a disappointing 3.77 GAA with a .858 save percentage. In the Winterhawks’ upset loss to Victoria on Wednesday, Carruth allowed four goals on 19 shots, his worst performance since being pulled after allowing five goals in Spokane on January 22. Backup Brendan Burke saw some late ice-time against the T-Birds on March 10, but has been untested recently otherwise.

Portland’s penalty kill ranks 3rd (82.9%).

What to watch for:

1: Can the Seattle defense limit shots on goal? The Winterhawks put 54 shots on net last game, a performance the T-Birds will surely not want to repeat.

2: Can the T-Birds limit penalties against a potent Portland power play?

Notes & Trivia:

• The game will be played at Memorial Coliseum, as the Rose Garden will be set up for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

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COMING NEXT WEEK

TBD

ABOUT THUNDERBIRDS: THE WEEK AHEAD

Thunderbirds: The Week Ahead is written weekly by Brian Cobb, intern with the Thunderbirds. Brian is a graduate student at Seattle University, studying Sport Administration and Leadership. Each post is written as a preview of Thunderbird games scheduled for the upcoming week and weekend.

If you have any comments, questions, or interesting trivia, please feel free to email bcobb@seattlethunderbirds.com. Include “The Week Ahead” in the subject line. You can also tweet @SeattleTBirds. Compelling trivia or interesting questions are gratefully accepted and may possibly included as content for the next week.

For previous weeks, visit Thunderbirds: Week Ahead Archive