T-Birds rout Eastern Conference leading Medicine Hat Tigers 7-1

KENT – In a game that was to be a good test for the Thunderbirds, they came out with straight A’s.

Seattle hosted the Eastern Conference leading Medicine Hat Tigers and ran them out of the ShoWare Center by a 7-1 score in front of 5,009 fans.

The list of offensive stars for Seattle (15-9-2-1) Saturday night is long. Ryan Gropp and Donovan Neuls each scored twice and both Mathew Barzal and Matthew Wedman chipped in three assists. While there were a lot of goals, the tone was set on the first shift of the game by goalie Rylan Toth.

The Tigers came into the game averaging five goals-per contest and showed just how dangerous they can be in the game’s opening moments. They worked a quick two-on-one in the Seattle zone and Toth quickly got over to get a skate on a shot by Steve Owre.

“The save Toth makes, it could have been a different game,” head coach Steve Konowalchuk said. “They score that and I guarantee you it’s not a 7-1 game.”

After that it was Seattle’s turn to show how dangerous they could be.

Gropp flew into the Tigers’ zone with a head of speed, he dug his skates in and cut across the zone and easily beat goalie Duncan McGovern for his first of the night. It was his seventh goal of the year and extended his point streak to five games.

“I just tried to make a move on that d-man and get his feet turned to the outside” Gropp said of the goal. “ Luckily, moved to the middle and was able to slide it in. Good start for sure and I think it got the guys going.”

Medicine Hat (21-7-1-0) has the league’s top power-play unit, clicking at over a 30-percent success rate. Down a goal, the Tigers went to the power play with a chance to get back into the game. The T-Birds were ready however and killed off the penalty without allowing a shot on goal. Seattle would go on to kill two Tigers’ power plays in the first period, not allowing any shots on either.

The Tigers ended the night 0-for-4 with the man advantage.

“You get out and get a lead and then you have to get a couple of kills there,” Konowalchuk said. “Guys are getting in shot lanes when they need to be. We’re getting in shot lanes and taking away the seam passes and Toth was solid when we needed him.”

With the one-goal lead, Seattle turned on the gas.

Gropp would score his second later in the first period after Barzal set him up on a two-on-one rush. It was another big night for Barzal, who now has four three-assist games in his last five games. Keegan Kolesar also had a strong night, throwing his weight around and seemingly hitting every Medicine Hat skater on the ice.

Ethan Bear would score Seattle’s third goal in the first period to give Seattle all the offense they would end up needing. It was Bear’s 10^th of the season and extended his goal-scoring streak to five straight games.

The T-Birds never let their foot off the pedal.

They would go on to score three more goals in the second period on markers by Scott Eansor, Nolan Volcan and Neuls to give them a 6-0 lead after 40 minutes.

“It’s a team game,” Konowalchuk said. “(Barzal) got his points, Eansor’s line got points, (Alexander) True’s lines got points and our fourth line went out there and created havoc. All our lines did what they had to do.”

Neuls was playing a night after leaving Friday’s game in the first period on a nasty slash to the back of the leg.

“It was scary,” Neuls said of Friday’s injury. “I took a slash in front of the net and there was pain shooting down my leg. I wasn’t sure what it was but it just turns out to be swollen. I skated this morning and it felt good so I continued to play tonight.”

Neuls would finish up Seattle’s scoring with his second goal of the night, and seventh of the season, in the third period. That gave the T-Birds a 7-0 lead and the celebration was on. Medicine Hat ruined Toth’s shut out bid with a late goal from Max Gerlach during garbage time.

It was a big, measuring stick type win for Seattle as they hammered one of the top teams in the WHL.

“Everything is a little measuring stick,” Konowalchuk said. “We expect to be a good team but we respect the heck out of them. They could be the team that comes out of the other side and we knew that coming in and we wanted to measure up against them.”

The win continues a streak of games where the T-Birds are scoring goals and piling up shots and points. In their last 11 games they’ve only lost once in regulation and are averaging 4.27 goals-per-game. They’re getting contributions up and down the line, evidenced by having four players with five-game scoring streaks.

“When you get points like that it means you’re probably winning games,” Gropp said. “That’s obviously the most fun around here, when we’re winning games. We want to keep it going and show teams around the league that we mean business.”

Notes

• It’s too early in the season to say Saturday’s win was a statement win but perhaps a good measuring stick kind of game. Medicine Hat is finding out how tough the U.S. Division can be after losing to Everett on Friday night. They had a 10-game winning streak heading into the weekend and now have lost two straight.

• Eansor’s goal was his 14^th of the year and tied his career high. He has a five-game point streak and has points in 10 out of his last 11 games.

• Wedman had three assists on Saturday for his first three point night and has tied his rookie season with 14 points. “He played strong,” Konowalchuk said. “He has a knack for getting points. You see him, he finds a way to get that puck to the net and things happen when you get pucks to the net.”

• When you score seven goals you have some good plus-minus numbers. Saturday night, Turner Ottenbreit ended up a plus-five and added an assist to boot.

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