T-Birds notebook: Win in finale, Tyszka hits century mark and Uchacz pots first
Mar 18, 2019, 11:56 AM | Updated: 12:27 pm
(Brian Liesse/T-Birds)
No Nolan Volcan. No Matthew Wedman. No Noah Philp. No Roddy Ross. No Tyrel Bauer. No problem.
The Seattle Thunderbirds finished their regular season in Portland Sunday and rested key players against a Winterhawks team that needed the win to secure home ice advantage in the first-round of the WHL Playoffs. Portland scored twice in the first six minutes and the expected rout was on its way.
Or was it?
Seattle got outstanding efforts from its younger players and pulled off an improbable 6-5 win over the Winterhawks to finish the season in fine fashion. The Thunderbirds got scores from six different players and goalie Cole Schwebius stood on his head to hold off a Portland squad that needed the win.
Schwebius faced 45 shots and kicked out 40 of them, including a fantastic, sprawling save on the league’s leading scorer, Joachim Blichfeld, in the third period.
Scoring for Seattle was Jared Davidson, Kai Uchacz, Simon Kubicek, Brecon Wood, Sean Richards and Jarret Tyszka. Forward Andrej Kukuca chipped in with three assists and the Thunderbirds went 2-for-3 on the power play, despite missing several mainstays.
The win gives Seattle a season record of 31-29-6-2 as they rallied in the second half to finish with a record above .500. After a 7-3 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings on Jan. 4th, the Thunderbirds stood at 11-20-4-0 and they were dead last in the Western Conference.
The playoffs looked like a pipe dream, at best.
With a slew of new additions picked up via trade and a new chemistry on the team, Seattle steamed to a 20-9-2-1 finish. Not only did they leap frog four teams in overall conference standings but did it against the toughest schedule in the WHL.
Here’s the latest surrounding the team as they prepare for the WHL Playoffs against the Vancouver Giants. Game 1 gets under way Friday night from the Langley Events Centre.
Milestone for Tyszka
Coming into Sunday’s game, Jarret Tyszka needed one point to reach the 100-point mark for his career. The Montreal Canadiens prospect picked up an assist on Richards’ goal in the third period and then scored what would be the game-winner later in the final frame.
He is the 15th defenseman in Seattle franchise history to reach the century mark and he trails Tomas Mojzis by five points for the 14th spot. Current Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore is the all-time Seattle leader for defenseman scoring with 212 points that he recorded from 2011 to 2015.
Tyszka turned in a strong season despite missing most of the first half.
In just 41 games with the Thunderbirds he potted eight goals and added 22 assists. At 19-years-old his future with Seattle is unsure. He would be eligible to return to the Thunderbirds next season as an over-ager but if the Canadiens sign him to an entry level contract, they could opt to send him to their American Hockey League affiliate.
Either way, Tyszka is one of the most prolific scoring defensemen in the history of the Seattle franchise.
Uchacz pots his first
Seattle’s first-round draft pick, Kai Uchacz, played both games this past weekend against Portland and gave the Thunderbirds an impressive look at the future.
Not only did he score his first WHL goal Sunday, but he also added an assist. The center earned some trust in head coach Matt O’Dette as he was out taking late-game defensive zone faceoffs Saturday night while the Thunderbirds were trying to hold onto a lead.
“That was a big reason why we wanted to dress him (Saturday),” O’Dette said after Seattle’s 5-2 win Saturday night. “We didn’t want to dress him and only give him a couple of shifts. Being at home where we would get some of the right match ups for him so we could prepare him for some success. Even when he was out there against top lines, he held his own.”
He ended up holding his own on the road Sunday as well and was out on the ice late in the game as the Winterhawks pushed to tie with an extra attacker on the ice. It will be interesting to see if the rookie gets into any of the upcoming playoff games against the Vancouver Giants.
“He was good,” O’Dette added Saturday night. “For a 15-year-old kid that was a pretty intense game. He got a fair amount of ice time and almost got a couple goals there. Some big blocked shots and things like that. He does the things that we appreciate, and he didn’t look out of place.”
Uchacz spent this season in the Alberta Midget Hockey League and turned in a 16-goal, 15-assist and 31-point season over 28 games. Sunday was his fifth game with Seattle this season.