Game 56: Thunderbirds are trounced by Winterhawks in Kent
Feb 12, 2011, 9:53 PM | Updated: Apr 6, 2011, 11:23 am
(38-16-0-3)Portland Winterhawks 8, (19-28-4-5)Seattle Thunderbirds 2
Johansen with the Hat Trick…Portland registers six power play goals
KENT– The Thunderbirds give up six power play goals en route to an 8-2 loss to the Winterhawks. It’s their 12th loss in their last 13 games and eighth in a row at home as their quest for a playoff spot dims further.
The Birds got the first power play of the game. It came at the 3:24 mark of the first period. Riley Boychuk was called for Cross Checking. They did not convert and had one shot on net.
At 11:23 Travis Toomey went to the box for Slashing to put Portland on the power play. Brad Ross scored his 21st goal of the season to put the Winterhawks up 1-0.
The teams skated four on four when Mitch Elliot was called for Roughing and Brendan Leipsic for Slashing at 13:30.
At 16:03 the Birds went on the power play when Ryan Johansen was called for Cross Checking. They did not convert and had two shots.
Seattle went right back to the power play at 18:04. Taylor Aronson went to the box for Interference. They did not convert and had three shots.
The Birds were down 1-0 after 20 minutes.
Shots in the period were 17-5 in favor of the Birds. The difference was that Seattle was 0 for 3 on the power play while Portland was 1 for 1.
Portland went up 2-0 when Johansen (28) put one into an open net as the puck was in the slot, nobody picked him up and Calvin Pickard (19-26-3-5) wasn’t in position to make a save. Time of the goal was 1:43 of the second period.”We got beat one on one to our net and they beat us to the rebound,” said Rob Sumner . “We have to be stronger in front of our net.”
The Winterhawks went on their second power play at 2:37 as Erik Fleming was called for Tripping. They converted to take a 3-0 lead. Johansen scored his second goal of the game and 29th of the season. Time of the goal was 3:39.
The Birds got on the board at 4:58 when Toomey scored his 17th goal of the season to make it a 3-1 game. Assists went to Brendan Rouse and Erik Bonsor.
Portland took a 4-1 lead at 15:20. Boychuk scored his 15th goal of the season.
At 15:45 Colin Jacobs was given two minutes for Kneeing.
Portland scored their third power play goal to go up 5-1. Johansen got the Hat Trick and it was also his 30th goal of the season. Time of the goal was 15:59.
At 18:08 there was some more four on four play. Taylor Jordan was called for Checking from Behind and Elliot was called for Roughing.
After 40 minutes the Birds were down 5-1.
Shots in the second period were 20-7 in favor of Portland. They led 25-24 overall.
Justin Hickman was called for Tripping at the :33 mark of the third period. The Winterhawks netted their fourth power play goal when Aronson scored to put the Hawks up 6-1. It was his 5th goal of the season. Time of the goal was 1:25.
The teams skated four on four at 2:09 when Ty Rattie was called for USC and Chance Lund for Tripping.
Portland went back to the power play at 2:47. Toomey went to the box for Roughing. The Winterhawks scored their fifth power play goal as Joe Morrow (7) slapped one past Pickard to put them up 7-1 at 4:27.
The Birds went on the power play at 5:06 when Jordan was given a Charging minor. Burke Gallimore knocked in his 26th goal of the season past Keith Hamilton (9-3-0-2) to make it a 7-2 Portland lead. Assists went to Ryan Button and Luke Lockhart. Time of the goal was 6:11.
Portland went back to the power play at 9:27. Gallimore went off for Tripping. For the first time in the game the Birds killed off a penalty.
Michael Salmon relieved Pickard in net.
The Birds got a power play chance at 15:07 when Josh Hanson was called for Roughing. They didn’t convert.
The Winterhawks got a power play opportunity at 17:08 as Hickman was called for Tripping. They scored their sixth power play goal of the game when Taylor Peters (8) knocked one past Salmon at 17:29. “First couple goals were similar goals in that they went through the seam to the backdoor,” said Sumner of the lackluster penalty killing. “We can’t give up those lanes. From that time on we were second guessing ourselves, not getting pucks out and it went downhill from there.”
Sven Bartschi was called for High Sticking at at 18:32 putting the Birds back on the power play. They didn’t convert.
The Birds lose 8-2.
Shots in the third period were 12-12. Portland out shot the Birds 37-36 overall.
The Birds, in giving up six power play goals tonight continue to deteriorate on special teams. Since the break they have steadily declined in both areas. “It’s really slipped both ways, especially the PK,” said Sumner. “You can get by if your PP isn’t going great, if you elevate other aspects of your game to get by. If you’re not Pk’ing well and you’re giving up goals it’s always going to be a factor. When you’re not killing well a good team like Portland will expose you and that’s what they did tonight.”
After coming out strong in the first period and having nothing but a 1-0 deficit to show for it the Birds weren’t the same team in the last 40 minutes. “I loved the style we were playing, the level of intensity, said Sumner. “We out shot them drastically and we were down 1-0. Not getting the result that period affected us. “
The Birds have lost the the last three games by lopsided scores. Sumner was asked what the team needs to do to get out of the hole it has dug itself. “We have to pull it together. We have to get that first period we had tonight throughout three periods.”
Even thought the shots were nearly even it was the quality of those shots that made the difference. “They really executed on their chances and the chances we did get we couldn’t put it away,” said Sumner. “We’re not making the plays we need to make.”
As for the Birds power play the problem seems fairly simple. “We were perhaps over looking the obvious play looking for the perfect play at times,” said Sumner. “We have to take the play that is there.”
The Thunderbirds will take on the Spokane Chiefs Sunday at 5 pm at the ShoWare Center. The action can be heard live at MyNorthwest.com.
Game Notes:
–D Mitch Spooner and D Austin Frank were healthy scratches.
–The Thunderbirds home record drops to 7-15-1-3.
– The Birds record against Portland falls to 4-4-0-1.
-Seattle was 1 for 6 on the power play. Portland was 6 for 7.
Game Summary: (courtesy of the WHL website)
1st Period-1, Portland, Ross 21 (Rattie, Aronson), 12:34 (PP). Penalties-Boychuk Por (cross checking, roughing), 3:24; Elliot Sea (roughing), 3:24; Johansen Por (roughing), 11:23; Niederreiter Por (roughing), 11:23; Hickman Sea (roughing, roughing), 11:23; Toomey Sea (slashing), 11:23; Leipsic Por (slashing), 13:30; Elliot Sea (roughing), 13:30; Johansen Por (cross checking), 16:03; Aronson Por (interference), 18:04.
2nd Period-2, Portland, Johansen 28 (Ross, Wrenn), 1:43. 3, Portland, Johansen 29 (Rutkowski, Morrow), 3:39 (PP). 4, Seattle, Toomey 17 (Rouse, Bonsor), 4:58. 5, Portland, Boychuk 15 (Leipsic), 15:20. 6, Portland, Johansen 30 (Morrow), 15:59 (PP). Penalties-Fleming Sea (tripping), 2:37; Jacobs Sea (kneeing), 15:45; Jordan Por (checking from behind), 18:08; Elliot Sea (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 18:08.
3rd Period-7, Portland, Aronson 5 (Bartschi, Niederreiter), 1:25 (PP). 8, Portland, Morrow 7 (Rutkowski, Cunningham), 4:27 (PP). 9, Seattle, Gallimore 26 (Button, Lockhart), 6:11 (PP). 10, Portland, Peters 8 (Pouliot, Morrow), 17:29 (PP). Penalties-Hickman Sea (tripping), 0:33; Rattie Por (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 2:09; Lund Sea (tripping), 2:09; Toomey Sea (roughing), 2:47; Jordan Por (charging), 5:06; Gallimore Sea (tripping), 9:27; Hanson Por (roughing), 15:07; Hickman Sea (tripping), 17:08; Bartschi Por (high sticking), 18:32.
Shots on Goal-Portland 5-20-12-37. Seattle 17-7-13-37.
Power Play Opportunities-Portland 6 / 7; Seattle 1 / 6.
Goalies-Portland, Hamilton 8-3-0-2 (36 shots-34 saves). Seattle, Pickard 19-25-3-5 (35 shots-28 saves); Salmon 0-2-1-0 (2 shots-1 saves).
A-4,771
Referees-Nathan Wieler (18), Shane Warschaw (86).
Linesmen-Chris Carlson (92), Bevan Mills (98).
