With winning streak snapped, Thunderbirds turn attention to showdown with Brandon

Seattle’s six-game win streak ended with a whimper on Saturday night as the T-Birds were shut out 2-0 by the Everett Silvertips. Their previous two contests, even though they both ended in victory, were not their most complete performances, highlighted by a lack of discipline that led to 10 opposing power plays.

Regardless, Seattle has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the West. The T-Birds’ .750 winning percentage through 10 games is the highest in the Western Conference. They’re fifth in the entire WHL on the power play and third on the penalty kill. Seattle is healthy (for now) and has a roster capable of running four lines consistently.

Tomorrow night, the T-Birds will face their biggest test of the season so far as they host the Brandon Wheat Kings, a team that most picked as the best in the Canadian Hockey League. Last season they were swept by the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL final, but with a more experienced roster this year, expectations are even higher.

The Wheat Kings currently have the WHL’s highest winning percentage at .818 and have more than doubled the scoring of their opponents. They’ve won two of their first three games on their U.S. Division trip, beating Spokane and Tri-City in close games before falling to Portland 5-0.

Both teams possess deep and highly talented rosters. Seattle is led by five NHL draft picks, including a top line featuring Mathew Barzal, Ryan Gropp and Keegan Kolesar. On the Brandon side, they have an impressive mixture of veterans and talented younger players, including center Nolan Patrick and defenseman Kale Clague, who should both be picked early in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Tuesday’s showdown will be the matchup of each team’s first line. While it is unlikely that they’ll spend much time going head to head, these may be the two best lines in the entire Western Hockey League.

Even with center Tim McGauley, who finished third in WHL scoring last year, out with an injury, the Wheat Kings’ top line remains one of the best. Jayce Hawryluk’s 19 points in 11 games are tops on the team, and he’s joined by 20-year-old import Rihards Bukarts (seven points in eight games) and Reid Duke (13 in 10).

On the Seattle side, both Kolesar and Barzal average over a point per game, while Gropp (four points in seven games) has struggled a bit to find his stride early, but is capable of much more than what we’ve seen so far this season.

The talent doesn’t end there for either team. The Wheat Kings are one of few teams who can match – and potentially surpass – Seattle’s depth, with names like Stelio Mattheos, John Quenneville, Macoy Erkamps, Ivan Provorov, Clague, Patrick and a number of others filling out their roster.

The T-Birds’ defensive talent – both on the blue line and amongst the forward ranks – has kept them in every game. As usual, Scott Eansor, Jamal Watson and Nolan Volcan will match up with Brandon’s top line. In a game that should be close, Seattle’s home-ice advantage and ability to choose its matchups will be critical. On the back end, experienced veterans Jerret Smith and Jared Hauf will face their toughest test of the year. Behind them, Ethan Bear, Turner Ottenbreit, and two of Jarret Tyszka, Sahvan Khaira and Brandon Schuldhaus will need to be up for the enormous challenge.

In net, Jordan Papirny is top dog in Brandon but he has struggled on their U.S. Division trip. He was pulled during the game in Portland and had a save percentage below .900 in his starts in Spokane and Tri-City. His backup, 18-year-old rookie Logan Thompson, is no slouch with a 1.88 goals-against average and .925 save percentage on the season.

Logan Flodell received the start on Saturday against Everett and played well despite losing. Taz Burman was impressive on Friday night playing in his hometown of Vancouver, where he helped the T-Birds to a 3-1 win. Flodell’s numbers are better so far, but either is capable of leading this team to victory and who will receive the start is still up in the air.

While it stands as just one contest early in a 72-game season, Tuesday night’s matchup with Brandon will give the T-Birds a better idea of where they stand among the WHL’s elite. You can bet that both teams will play with some extra jump in their step as they look to establish themselves as tops in their conference.

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