T-Birds bounce back and drop Victoria 5-3

The T-Birds up goals from five different players and Keegan Kolesar added three assists as they beat the Victoria Royals 5-3 at Xfinity Arena in Everett on Saturday.

BY ANDY EIDE

Sep 5, 2015, 6:19 PM Updated: Sep 7, 2015, 10:15 am

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EVERETT – The Thunderbirds continued their exhibition season Saturday night and took a big step forward with a convincing victory.

After losing Friday in a game that they were less than sharp in, the T-Birds found their game and beat the Victoria Royals 5-3 at Xfinity Arena in Everett. Seattle picked up goals from five different players and Keegan Kolesar added three assists for the team’s first win in the preseason.

Seattle came out of the gates hitting on Saturday, seemingly finishing every check and got the Royals on their heels early.

“You don’t really want to treat it as an exhibition game,” head coach Steve Konowalchuk said of the game. “You want to finish your checks and play hard and play the right way, you want to win every game you’re in.”

With the physical edge the T-Birds had the edge in play as well. They out shot Victoria 16-8 in the first period and got on the board first when Nolan Volcan fired a cross-ice pass to Jamal Watson who tapped it past Royals goalie Evan Smith.

Saturday was the first game action for the Watson-Scott Eansor-Volcan line and they picked up where they left on in camp. They were fast, created chances and controlled the puck while they were on the ice.

That line continues to look like it will be a strong one moving forward.

“I really hoped, when we acquired Watson, that (he and Eansor) could build some chemistry and it looks like they really are,” Konowalchuk said. “Volcan is a guy who seems like he can fit in there, his game is up another level so it’s nice and it should be a line we can count on to play the right way and do some good things.”

Seattle’s young defensive group had another strong day on Saturday. Sahvan Khaira scored a goal – to go with an assist – as did rookie Brandon Schuldhaus. 16-year-old rookie Jarret Tyszka added two helpers and the three combined for a plus-5 rating on the day.

Khaira continues to show improvement from last season. He scored Seattle’s second goal of the day when he flung a puck through traffic that Smith didn’t see. He’s come into camp this year in better shape and seemingly with more confidence.

“Its a tough league,” Khaira said. “You’ve got to be consistent for sure, the more reliable you are the more chances you’ll get to show what you’ve got.”

Schuldhaus scored his first goal in a Seattle uniform in the second period when Kolesar found him streaking in from the point. The 17-year-old has been solid all camp and should earn a good amount of playing time this year.

Seattle’s first round pick in 2014, Tyszka, has been solid in his own end and his two assists Saturday are a glimpse of his offensive acumen. The rookie says he hasn’t set any specific goal points for the year as he prepares for his first in the WHL.

“I don’t really worry about points,” the rookie said. “Just make sure I fit in well and play my part on the team.”

For the second straight game, Kolesar was on a line with Alexander True and Gustav Olhaver. It’s a big line and the three had a strong game on Saturday. Olhaver scored in the third period to build a 3-1 lead for the T-Birds when he was parked in front of the net and knocked home a rebound.

“He’s got to get in front of the net,” Konowalchuk said of the big Swedish import. “He’s got the big long reach. If he’s there, he’s going to reach a lot of pucks.”

Kolesar missed all of training camp due to injury but seemed to get his legs under him Saturday. He played physical and set up three Seattle goals. Konowalchuk said he liked Kolesar with True and Olhaver but was quick to point out that there was still a lot of camp left before making any line combinations final.

The Royals answered Olhaver’s goal with a score by Matthew Phillips to cut the lead to 4-2 but Ethan Bear built the T-Birds lead back up as he blasted a slap shot from the point while on the power play. Victoria would add a late goal from Regan Nagy but that’s as close as they would get.

Seattle will be back on the Xfinity Arena ice Sunday afternoon at 3 PM against the Spokane Chiefs.

Notes

• Ryan Gilchrist got the start in net for the T-Birds Saturday and played well. Konowalchuk thought the 17-year-old looked nervous in warm ups but felt that he settled down nicely once the game started. He made 27 saves to pick up the win.

• Ryan Gropp was a scratch again on Saturday. He sat out the training camp scrimmages with a minor injury and Konowalchuk wasn’t sure if he would play Sunday or not

• Other scratches for the T-Birds on Saturday included Mathew Barzal, Jerret Smith, and Jared Hauf.

• Logan Flodell is expected to see his first action of the exhibition season on Sunday.

Follow Andy Eide on Twitter @andyeide.