T-Birds play sloppy in 5-4 loss to Vancouver

If the Thunderbirds have designs on catching the two teams ahead of them in the U.S. Division standings, they are going to have to play better than they did Monday afternoon in Vancouver.

The T-Birds played a matinee and were in a generous mood as they turned the puck over and allowed the Giants (22-29-1-2) to beat them 5-4 at the Pacific Coliseum. Vancouver’s Tyler Bensen got the game-winning goal late in the third after sneaking behind the T-Birds’ defense on a breakaway.

It was one of the T-Birds’ worst defensive performances of the season and the loss snapped Seattle’s four-game winning streak.

“We were sloppy all night,” head coach Steve Konowalchuk said. “Big mistakes. Some of it, I think mentally, were bad decisions and some of it was stubbornness. We had some guys who, for whatever reason, wanted to get back on their own page instead of sticking with the game plan.”

Trailing 2-1 heading into the third period, Seattle (27-20-3-3) would tie it up early only to give the lead right back. The T-Birds would then tie it up twice more but again each time gave up a bad goal in return. The two teams combined for six goals in what was a crazy third period and the T-Birds are left feeling like they dropped a game they should have won.

“It is a little surprising,” Konowalchuk said of the effort. “We were going well and I understand at the start of the game if you’re not quite ready but it kept happening and happening again, then it gets frustrating.”

Rookie goalie Logan Flodell was making his third start of the season and has the right to feel the most frustrated. He made 29 saves and if not for his play, the score could have been much worse. He kept the T-Birds alive in a first period that saw them out-shot 16-5 and then had his defense let him down the rest of the afternoon.

“We left him hung out to dry in the third, no doubt about it,” Konowalchuk said. “He had a really good first period to give us a chance to make a game of it. In the third period we give them a break away and two point-blank shots in front of the net.”

The T-Birds played sloppy all night, but the game was lost in the third period. Seattle tied the game 40 seconds into the final frame on a strange power-play goal by Jerret Smith. His slap shot from the point hit the inside of the net but rebounded out so fast that the on-ice officials thought it had banged off the crossbar. Play continued for several seconds before the horn sounded so the video replay judge could review the shot. It was ruled a good goal and the T-Birds seemed to have some momentum.

Five minutes later they would fall behind again when Jesse Roach scored his sixth goal of the season for Vancouver. Roach was given too much room and fired his shot from the faceoff circle with ease.

The T-Birds would tie again a couple of minutes later when Cory Millette put back a rebound on the power play. It was Millette’s 15th of the season and seventh since joining the T-Birds 13 games ago. Again the T-Birds could have built some momentum but a costly turnover would allow the Giants to take the lead right back.

Zane Jones picked the puck clean from a T-Birds defender in front of Seattle’s net. He was able to beat a helpless Flodell to make it 4-3 for Vancouver. Ryan Gropp would pot his 22nd goal of the year 2 minutes after that to bring the game even again.

As overtime was beginning to loom, the two teams were playing four-on-four when a turnover deep in the Vancouver end was picked up by Carter Popoff, who found Benson behind the defense. In alone on Flodell, Benson was able to get the puck past him in the top corner for his 13th goal of the year.

Seattle would pull Flodell for the extra attacker and get a couple of good chances at getting the equalizer but Vancouver goalie Cody Porter made some big saves to keep Seattle at bay.

The T-Birds missed an opportunity to pick up points on idle Portland and Everett on Monday. They have to get themselves right quickly now as they return home for a big game with the Kelowna Rockets Tuesday night in Kent. With the top team on the schedule the next night, were some players not focused enough on Vancouver?

“I don’t think anybody was looking ahead to tomorrow,” Konowalchuk said. “(Vancouver) was more ready to play at the start and we found a way to get back into the game but we kept making mental mistakes.”

After a scoreless first period, the T-Birds actually found a way to score first as Lane Pederson beat Porter for his seventh of the year. That didn’t stand, though, as Vancouver would strike twice in the period’s final 5 minutes on goals by Jackson Houck and Jakob Stukel. Both of those goals came off of Seattle turnovers and set the tone for the afternoon.

“We’ve got to get back on the same page and get that going again,” Konowalchuk said about moving forward.

Notes

• There were some positives in this game for the T-Birds. Their power play scored twice and they killed off all four Vancouver power-play chances.

• Shea Theodore had three assists in the game, which tied him with Thomas Hickey for second all-time in defenseman assists for Seattle. Theodore already holds the franchise marks for goals and points scored by a defenseman.

• Seattle scored first on Monday and that had been a sign of success recently. In the T-Birds’ previous 10 wins, they scored first in each. The last time they scored first and lost was Jan. 11 against Tri-City, a game Seattle lost in the shootout.

• Roberts Lipsbergs had an assist on Monday and now has seven points in his last three games.

• The Kelowna Rockets come to town on Tuesday winners of eight out of their last nine contests. Seattle was the last team to beat the Rockets in regulation, back on Jan. 16, and Kelowna will surely want to avenge that loss.

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