Thunderbirds bounce back to beat Kamloops Blazers 3-1

KENT – The Seattle Thunderbirds had to work hard Saturday night to bounce back from an ugly loss the night before.

Seattle grinded out a tough 3-1 win against the Kamloops Blazers in front of 5,073 fans at the ShoWare Center. The T-Birds got the go-ahead goal from defenseman Jared Hauf late in the game and relied on 39 saves from Taran Kozun to seal the win.

The Blazers, who had won three out of their last four games, are desperate for points as they’re trying to claw into the playoffs. They also have had their way with Seattle, winning all three previous games against the T-Birds this season.

As for Seattle, it was looking to get back to form after Friday’s debacle against Portland and finally get one against the Blazers.

“Its huge to get a win against them,” Kozun said about his former team. “They’ve been playing us really tough this year. Its nice to break them down and get that win. It’s always nice to beat your former club.”

Kozun was at his best in the second period.

It was a period that Seattle (33-24-4-5) took a lead in but then got on its heels as the Blazers took control. The T-Birds turned the puck over too much and were hemmed in for most of the period while being outshot 22-8.

“I was pretty upset in the second period,” head coach Steve Konowalchuk said. “After we scored the goal we thought it would be easy … They keep coming and we let up. Started turning the puck over. Just not working, short cuts. When you start taking short cuts you’ll spend a lot of time in your end.”

Seattle spent most of the period in its own end, and if not for Kozun could have been blown out. It was a nice bounce-back game for Kozun, who was pulled Friday night against Portland after giving up four goals.

“It’s always nice getting another start after getting pulled there,” Kozun said. “It’s good to refresh and play a solid game and get the confidence back up.”

Kamloops (25-34-4-3) did manage to get one of their 22 shots in the second period past Kozun to tie the game. It started with a Seattle turnover in the neutral zone that gave Kamlooops the puck. From there Cole Ully got the puck to Matt Revel, who snapped a pass to Matt Needham at the side of the net for an easy score.

When the second period horn sounded, Seattle felt fortunate to still be tied.

“That’s going to happen, they’re going to get momentum,” Hauf said about the between period message. “You’ve just got to keep calm. The tides will change, we’ll get that momentum.”

The T-Birds got that momentum in the third. They got back to playing simple hockey by being careful with the puck and kept pushing Kamloops. They did not allow any good scoring chances for the Blazers in the third and kept working to create some of their own.

It took a while, but the T-Birds finally put it away late in the third period.

With the score still tied 1-1 and an unpredictable overtime looming, Hauf got the puck at the point with good traffic in front of the Blazers’ net. He took a shot that found its way through several bodies and past goalie Connor Ingram. It was Hauf’s third goal of the year and his second game-winner.

“A lot of their guys went to (Evan Wardley’s) side and I was just screaming for it,” Hauf said of the play. “He gave it over and I just took a shot and I think it hit something. Other players or (Mathew) Barzal, I’m not sure, but it found its way to the back of the net.”

Hauf was also key for his play on defense. The T-Birds held Kamloops to one goal and for most of the game didn’t allow many chances. Along with the defensemen, the T-Birds got a great effort from the Nolan Volcan, Scott Eansor and Donovan Neuls line.

Those three were on the ice nearly every time that Kamloops’ top line of Needham, Ully and Revel were out. They made life tough for the three Blazers, who have combined to score 70 goals this year.

“I thought Neuls, Volcan, Eansor did a nice job on that Ully line,” Konowalchuk said. “That’s a really good hockey line. I think the goal they scored was one of the few times they weren’t out against them.”

The Eansor line was not on the ice for the Blazers’ lone goal and kept that line from being dangerous the rest of the game.

After a scoreless first period the T-Birds got on the board first early in the second period. Parked in front of the net, Cory Millette deflected an Ethan Bear point shot past Ingram for his 20th of the season. Nick Holowko would also add an insurance goal late in the third with an empty net tally for his fifth goal of the season.

Seattle kept pace in the U.S. Division, but with only six games left on the schedule it still trails Portland by eight points for second place. The T-Birds have clinched a playoff spot and while they probably won’t catch the Winterhawks, the win on Saturday was a nice bounce back from a poor performance on Friday night. The T-Birds have shown that they can rebound from games like that and Saturday was just the latest example.

“Good leadership,” Konowalchuk said of his team’s resiliency. “The pride in the locker room, it’s good to see that they wanted to come and make up for last night. Show they’re better hockey players than that. The leaders got themselves ready, got everybody else ready.”

After a busy week of hockey the T-Birds will get a few days off to rest up. They won’t play again until Friday when they open a home-and-home series with the Everett Silvertips. Shea Theodore says the team is looking forward to the days off from playing games.

“Lots of rest, rest the legs up,” he said. “I know we have four in five to finish the year so this week is going to be huge for us going down the stretch.”

Notes

• Millette continues to be a steal for the T-Birds. His goal on Saturday was the 13th he’s picked up since joining Seattle at the trade deadline. With his goal in Victoria on Tuesday he also has the unique distinction of having scored a goal against every team in the WHL.

• Seattle continues to play without Keegan Kolesar, who suffered a hand injury last week in Victoria. It looks like the big winger will be out for a while and the T-Birds will miss his physical presence.

• The T-Birds did not get a power-play chance on Saturday. That is the first time this year that they have not as no penalties were called on Kamloops. The Blazers were 0 for 2 on the power play themselves.

• Barzal picked up two more assists Saturday night and the last one showed some class from the young center. With the Kamloops net empty he weaved through Blazers’ defenders and had the empty net to shoot at. Instead he fed it over to Holowko for the easy score.

Follow Andrew Eide on Twitter @andyeide.

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