Thunderbirds come back to bust Swift Current Broncos 5-4

Seattle nearly blew another lead but a lucky bounce tied it and Jamal Watson scored the game-winner late in the third period.

BY ANDY EIDE

Nov 18, 2015, 6:38 AM Updated: 10:25 am

Follow on Google News

Turner Ottenbreit battles for position in front of goalie Logan Flodell in Tuesday's 5-4 Seattle win. (T-Birds photo)

(T-Birds photo)

KENT – Swift Current Broncos goalie Landon Bow was giving the Thunderbirds fits for most of Tuesday’s game at the ShoWare Center.

The 20 year old gave up three early goals but would then stiffen and allow his teammates to score three unanswered to take the lead early in the third period. Everything would then change for Bow and the T-Birds on an innocent looking play.

Alexander True dumped the puck in from center ice before heading to the T-Birds bench on a change with just under seven minutes to go. The puck took a couple of bounces, fooled Bow, and somehow found the back of the net to tie the game at four. The 5,572 in the stands went nuts and the T-Birds got the momentum back.

Seattle (13-6-1-0) would complete the comeback five minutes later when Jamal Watson took a pass from Donovan Neuls to beat Bow from right in front. The T-Birds avoided blowing an early lead and instead won their fourth straight game, 5-4. Ryan Gropp chipped in a goal and two assists while defenseman Ethan Bear added a big goal in the win.

“Good job by the guys,” head coach Steve Konowalchuk said after. “Kept playing and their goalie made a bunch of big saves before we got the lucky bounce there to tie it. We just want to make life easier on us by being more detailed for 60 minutes.”

Early on it didn’t look like the T-Birds would need a full 60 minutes to win the game.

Seattle jumped on the Broncos early to build a lead. Gropp got things going when he picked up a pass from Turner Ottenbreit and split the Swift Current defense. He went in alone on Bow and beat him with a nice backhand-forehand move for his 10th goal of the season.

Those two would hook up again four minutes later. This time it was Gropp getting the puck to a pinching Ottenbreit who beat Bow through the five-hole for his first of the year.

Glenn Gawdin would then strike for Swift Current to cut the lead but Bear would score on the power play to give Seattle what felt like a commanding 3-1 lead in the first period.

The game took a turn in the second period however. Despite Seattle getting the bulk of the shots the Broncos were able to tie the game. Scott Feser struck first when he banged home a loose puck in the crease and then Gawdin struck again in the period’s last second when he poked home a rebound at the side of the net.

“We just got a little complacent there and kind of waiting for the puck to come to us instead of dictating the pace,” Gropp said of the second period. “We responded with a good third but we can’t let that happen again.”

Seattle did throw 18 shots at Bow in that period but he was at his best, making some big saves on point-blank T-Birds chances.

“Even though we were getting some chances it was more optimistic chances that our skill was able to create,” Konowalchuk said. “It wasn’t just going at them the right way and then next thing you know they’re back in the game and we’re chasing.”

Giving up a goal in the last second has the potential to be a huge momentum swing. The T-Birds were just coming off a road trip that saw them blow two 3-1 leads and were in danger of doing it again.

“It was staying positive,” Gropp said of the team’s demeanor after the second period. “You know, we got that (two-goal) lead for a reason so try to get back to that, push the pace and take it to them.”

Trying to stay positive became tougher when Jon Martin muscled the puck away from the Seattle defense and scored five minutes into the third period to give Swift Current the lead. Now trailing, the T-Birds kept pushing for the equalizer only to be denied by Bow time after time.

Then came True’s fluky goal.

It started when Watson took a big hit from former T-Bird Calvin Spencer along the boards. It was a bruising hit but Watson got the puck up to True at center ice who merely was trying to get it deep so that he and his line could get off the ice. Somehow Bow, who had been so strong all night, couldn’t stop it.

“The puck came up the wall and I passed it,” Watson said. “I took a big hit from someone there… He hit me really hard and we were going on the change and all of a sudden I heard the goal horn go off. You’ll take a plus and a point like that anytime.”

The goal ignited the crowd and the team. The Thunderbirds picked up further momentum with a late power-play chance and while they didn’t score on it, they were buzzing and turned on the pressure. Just after the power play ended Neuls dug the puck out of the corner, spun off a defender and found Watson for the game winner.

It was Watson’s second goal of the season as the 20 year old has struggled to rack up points despite playing really well in every other aspect of the game. Coming off a 26-goal season in Lethbridge last year, picking up the game winner was a big relief.

“I know I’m a streaky scorer,” Watson added. “Consistency is something I’ve got to work on finding my points. But I’m not worried about putting pucks in the back of the net. Just playing a hard two-way game and being a plus player making a difference. I’m not worried, the chances are coming.”

The win was not only the T-Birds’ fourth straight but their seventh straight on home ice where they are now a perfect 7-0. They continue to build a strong home ice advantage with loud crowds that the players feed off of. Protecting home ice is huge and will only benefit the club moving forward.

“We haven’t talked about it, we just want to win at home,” Konowalchuk said. “Whether its a streak or not a streak, we just want to win at home and be a strong team at home. Great crowd, fun crowd. I think we probably frustrated them a bit in the second period but made up for it in the third.”

Notes

• Logan Flodell made his sixth straight start for the T-Birds on Tuesday and made 26 saves while picking up his ninth win of the season.

• Seattle out shot Swift Current 44-30 in the game and it was the fifth time in its last six games where it outshot its opponent. The Broncos are only the third team to get 30 shots against the T-Birds this season.

• Both Mathew Barzal and Ethan Bear extended their point streaks to four games.

• True’s hot start continued with the lucky bounce. He has scored goals in five of his last seven games and has already surpassed his goals and point total from last season.

• Seattle will next play on Friday when it heads to Kamloops and will return to host the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday evening.

Follow Andy Eide on Twitter @andyeide.