T-birds vs Rockets game 1

[Jovorock]

What's your prediction for the series and game 1 Friday night?

[Teaps]

I'm gonna say Kelowna in 5 and a 4-1 Rockets win on Friday

[Jovorock]

Kelowna in six and game one 3-2. Look for Spurgeon to get the checking role verses Gagnon, but if it's Moisy then he will do a great job also.

Name GP G A PTS +/- PIM PPG SHG PPG PIMPG
19 Justin Keller 6 5 1 6 1 14 3 0 1.00 2.33
* 10 Lauris Darzins 6 3 3 6 4 6 1 0 1.00 1.00
27 Brett Palin 6 1 5 6 -1 14 0 0 1.00 2.33
17 Brent Howarth 6 3 2 5 5 8 0 0 0.83 1.33
9 Chris Ray 6 1 3 4 3 4 0 0 0.67 0.67
8 Tyler Mosienko 6 1 3 4 0 4 0 0 0.67 0.67
28 Kyle Cumiskey 6 0 4 4 2 2 0 0 0.67 0.33

Name GP G A PTS +/- PIM PPG SHG PPG PIMPG
21 Derek Couture 5 2 3 5 5 6 0 0 1.00 1.20
5 Kyle Fecho 5 0 5 5 5 2 0 0 1.00 0.40
7 Aaron Gagnon 5 3 1 4 6 2 0 0 0.80 0.40
* 8 Mitch Fadden 5 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0.40 0.00
* 25 Ladislav Scurko 5 2 0 2 4 6 1 0 0.40 1.20
19 Nate Thompson 5 1 1 2 -1 2 0 0 0.40 0.40
2 Clayton Barthel 5 1 1 2 4 4 0 0 0.40 0.80
4 Matthew Hansen 3 0 2 2 -1 0 0 0 0.67 0.00

Name GPI MINS GA SO Avg W L T SA SVS SV%

1 Gavin McHale 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 Bryan Bridges 5 330 9 0 1.64 4 1 0 167 158 0.946

Name GPI MINS GA SO Avg W L T SA SVS SV%

1 Kristofer Westblom 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 Derek Yeomans 6 379 16 0 2.53 4 2 0 147 131 0.891

[Teaps]

We deffinatly have the upper hand on playoff scoring, goaltending may end up being the difference in this series......

[Jovorock]

I agree Teaps about the goaltending, I have all the confidence in Derek as long as the defense does their job.. If the d-man push the shots to the outside it will be easier for Yeomans. When the Giants scored most of there goals were shots from the center or slot.

With three good checking centermen I think we can control there offense. Comeau, Bodie are going to have to drive the net and get in front of Bridges.

[Chipper]

I think it should be a good series but the Rockets should win in 5 or 6 games. I don't think the Tbirds are a match for the Rockets in a 7 game series imo. The Rockets have just come off a tough series that im sure scared them and will be out to play hard off the bat and not let them get a split in Kelowna. Goaltending will be great in this series. Good luck Kelowna.

[Beaner]

Well, looking at the season series between the 2 teams, sure looks like Seattle gave Kelowna some fits this year. 2 Shutouts for Seattle, 1 Reg. Win Kelowna, 1 OTW Kelowna.

I think this will probably be a 6 gamer, the edge in goaltending has to be Bridges. Didn't Bridges tie Guards Shutout record this year? Anyway....

I think the key to the series is the Third Line for Kelowna. Can the 3rd line continue thier dominance over their oppositions 3rd line? If so, then Kelowna has it, and if not then look out.

Seattle in 6.

[Jovorock]

Yes Bridges tied Guards shutout record with 13. The two shut outs were before Christmas, then the two Kelowna wins were in February.

Kelowna has three first lines, the Ray, Howarth and Darzins line that did all the damage against the Giants will hopefully continue. It will be tough for Seattle to battle against three lines that can score and check.

I haven't heard if T-bird defenseman Hansen is heathy yet, he only played in the first two or three games.

[kevanie97]

Seattle in 6 games, there are as deep as us and have the edge in goaltending.

[DoubleDee]

I say Kelowna in 6 games.

Tonight the score will be 2-1 in OT with Comeau scoring the OT winner.

How’s that for a prediction - lol :thumb:

[Beaner]

Any recap?

[Squig]

Seattle 2 - Kelowna 1: Brief Comments
by Claude Rusk

Some comments concerning the Seattle Thunderbirds’ 2-1 victory over the Rockets in Kelowna earlier tonight:

--- The story of the game: Brian Bridges. The game’s number one star made save after save throughout the game’s first two periods including several highlight reel stops cutting across the goalmouth to make the save with his goal pads. Bridges stopped 37 of 38 shots on the night and received a warm ovation from the Kelowna fans. In most other circumstances the score would have been 5-2 or 6-2 in favor of the Rockets, but for the first time in his Thunderbird career Bridges stole a key game for Seattle that they deservedly should have lost.

--- Kelowna absolutely dominated the game through the first 40 minutes. The key for the Rockets: an intense, ferocious work ethic that saw them out-hustling the T-Birds in all three zones. Any time there was a battle for a loose puck along the boards, chances are the Rockets would come away with it. The Thunderbirds often had trouble clearing the puck out of their own zone, and even when they made it to the neutral zone the Rockets would typically force a turnover and start the counterattack before the T-Birds could even get into the attacking zone.

--- Seattle opened the scoring midway into the first period on the power play when Metcalfe blasted a low shot from the point that somehow made it through traffic and into the back of the net. A weak goal that goaltender Yeomans arguable should have found a way to stop. The Rockets dominated the rest of the first period but couldn’t get one by Bridges. Kelowna skated to the locker room with a 17-7 advantage on the shot clock but a 1-0 deficit on the scoreboard.

--- The Rockets tied the game early in the second period when Ray was left open in the low slot and snapped a good shot past Bridges. The play started when Grossman got badly out-skated then out-played for a loose puck in the Seattle corner. Poor decision by Sumner to put Grossman on the ice with the T-Bird fourth line.

--- Seattle got the game-winning goal 14 minutes into the second period when Farmanara whacked home a rebound on the power play off a shot from the point by Barthell. The play was initiated by a good face-off win by Linsley, one of the few times the T-Birds cleanly won a face-off all night. The fact that Seattle’s fourth line was even on the ice for the power play was telling. Sumner was clearly frustrated at how badly his top three lines were being out-played by the Rockets.

--- The shot margin narrowed to 12-8 in favor of Kelowna in the second period, but the balance of the territorial play and the lopsided ratio of scoring chances was just as bad in the second period as it had been in the first.

--- After totally dominating the game for 40 minutes, the Rockets seemed to come out flat for the third period. The T-Birds were more effective at bottling the play up in the neutral zone and neither team could generate much offense. After withstanding the Kelowna onslaught for 40 minutes, Seattle settled down and played more of the type of game that has made the T-Birds effective all season.

--- Referee Pat Smith, one of the league’s worst officials, had a stinker of a game, needlessly whistling several penalties on both teams in what was for the most part a fairly tame and non-physical game. A second period roughing infraction on Weber, in which Denis “Loose Lid” Tolpeko lost his helmet (surprise, surprise), was an especially weak call. Fortunately Smith had the common sense to put his whistle in his pocket in the third period after awarding each team 5 power plays through the first 40 minutes.

--- The T-Birds were 2 for 5 on their power plays but generated just 6 shots and very few scoring chances, often not even being able to establish possession in the attacking zone. Ironically, the Rockets power play looked ferocious at times with good puck movement and several excellent chances, but ultimately Kelowna went 0 for 5 with 12 shots on their opportunities with the extra attacker. Gibbons should take lessons from Bodie and learn to park his big frame directly on top of the opposing goaltender.

--- Shea Weber, The Western Conference’s best defenseman (sorry, Portland fans), returned from a one-month absence after suffering a knee injury in early March. Weber was clearly rusty and not yet back at full strength. He never once played on the penalty kill, but was out there to quarterback every Rocket power play. He and Couture played as a tandem even strength but saw far less ice time than Deschamps-Cuminskey or Palin-Card.

--- Seattle again played without injured defenseman Hansen (concussion) and Stamler (hamstring). The Thunderbirds are again playing almost exclusive with four defensemen: FitzGerald-Fecho and Jackson-Barthel. Metcalfe again played the point on the power play as did Durand for the first time in the playoffs. Grossman saw 2 or 3 quick shifts per period, but despite what the Seattle radio crew might have told you during the Seattle-TCA series, the 16 year-old rookie has no business even being suited for a WHL playoff game.

--- Stars of the game announced in the building were Bridges, Mosienko and Ray, excellent choices all.

--- Kelowna Lines:
Darzins-Ray-Howarth
Keller-Spurgeon-Bodie
Blaner-Mosienko-Comeau
Ofukany-Bauer-Sylvester

The fourth line played just a couple shifts per period. Truitt basically kept his lines intact throughout the night. The two power play units where the Spurgeon line and the Mosienko line with Darzins playing in place of Blanar.

--- Seattle lines:
Metcalfe-Thompson-Holloway
Scurko-Gibbons-Couture
Gibbons-Durand-Tolpeko
Farmanara-Fadden-Linsley(McEwan)

The fourth line got a surprising amount of ice time for the Thunderbirds, playing more and more as the game wore on. My jaw nearly dropped to my lap with five minutes to go in the game when Sumner had McEwan and Grossman on the ice at the same time.

--- The Thunderbirds generally win more of the face-offs then their opposition, but not tonight. Mosienko was dominant on the draws, and Spurgeon and Ray also won more than they lost regardless of whether they were opposing Thompson, Gagnon or Durand. The irony is that Seattle’s game-winning goal resulted largely because the T-Birds won one of their few face-offs in the attacking zone all night.

--- Despite the victory for Seattle, as a T-Bird fan I was extremely disappointment with the way tonight’s game went. I hadn’t seen a Seattle team get outworked this badly since the last time the Thunderbirds were in Kelowna for the playoffs two years ago. Unless the Thunderbirds pick up their intensity and match the fire and competitiveness the Rockets are showing, this series could still easily be a 5-game series win for Kelowna.

--- The only bright spot for Seattle other than Bridges was the play of Gagnon, Thompson, Farmanara and the four defensemen, especially FitzGerald with good physical play and Jackson with his typical intelligent play. Metcalfe (despite his goal) and Durand continued to be non-factors as they were in the Tri Cities series. Add Tolpeko, Skurko and Couture to the MIA list for Seattle tonight.

--- Who played well for Kelowna? Just about all the forwards on the first three lines, except maybe Comeau who was largely invisible. Mosienko & Ray in particular put on an incredible display of heart and hard work.

--- Were there ANY Seattle fans here despite those directly affiliated with the T-Birds (i.e. parents & staff)??? If so, I didn’t see them. Jack, King, E&Q, Stude Dude, etc., where ARE you guys??

[Jovorock]

Claude always does a great recap, I agree with him on everything except saying Weber was really rusty. I thought he played pretty good and didn't show much or very little rust. He only played about 15 minutes and probly will get more ice time tonite.