Three games, three straight overtime battles, three points earned. Certainly the Thunderbirds would prefer to have gained all six points but they are showing that over the last week of hockey, that their compete level is improving. The good news, along with earning three crucial points, is that Seattle wasn't hanging on at the end for those points. In all three instances they spent a good portion of the game driving the play. It's not necessarily that they were in control, but more that they were creating as many, if not more, scoring chances then the opposition. Finishing continues to be an area that needs to improve, but getting themselves in a position to have a chance to score is the first step.
There are also key points in games where the young T-birds lapse a bit. Good thing they have Roddy Ross between the pipes. But that is why you want a top tier goalie. He is there to keep the team in games at such moments. Seattle doesn't earn those three points if not for his work in net. Over those three games, some 257 minutes, he faced 107 shots and surrendered just six goals. Two of them were 3-on-3 overtime goals and two were of the power play variety. Only two were scored 5-on-5. In fact he had a stretch of well over 100 minutes where he did not allow a goal in regulation.
This also shows Seattle's improvement in the defensive zone. It's an improvement that coincides with the return of defenseman Ty Bauer to the lineup after a three and a half game absence. With Bauer in the lineup to start the season the T-birds surrendered just five goals over the first two-plus games, with one of those scored into an empty net. Bauer, a 17 year old second year player, was hurt at some point in the late stages of the first period October 2nd up in Kamloops. He didn't return for the second or third periods. At the point he left, the game was tied, 1-1. The Blazers would go on to win that game 8-1.
Over the three subsequent games, with Bauer watching from the stands, the T-birds allowed 16 more goals against. So, in total, with Bauer out of the lineup the opposition scored 23 times. In the three games since his return Seattle has surrendered just six and two of those were in 3-on-3 overtime. With Bauer healthy for five full games and one period of another the Thunderbirds have given up a grand total of 11 goals this season. A 12th "goal" is credited to Tri-City for the shootout win. Meanwhile, two of those goals were scored in OT and one was into an empty net. Just five have been scored 5-on-5 with Bauer in the lineup.
I'm not saying Bauer is solely responsible for keeping the goals against down. It's still a team game. Your goalie is a big chunk of that and it takes all six players on the ice to prevent a goal against. Seattle is also missing other key players like Tyler Carpendale and Cade McNelly. But it most assuredly demonstrates, one, Bauer's value to the team and, two, injuries affect your team's performance. They are not an excuse, or an alibi for losing but one of your better players out on game night does have repercussions up and down the roster.
Seattle began the season with eight rookies on the roster, they have also added four new, more experienced players (Conner Bruggen-Cate, Alex Morozoff, Hunter Donohoe and Ryan Gottfried) to the roster, with three of them coming in just as, or right after, the season began. Of those four, only Bruggen-Cate had the benefit of the August training camp with the T-birds. Suffice it to say, developing chemistry was going to take some time for this team. I think we are starting to see it. It's not fully there yet. There are still visible moments where miscommunication is causing on-ice issues, mainly turnovers, but they are slowly improving in that area.
For me, the biggest (no pun intended) surprise of the early season continues to be the play of 6'6" rookie defenseman Luke Bateman. The Kamloops native earned his first WHL point with an assist Friday in the OT loss to Brandon. I think he is eager to take his game to the next level and absorbs everything the coaches give him. He does his best to keep the game simple, keep everything in front of him and use his size to his advantage in the D-zone, especially with his long reach ability. Again, the old adage is you can't teach size. Meanwhile his confidence is growing to the point I noticed him jump up and join the rush a few times Saturday in Kennewick. I like his trajectory. He's still raw enough that there is tremendous room for growth but he is already solid enough to be an every game top six defenseman.
Over the past two games, two players who have been snake bitten over the first part of the season have combined to pot four goals. That's two each for Matthew Wedman and Conner Bruggen-Cate. Henrik Rybinski should be next up. He is getting oh-so-close that you get a feeling the dam is about to break. He had numerous chances against Tri-City Saturday night and did get a well earned assist on the tying goal in the third period.
How well have the T-birds drafted over the past couple of years? Well they have two defenseman rated by Central Scouting for next springs NHL Draft, a league high seven prospects chosen to play in the WHL Cup (U-16 tournament) and a league high three players selected for the U-17 tournament. It doesn't mean all of those players will pan out but it is a testament to the good work of Player Personnel Director Cal Filson, Head Scout Mark Romas and the rest of their scouting staff.
My T-birds Three Stars for the Weekend:
Third Star: D Ty Bauer. Welcome back to the lineup! His first game back last weekend against Everett and Seattle went from a game the night before in which they had allowed eight goals against to nearly pitching a shutout before losing 1-0 in overtime. He also didn't shy away from contact upon his return, delivering some big hits. He's a bit like a battlefield commander on the back end, directing traffic. With McNelly still out and Seattle rotating their sixth and seventh defenseman, he isn't always on the ice with the same D-partner but it doesn't seem to matter. He's the alpha male in that group.
Second Star: LW Conner Bruggen-Cate. The 20 year old Langley native finally got on the scoreboard with a pair of goals in the extra time loss to the Americans. I guess that was one for Bruggen and one for Cate. Having gone the first eight games without a goal certainly wasn't for a lack of trying. He's third on the team, behind Wedman and Andrej Kukuca, in shots on goal with 25. Despite not scoring he's made his presence felt, playing a physical game.
First Star: G Roddy Ross. Ross didn't earn a win in either game, instead taking the OTL each night, but Seattle doesn't earn two points this weekend without him between the pipes stopping 77 of 82 shots. As a result the Philadelphia Flyers prospect has brought his GAA average back down to 3.26 (2.35 on the weekend) and his save percentage back up to .910, including .944 in his last two games.
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