You may not think so, but we've been through this before. Not only have we watched a previously young Thunderbirds team go through growing pains, it was fairly recently. Yes, it is frustrating to watch a team play so well for half a game then see the good habits slip away and the game implode on them. But it's not an outlier.
We remember the good times of those two runs to the WHL Championship Series in 2016 and 2017, but do you remember some of the stumbles with those players along the way? Or have we forgotten that game back early in the 2013-14 season when the T-birds surrendered 10 goals? You know who was in the lineup for Seattle that night? Future NHL first round picks Shea Theodore and Mat Barzal, not to mention a couple of guys named Eansor and Kolesar. There was a similar result that season just a month later, another ten goals allowed. Same young players in the lineup that night too, plus a newcomer, another future NHL draft pick named Ryan Gropp. What? it happened again a few months later? Yes, another 10 goal game the second half that season. Did you think the young prospects in the lineup on those occasions couldn't develop into future champions because they played on nights the team surrendered ten goals against? 2017 would beg to differ.
There were other games that season when the opposition scored eight and seven goals and Seattle struggled to get just one. But the organization kept throwing those young players out there night after night in order to hasten their development. And in the midst of losing some lopsided games against some older teams those young players picked up a few wins along the way and some valuable experience against those very teams that were administering those 10 goal beatdowns. They earned a playoff spot and made it into the second round before bowing out. Losing those ten goal games didn't damage the development of those players. Many now have the pro contracts and WHL championship rings to prove it.
Did you know that every WHL champion between 2014 and 2018 has missed the playoff at least once since their Cup winning season? That is, except one team. Can you guess that team? Here's a hint, it rhymes with Shmunderbirds. And they have no plans on joining that group that includes Edmonton, Kelowna, Brandon and Swift Current. Each of those teams was on the outside of the postseason at some point within a year or two after their Cup winning run. As GM Bil LaForge said last season at the trade deadline, he doesn't have a white flag of surrender. As Seattle showed this weekend, they may stumble, but they're going to get right back up and throw themselves at the wolves again.
Let's look back on this past weekend from a glass half full perspective. Approximately 122 minutes of hockey over two nights and Seattle actually played fairly well over probably 100-105 of those minutes. They had a strong start against Kelowna at home Friday night, building a 2-0 lead through the midway point of the second period. They were physical, sharp on the power play and had two good penalty kills. It was after the Rockets scored a power play goal that the T-birds got a little sideways. It led to Kelowna scoring four goals in four minutes and grabbing a 4-2 lead by the end of period two.
The T-birds came out in the third and pushed back. They seemed to have the game tied up before the period was half over. They were full of emotion on that fourth goal. Then the play went to video review and the goal was disallowed. The replay official ruled Seattle had impeded the goalie's opportunity to make the save. Watch the replay, it was a bang-bang play and the goalie had no chance, whether there was a Seattle player in the area or not. I've seen enough NHL video review of similar goals to believe that goal should have been allowed to stand. But that's the way it was ruled, time to move on. The T-birds needed to be ready when the game resumed. They needed to put aside their disappointment. they still had momentum on their side. Instead they got back on their heels and once again, the Rockets scored quickly, potting four goals in four minutes. Seattle played well for about 45 minutes but it was the 15 where they struggled that stood out.
How would the T-birds respond less then 24 hours later, on the road in a hostile environment, against a division rival? If not for the final score in Everett, you'd give them high grades. They blocked out the distraction of a sold out building. They dictated the tempo and flow of the game most of the night. When they did have some moments where it looked like they might get back on their heels, especially at the start of the second period, their goalie stood tall. They kept funneling pucks to the net. They had active sticks and a strong forecheck. If you want to quibble, maybe more traffic and more "fight" for those rebounds was needed, but they were up against one of the better goalies in the league. They looked more like the team we saw most of the second half last season then at any other point in the early going this year.
They essentially followed up a game in which they surrendered eight goals by pitching a shutout until it got to the 3-on-3 overtime, where crazy and strange things can and usually do happen. For the vast majority of the game Saturday, Seattle was the better team. No one is settling for moral victories but they now have a blueprint for how they must compete for sixty minutes. They will still absorb a few lumps along the way, but they now know what they can do, if they play the T-bird way.
You can't teach size. If Luke Bateman were 5'9" maybe he's not even on the roster. But he stands 6'6" tall. Probably 6'9" in skates. That size makes him a valuable asset. The rookie 17 year d-man from Kamloops isn't going to "wow" you but there are lots of tall players who never learn to use their size and reach to impact games. Bateman knows to use his biggest asset to his advantage. I'm guessing if you asked, the T-birds staff would say he's eager and willing to learn, a very "coachable" player. He's visibly improving from game to game. When Seattle gets healthy and Cade McNelly is back, it's going to be hard to keep Bateman out of the lineup. I'm not making any predictions. I'd be the last person to ask for a player evaluation. I'm sure he'll need to continue to improve his skating, and get stronger in other areas of his game. He'll need to take advantage of the ice time he gets so that he is a better player at the end of the season then he is at the beginning, but over the years it seem NHL scouts love to take late round fliers on tall defensemen. Maybe not this spring, maybe not the next, but who knows.
My Three Stars for the weekend:
Third Star: C Matthew Wedman. The captain got his first goal of the season Friday and, with an assist to boot, got his first multiple point game as well. I believe he was the driving force Saturday in Everett. He was leading by example. He was involved in the majority of Seattle's scoring chances. He was physical and a net front presence.
Second Star: D Ty Bauer. Out of the lineup with injury Friday night his return Saturday made a world of difference. He was a solid force in the defensive zone. he used power, size and smarts to keep Everett to the perimeter. He skated with purpose bringing the puck up ice. He directed the action like a traffic cop. When you say talking about injuries is an excuse, remember that with Bauer sidelined Seattle surrendered 23 goals. In his return, they gave up just one 3-0n-3 OT goal and he wasn't on the ice for it.
First Star: C Payton Mount. No points in the two games for the second year center but he's taken a big step forward from his rookie season. You notice him at both ends of the ice. Another player who uses his hockey sense. He's played some center and on the wing. He's improved his faceoff success. He was not on the preliminary Central Scouting Service "Players to Watch" list for the 2020 NHL Draft, but if he continues to play strongly as he's done to start this season, that could change for the 2017 first round bantam pick.
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