A weekend split isn't the worst thing that can happen. The Thunderbirds won on home ice and lost a one goal game on the road. But I was once told by someone who did more winning then losing that good players, good teams, will stew over the loss more then they'll celebrate that win. That's because they demand the best of themselves.
The T-birds fall into that category. They'll demand the best they have and not be happy when they don't give it their all. I think coaches can understand if you left it all on the ice and come up short. Sometimes the puck doesn't bounce your way. Where they take issue is when you don't give one hundred percent and lose a winnable game.
We saw in the first period in the Friday win over Portland, what the best this team has can look like. That was the best twenty minutes of hockey we've seen from this team this year. And that is saying quite a bit because this team has played some good hockey so far. You don't win eight in a row without bringing it every night. Everything was working for them in that period because they were putting in the work to make it so.
Now, the key is to find that level of play on a more consistent basis. It disappeared in the second period of that game and came back late in the third to preserve the win. It was no where to be found, Saturday in Everett in the 3-2 loss. And I think Head Coach Matt O'Dette summed up the reason for that in his postgame comments. To play at that level every game, you need every player on board. Some nights, for some reason, a few player are missing from the engine room. That's Junior hockey. Seattle still has a young team and some of those young guys are still learning that one of the most important keys to success in the WHL is consistency.
The strangest thing that jumped out to me going into the Saturday game in Everett was, here were two teams with a combined 20-2-1-1 record, yet statistically both sat in the bottom half of the league in power play success. Normally teams with the best records, build up those wins with an efficient power play. I can't speak for the Silvertips power play struggles because I just haven't seen it enough. I know they didn't have success against the T-birds because Seattle has a tremendous penalty kill.
But when I watch the Thundebirds power play, I see a unit that is on the cusp of getting it going. They had two late power plays in the first period Friday against Portland and the puck movement, the passing was on point. It was hard to gauge the power play against Everett, though they did get one power play goal, because a couple of their man advantage opportunties Saturday were of the abbreviated variety. They were coming on the heels of a penalty kill. In that situation, your top power play guys are probably not available because they were most likely just out there on the PK. But even on the full power play, against Everett's league best penalty kill, I thought they were in position to do good things.
The one criticism from that game, was the same one O'Dette had when I spoke to him after the game. It was a similar problem when they were 5-on-5 versus the Silvertips. They were missing the net with their shots and at times making one too many passes. Which actually makes me optimistic for the power play because it means puck possession is not the issue. When Seatle is skating with the man advantage, more often then not, the puck is on their sticks.
If that's happening the goals will come but even if they don't score, it should create momentum for them at even strength. And that's what's happening. That's making them a hard team to play against at even strength. That's why they won eight in a row. Saturday was the exception, not the rule.
My Three Stars for the Weekend:
Third Star: D Ty Bauer. His breakaway goal in the third period Friday against Portland was not only an unexpected thing of beauty, but it was timely. It came at a significant moment in the game. This was no garbage time goal. It gave Seattle a two-goal cushion in an eventual 4-2 win. It helped turn the momentum back in the T-birds favor. Bauer has three goals on the season. two of them are game winners. This one wasn't technically a game winner but it sure felt like it.
Second Star: G Thomas Milic. Milic was dialed in all weekend. He was a big reason Seattle maintained their lead Friday versus Portland, especially in the second period, when the Winterhawks were awarded five straight power plays, which included two lengthy 5-on-3s. If not for his first period twelve save performance Saturday in Everett, the T-birds would not have been around to make that third period push that fell just short in the 3-2 loss.
First Star: C Henrik Rybinski. Every player who didn't put forth their best effort Saturday in Everett should be put in front of a video screen and made to watch Rybinski highlights, not just from that game, but any game he's played. He only knows one way to play and that is with an all out effort on every shift. He is the gold standard. He is now riding a nine game point streak, accumulating four goals and nine assists in that span.
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