Fresh as the Winter's Snow

I think the final week of hockey in the calendar year 2021, pretty much summed up the entire year.  We had some hockey and we were glad for that. It was affected by Covid and there's nothing you can do about that. You win some, you lose some (hopefully doing more winning than losing), and you're just glad for the opportunity to be playing because you don't know what tomorrow brings or what's around the corner,and then Betty White dies and you start to question the meaning of life!

The Thunderbirds went 1-2 in their first three games post-Christmas.  It really was a mixed bag.  The final score in Tuesday's 6-3 home loss to Spokane really doesn't tell the whole story. The T-birds were behind the eight ball before the puck even dropped. Injuries, Covid, travel, and an international tournament meant the team could only dress 15 healthy skaters.  For much of the third period they were down to just 13.

Still, it was a winnable game.  Certainly Spokane took advantage of the undermanned T-birds, but you could also make the argument Seattle let them. The biggest culprit wasn't necessarily the T-birds undisciplined play that led to the Chiefs going 3-for-7 on the power play.  Just as significant an issue was Seattle passing up scoring opportunities by overpassing the puck.  It was particulary acute when Seattle scored the early first period goal and had a chance to pad their lead but got too cute with the puck. Instead they let the Chiefs hang around.

The good news? This Seattle team learned the lessons from Tuesday's loss and applied them to Thursday's 6-2 win in Spokane.  Pucks on net and traffic in front were the theme.  After going 0-for-5 on the power play Tuesday, the T-birds shoot first mentality led them to a 4-for-7 night with the man advantage Thursday.  

Give the Seattle coach's credit for making some subtle changes to the lineup for the Thursday rematch with the Chiefs.  Obviously getting a few more bodies into the lineup helped.  But Matt O'Dette and his crew moved Jared Davidson off the first line and put him on the second line.  He responded with a four point night with a goal and three assists.  Moving him off the first line didn't hurt that line's production though as the Reid Schaefer-Henrik Rybinski-Sam Popowich combo compiled three points with a goal and a pair of assists.

The other change was on the power play.  Most significantly they parked the 6'8" frame of Matt Rempe in front of the net and he was able to deflect a couple shots into the back of the net. But as Rempe said after the game, the biggest change was going from quality of shots to quantity of shots and being more of a shooting power play.

Will the power play stay that way?  especially when Jordan Gustafson, Conner Roulette and Lukas Svejkovsky return to the lineup? I don't know yet.  The T-birds weren't awarded any power plays in the game the next night down in Portland. The refs had put their whistles in their pockets the first half of that game.  And that's fine.  Let them play.  But then, that's where they should have left those whistles, because the calls they did make over the second half of the game were head scratching, one-sided and in most instances, flat out wrong.  

How Portland wasn't assessed a penalty for steamrolling over Thomas Milic is maybe the greatest miscarriage of justice I've seen in a hockey game in a number of years.  Well, except for maybe the cross checking call that was assessed on the same play to the T-birds Sam Knazko. Things that make you go whaaaaaaat?

And should it have been a penatly shot in the third period?  I don't know.  Those are so subjective.  I'm not sure it was a clear breakaway. But late in a 0-0 game do you want the outcome decided on a penalty shot that wasn't a clear cut, obvious call?  In Tuesday's loss to Spokane, Seattle had two breakaway chances that ended with a Spokane penalty, but neither time was Seattle awarded a penalty shot.  Consistency, that's all we're asking for. Consistency.

Despite that loss in Portland, I still loved the effort from the team in that game.  Seattle was playing their third game in four days and doing so with three of their top five scorers out of the lineup.  They had just played in Spokane less then 24-hours before. They spent 16-hours on the bus waiting for Snoqualmie Pass to open. It was an early start in Portland against a rested Winterhawks squad that hadn't played in four days and basically spent the entire month of December playing home games.  The T-birds buckled down and almost were able to grind this one out.  

The loss overshadowed the play of Milic in goal.  It may have been his best game as a T-bird.  I'm guessing he wasn't happy with how he played in the loss Tuesday at home to Spokane where he was pulled after giving up four goals.  Just a terrific job of putting that game behind him and refocusing his effort against the Winterhawks.  He was the best player on the ice.  He deserved better for his effort. As Head Coach Matt O'Dette said after the game, the whole team deserved better.

Let's hope Seattle gets those players missing from action back in the lineup soon.  That's a whole line of NHL drafted guys, and one soon to be NHL drafted guy, sidelined. I'm excited to see what this team can do the second half of the season if/when everyone comes back. You could argue Seattle played too much a price for a half season of a 20 year old player in Svejkovsky,but Seattle had a couple of extra first rounders, why not use one to make your already good team better?  

Remember, this is Rybinski's final season in the WHL. Let's not waste these final 4-5 month of his time in the league.  He's having an incredible season thus far. Now you have two of the best 20 year old forwards in the league.  Bringing in Svejkovsky improves the depth of an already deep forward group. I'm curious to see how O'Dette and his staff put their lines together now.  Does Svejkovsky automatically slot onto the top line?  Who gets bumped down?  All of a sudden, Seattle's third line is as good as many other team's first lines.  

When the T-birds acquired Svejkovsky, they had to trade away a 20-year old to get down to the league limit of three per roster.  Unfortunately Eric Van Impe was the odd man out. But give Bil LaForge and his scouts credit for the deal that brought back 19-year-old Chase Lacombe.  Seattle did their homework. It's only been two games but from what I've seen, Lacombe is just a,one year younger, version of Van Impe.  Maybe not as big but perhaps a little more physical.  That's a good value trade. Not every trade acquisition has to be a home run.  a solid double works too.  

I still wonder, with the loss of Ty Bauer long term, if Seattle might need to bring in another veteran WHL d-man.  We'll find out in just over two weeks.  The WHL trade deadline is January 17th.

My T-birds Three Stars of the Week:

Third Star:  The Young Guns!  While we play for the present, we've gotten a little glimpse of the future and the future looks bright!  Because of many different factors Seattle has had to dress a lot of young players recently. Seattle deployed as many as six, 16-year olds and one 15-year old over the last seven games. The 15 year old was 2020 first round pick Tij Iginla and he already has his first WHL point. 

How good was Seattle's 2020 draft?  We've already seen Sam Oremba, Scott Ratzlaff, Sawyer Mynio, Niko Tsakumis and Ethan Mittelsteadt. Now Coster Dunn has made his debut and he is another one of  those mid to late round picks that looks like he will shine as a T-bird, ala Donovan Neuls, Reid Schaefer or Nico Myatovic.   Meanwhile, waiting in the wings is Seattle's 2020 second round pick, Brayden Dube, who's currently lighting it up with the Dauphin Kings in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Second Star: D Jeremy Hanzel.  Four points since returning from the Christmas break, tallying two goals and two assists. If he can continue that pace, maybe Seattle doesn't have to acquire another veteran defenseman before the trade deadline.  He has such a wicked shot and when he gets it on net it's deadly.

First Star: F Jared Davidson. He is now your team leader in scoring with 33 points in 31 games making him a point a game player.  He came ready to play post-Christmas break putting up six points this week (2g, 4a) and is now a +16 on the season.  

Fleas on a Dog

When my nephew was young, he came home from school one December day and told his mother he learned a new Christmas song.  He then proceeded to sing it to her.  Only he heard Feliz Navidad as "fleas on a dog".  That was about twenty years ago, but every Christmas since we all sing it to my nephew when we gather.  We won't let him forget.  This will be the second Christmas we won't get to "hound" him about it though.  Thanks Covid.

And speaking of fleas on a dog, a few thoughts on the Thunderbirds disappointing loss Saturday in Everett. Yes, the loss stings.  It's a bitter pill to swallow because of what was at stake.  Seattle had a chance to put themselves in first place in the Western Conference, even if only for 24 hours. They faced a team they had just beaten fairly convincingly the night before and now was down to just 14 healthy skaters. The same effort the T-birds put forth Friday night would have probably won the game Saturday. Unfortunatley, Seattle came out flat.

Everett played hard.  That's all they did. Pretty simple game plan.  Leave every ounce of energy on the ice.  They won most of the puck battles. They put forth the effort for sixty minutes that Seattle didn't. They did very little to generate much in the way of offense though.  The offense they got all came from Seattle mistakes. Mistakes that were the result of not being mentally focused when the game started. 

Give credit to Everett for not using a short bench as an excuse, but this loss is squarely on Seattle's shoulders.There are no "gimmies" in the Western Hockey League. The T-birds learned that lesson at the expense of the top of the standings.  Maybe that's the best Christmas present this team could receive. A valuable lesson that wins are earned, not given.   

Let's get past that loss.  Don't forget it though.  Remember that sour postgame taste and let it motivate you going forward. But in the big picture, it was just one of 68 games on the schedule.  There are 40 games still to be played.  Seattle finished the pre-Christmas portion of the schedule with the second best record in the Western Conference. They went into the break by going 7-1-2-0 in their last ten games.  They put themselves in position to compete for the best record in the West. I was asked, before the season began, what I thought would be a realistic goal for this team.  I said top four finish in the conference.  They are ahead of that prediction.  

So often we remember that bitter loss and don't celebrate the successes.  Head Coach Matt O'Dette said there was a lot of positives the first two and a half months. "You can kind of forget that with the way it ends, with the bad taste in our mouth, but there's a lot to be happy about, a lot to be excited about. We've had a fantastic first half."  

They are eleven games over .500 and I still don't believe they've played their best hockey. We've seen glimpses, a period here or there, where they have looked invincible, but it hasn't sustained itself over 60-minutes yet.  They are still a relatively young team so maybe we won't see that this season on a consistent basis.  Not having the full roster together, but for a few games, has played a part as well.  

They'll have to make do the second half of the season without their leader and captain Tyrel Bauer. That's a big loss to overcome.  I think Bauer was having the kind of season that would earn him an NHL deal from Winnipeg, the team that drafted him in the sixth round back in 2020.  I hope the injury doesn't curtail that.  He's a well rounded player that will give you a little bit of everything. His offensive game is deceptive.  Who leads the team in breakaway goals?  Bauer with two. Half his goals are game winners. With Bauer healthy, the T-birds had the top penalty killing unit in the WHL.  Since his injury they have slipped a few spots down the rankings.  

Will the Bauer injury prompt Thunderbirds General Manager Bil Laforge to use some of his large stock of draft capital to make a deal before the January trade deadline?  Or is he comfortable giving some of his young blue liners more ice time while knowing he'll have Sam Knazko back after World Juniors to eat up some of those minutes Bauer would have played? After all, they did post a 3-1 record with both Bauer and Knazko unavailable and probably should have gone 4-0.  One thing we've learned so far under Laforge's tenure, he is not shy about making deals. 

Additionally, the T-birds went into the Christmas break with just 12 forwards on the roster.   That won't be sustainable over the second half.  Teams usually carry 13 or 14. Look for an addition or two to the forward group.  Maybe they rotate in a couple of young prospects.  Perhaps a few games from recently signed 2021 first round draft pick Tij Iginla?  2020 second round pick Brayden Dube is doing quite well with the Dauphin Kings of the MJHL.  The 16 year old has 26-points (15g, 11a) in 15 games, skating with older players. Could we see him for a game or three?

Where are the Thunderbirds in their "compete window"? Has it started or are they a year away? Some of the earlier trades made by teams in contention have come at a high cost, as in top prospects and multiple high picks.  The T-birds have both, but is there an acquisition to be made that fills a need without breaking the bank? 

Over the weekend the Thunderbirds put 94 shots on goal in two games.  It tells you they are driving the play. It tells you they have the majority of the puck possession. It means most of the game is being played in the opposing team's end of the ice. Yet once again the opponent ends up with 14 power plays.  Make it make sense.  

The last time Seattle played a nearly complete season, 2019-20, they had 11 road wins in 30 away games.  So far this season, they have 11 road wins in 16 road games. They lost once in Spokane in overtme.  Their four road losses in regulation have all been in Everett. They need to solve that building.  Maybe an exorcism?

Projecting the WHL career arc of 16 year old prospects is a fool's game but I like what I have seen in the limited viewings of a pair of young Thunderbirds defensemen.  Both Niko Tsakumis and Ethan Mittelsteadt have more then held their own in the few games they've played.  

The Thunderbirds used three picks through the first six rounds of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft on d-men. Sawyer Mynio was chosen in the third round, 63rd overall.  Mittelsteadt was a 5th round selection, while Tsakumis was taken in the 6th round. Combined that trio has played 22 games this season and compiled four points (3g, 1a) and are a combined +10. 

Four of the T-birds top six defensemen on this year's roster most likely are not returning next year.   20 year olds Ryan Gottfried and Eric Van Impe are definitely gone, 19 year old Knazko won't be back either and the status of the 19 year old Bauer is now up in the air. So, those three young d-men will be needed. Also a reason why the T-birds used three of their first five picks in last week's 2021 WHL Prospects Draft on defensemen. 

O'Dette left his team with this message going into the break, "Turn the minds off of hockey for a week or so." adding, "Take precautions. With Covid flaring up everywhere we have to be smart with what we're doing over the break. Be safe and enjoy time with families."  

My T-birds Three Stars for the Week: 

Third Star: D Ryan Gottfried.  Three assists in the three games for the 20 year old defenseman.  He lost his D partner to a long term injury and immediately stepped up his game.  He'll get a lot of shifts going forward with those green, young 16 year olds.  But if you trust him that's what you do and the T-birds trust him.

Second Star: G Thomas Milic.  When you win the first two games of the week by a combined score of 12-3, it's easy to overlook the performance of your goalie, but Milic was sharp in picking up two wins. Sometimes it's not the amount of saves you make but the timely manner in which you make those saves that wins you a game.  Certainly can't blame the 4-1 loss Saturday on Milic. His team didn't give him enough support.

First Star: C Henrik Rybinski. Rybinski was terrific in the two wins, but the true measure was Saturday in Everett.  When too many of his teammates didn't play with the passion needed, he was there working hard every shift.  Seven points over his last five games (3g, 4a) and points in 14 of his last 16. he finished the week with three points (1g, 2a) and a +3 rating.  Hard to imagine him not earning a pro contract by season's end.  

Oh, Canada! How We Missed You!

For the first time in 21-months, the Thunderbirds boarded the team bus and headed north of the border this past weekend.  And what a triumphant return it was as the team took both games, winning 6-1 Friday in Kamloops and coming from behind, not once but twice, to defeat the Rockets, 5-4, in Kelowna Saturday.

As a result, the T-birds have won three in a row, earned points in seven straight games and pulled within five points of the top of the Western Conference standings with a game in hand. Yes, that's right, not just within five points of the U.S. Division lead, but the top of the conference standings as well. Merry Christmas indeed!

Both wins were impressive, though in different ways.  Friday Seattle put forth a dominant opening period, scoring four times and putting the Blazers on their heels.  And when Kamloops appeared to fight back in the second, the T-birds stepped up their game a notch to hold them off and in the third period finished the game off strong.

The following night in Kelowna, Seattle, their blueline depleted by injuries, fell into an early two-goal hole.  There was no panic.  And when they fell behind a second time late in the third period, there was no panic. They didn't just climb out of that hole, they jumped out.  In the second leg of a two game road trek, with many hours spent on the bus, they were stronger at the end of the game then they were at the beginning, scoring two late goals for the win.

One of the quirks of Prospera Place in Kelowna is that the scouts' room is up in the pressbox, adjacent to the visiting radio cubicle.  So I get to eavesdrop on some of the conversations taking place before the game between NHL scouts. Saturday night a couple of scouts, who had been in Kamloops the night before, were discussing Seattle's battle with the Blazers.  It's funny that they had slightly different takes on the game. 

One said it was a dominant start by the T-birds. They came ready to play and capitalized on their chances.  The other basically said Kamloops was just as good if not better. They just had a bad start, but he said they got it together later on and he gave them full marks for not quitting. You can probably find truth in both perspectives. Think about that when you see player rankings for the draft.  Different teams will view a player differently, depending on when they saw him and who he was playing against.

The one thing they agreed on? The Seattle goalie,Thomas Milic, was exceptional.  And he was.  Milic made some big saves on a couple of Blazers ten-bell scoring chances on their early first period power play. I think if Kamloops gets one by him there, it's a different game.  Milic's early saves settled his team down and the T-birds would not only kill off that power play but strike shorthanded to open the scoring.

In the second period, with the Blazers already on the board with an early goal to cut into the T-birds lead, Seattle took another penalty. Kamloops had a chance to cut the Seattle lead in half and put all the momentum on their side. But Milic stopped a breakaway with an incredible, sprawling, right pad save.  The threat was neutralized. Seattle began to push back after that and eventually pulled away with a couple third period goals. In a 6-1 game you don't think of the goalie of the winning team being the difference, but Milic was the key for Seattle.

Have the hockey gods transpired to work against the T-birds? Have they made some kind of pact that when one key Seattle player comes back from injury, they have to lose another?  What deal has been made that says the Thunderbirds are not allowed to be whole for more than 24-hours? No sooner do the T-birds get Henrik Rybinski back in the lineup after a seven-game absence, they lose not one, but three player on the weekend.  Friday it was Ty Bauer and Sawyer Mynio leaving the game against Kamloops.  Saturday in Kelowna, Sam Knazko departed.

Saturday, after the big win in Kamloops and after approximately 20 plus hours on the bus, and after a three in the morning arrival at the hotel in Kelowna, the T-birds could have just phoned it in, especially after falling behind to the Rockets, 2-0, after twenty minutes. After losing the lead in the third period they worked so hard to get, they could have packed it in and said hey, it's not our night. They could have just been satisfied with a weekend road split, taken the two points from the game the night before and headed home. 

But they didn't. Even with only five healthy d-men left, including a last second call up in 16-year old Niko Tsakumis, they stayed on course.  They didn't mentally check out, they pushed forward.  They earned that "W" and put an exclamation point on a winning weekend.

A third of the way into the season and half of Seattle's skaters have reached double digits in points. The T-birds are deploying their depth.  The players you expected to be scoring, the Rybinski's, the Roulette's, the Gustafson's, are doing just that but the Davidson's, the Schaefer's and the Sanders' are pulling their weight too. Prior to this season Reid Schaefer and Mekai Sanders had combined for eight points (3g, 5a) in 72 games.  Through the first 25 games this season they have combined for 30-points (19g, 11a). That's quite the production from a couple of players selected in the eighth and ninth rounds respectively, of the 2018 WHL Prospects draft. 

We saw our first coach's offside challenge of the season as T-bird head coach Matt O'Dette challenged Kelowna's fourth goal.  "We were pretty confident with that decision (to challenge). There were five or six of our guys standing right there at our bench who said it was definitely offside, so it was a pretty safe risk, we thought." The goal was not overturned because there was inconclusive video evidence.  But because the video was inconclusive, neither were the T-birds penalized for losing the challenge.

There are three possible outcomes to a coach's offside challenge. One, the goal is overturned on review. Two,the goal stands because the video clearly shows the play was NOT offside and the challenging team is assessed a minor penalty and, three, the goal is not overturned, but the challenging team is not issued a minor penalty because the video evidence is inconclusive. 

I liked the idea of a challenge by the Seattle coaches in that instance.  First, even though the goal was not overturned, the stoppage of play, for what turned into a lengthy review, blunted the Rockets momentum and allowed the T-birds to regroup. After the delay, Seattle came right back and scored to tie the game back up.  Secondly, this is the WHL, not the NHL. there aren't 10 different camera angles to review, usually just one and it's not on the blue line.  It's going to be hard to consistently find conclusive video evidence, which means the chances of getting assessed a minor penalty on an unsuccessful challenge should be pretty low.  

My T-birds Three Stars for the Week:

Third Star: D Kevin Korchinski. The T-birds 2019 first round draft pick had not scored a goal in his first 45-games in the league.  He now has three in his last four games. He is getting more and more comfortable, and looking more and more confident eating up big minutes in key situations. Quite appropriate that he has his first two-goal game against Kelowna.  The T-birds selected Korchinski tenth overall in that 2019 Draft with a first round pick they obtained in a trade from the Rockets. 

Second Star: G Thomas Milic.  Milic went 2-0, stopping 56 of 58 shots in the process.   Seattle is ranked number one in the WHL on the penalty kill and he's a huge component of that success.  Over his last five starts he is 4-0-1-0 with a goals against average of 1.22 and a save percentage of .957. Whether it's a one goal game or a five goal lead, he plays the same way, as if the game is on the line with every shot he faces.

First Star: C Henrik Rybinski.  With Rybinski out of the line up for seven straight games recently, Seattle went 2-3-2-0.  Since his return from injury the T-birds are a perfect 3-0-0-0.  In just 16-games he has posted 19-points (6g, 13a) and is +15. This past week he registered four points (2g, 2a) and was +6.  With him in the lineup they are 12-3-1-0, without him they are 4-3-2-0.  Every player is on board the T-bird train this season, but he is clearly one of the drivers.  

Get to the Points

Hard to find fault when the Thunderbirds earns points in all three games this week and have points in four straight games. But as Head Coach Matt O'Dette said after the team's overtime loss in Spokane Saturday night, they have high standards and they expect to win. So, there is a little disappoinment in settling for one point, rather then getting the two in each game this weekend.

I think the only real frustration was the overtime loss Friday night at home to Victoria.  Three times in that game Seattle had the lead.  Three times they couldn't hold it, before falling 5-4 in the extra period. They had such an excellent first period.  They then grabed a 2-0 lead early in the second.  I don't think they got complacent, but I think some players got away from the game plan, maybe cut some corners.  That allowed Victoria back in to the game.

You might think dropping that game to a team that, at the time was in tenth place in the ten team Western Conference, was an ugly loss on the schedule.  But while it doesn't completely take away the sting of the overtime defeat, look what the Royals did in their journey against the U.S. Division.  They took all five teams to overtime and won four of them.  Not only did they beat Seattle, but they beat Everett and Portland too.

The T-birds continue to consistently outshoot their opponents. In the three games this past week they had a 109-64 shot advantage.  In the three games they averaged 36 shots per game (which, by the way, is their season average) while allowing an average of 21 shots against.  Using my expert math skills I think that's 15 more shots per game then their opponents.  At least, that's what my calculator tells me.  What does that mean?  How do you outshoot three opponents in that fashion and only go 1-0-2-0?  

Getting more shots doesn't guarentee a win.  You still have to finish your chances.  It does give you a chance to win though. Sometimes you run into a hot goalie who steals a game from you.  Sometimes there are shots that don't even count, like the ones off the post or crossbar, that trip you up.  But usually more shots, and decidedly more shots, tells you which team is carrying the play.  It usually indicates puck possession is tilted in your favor.  What we do know is, that if you're not shooting, you're not scoring. Seattle is shooting.

Currently, Seattle is averaging 3.4 goals per game.  I think they can do better, but that's pretty darn good considering they've played one third of their schedule without Henrik Rybinski in the lineup.  That's a third of your season without one of your best offensive weapons available. There will be stretches of the season where the puck just isn't going in for you. Offense can be streaky, but you keep funneling pucks to the net because you can't win if you don't score and you can't score if you don't shoot.  Offense is not an issue for the T-birds.

Sam Knazko is rusty.  The newet T-bird hadn't played in a competive game in a while.  He had played sparingly in just 16 games in Finland before opting out and deciding to come to North America.  He then got Covid and had to shut down all hockey activity.  He's still working on building back up his stamina.  But in just two games, you can see glimpes of the elite talent he brings to the roster.  Just don't say Seattle got lucky and he fell into their laps.  Remember, he's a T-bird because GM Bil LaForge selected him in the 2020 CHL Import Draft.  

Don't forget there is not one, but two WHL Drafts coming up this week.  Wednesday is the U.S. Prospects Draft,  a two round affair, and the T-birds have the number one overall selection.  Thursday is the regular 2021 WHL Prospects Draft and Seattle chooses ninth overall in that one, and has four of the top forty picks.  In the second round Seattle has their own pick at #31 as well as Red Deer's pick at #24 and Kelowna's at #38.

My T-birds Three Stars for the Week:

D Kevin Korchinski.  He finally scored his first WHL goal Saturday in Spokane and it was a big one, tying the game at two and getting Seattle a road point.  He had three points in the three games (1g, 2a).  On a team that has two 20-year old D-men and now two 19-year old NHL drafted defensemen, this 17-year old, still somewhat of a rookie, still logs huge minutes on the blue line.  He has seven points in  his last eight games and is quietly fifth overall in team scoring.

Second Star: C Jordan Gustafson. Whie Korchinski was the second of Seattle's two first round picks in the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft, Gustafson was their first and he is living up to that billing.  He leads the team in goals scored with ten and is tied with Conner Roulette for the team lead in points at 24.  With Rybinski out for seven straight games, Gustafson has been elevated to the top center role and has been not shrunk from the responsibility. He registered points in all three games this week (1g, 3a) and is currently riding a five game point streak.

First Star: C/W Jared Davidson.  Davidson has really picked up his offensive game in the absence of Rybinski.  He had five points (2g, 3a) in the three games this week and is riding a four game point streak (3g, 4a).  He has already passed his point total from last season.  Last spring he reached 20-points in 23 games.  He now has 21 points in 22-games this season. His 21-points has elevated him to second on the team in scoring, just three points off the lead.  

To Legit to Quit

 Four of Seattle's last five games have been against two teams, Everett and Kamloops, ranked in the top five of the CHL's Top Ten poll.  And while the results haven't gone the T-birds way, they have been in the battle. It was a busy week as well for the Thunderbirds as the five games were played over an 11 game stretch.  There wasn't a lot of down time between games.

It was also an untimely convergence of a tough, busy schedule and the absence of key players from the lineup.  It began with a hard fought, one goal loss in Everett back on November 13th.  Seattle was coming on strong late in the game, but ran out of time in a 3-2 loss.

The T-birds rebounded with a nice, come-from-behind win in Spokane last Friday. The win came at a cost though, as Seattle lost a heart and soul player, Henrik Rybinski, to an upper body injury.  Just before a three-games-in-five-nights showdown with two of the top ranked teams in the CHL, Seattle was without their leader.  

The Thunderbirds didn't necessarily play poorly in their first game without Rybinski in the lineup, but they didn't play well enough to keep up with the speed and quickness of Kamloops on Saturday in the first of two meetings in four days with the Blazers.  As a result Seattle dropped a 5-1 decision.  The schedule makers did the T-birds no favors either. Seattle had to travel back from Spokane the night before, while the rested Blazers were waiting for the T-birds in Kent after their Friday night game had been postponed. Ah, life in the WHL.

Then, despite it being their third game in three nights, Seattle was fairly good Sunday up at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.  But late in the second period the officials handed Matt Rempe a major boarding penalty.  As a result he missed the rest of the game and had to sit out Wednesday's rematch against Kamloops.  

Even without Rybinki and Rempe available for the third period Sunday against the Silvertips, Seattle was the better team over the final twenty minutes.  They killed off the major penalty and scored a power play goal of their own to pull within 3-2.  They had a tying goal on their stick in front of the Everett net with about 90-seconds remaining.  Unfortunately, once again their last, best chance was denied. Close but no cigar.

The T-birds knew going into Wednesday's second game against Kamloops that they would have to play withot their top two centers.  Another forward, Sam Oremba was away at the U17 Capital City Challenge in Ottawa.  They entered the game down to just 10 forwards.  There were no spare parts, so they called up 16-year old defenseman Niko Tsakumis from the Delta Hockey Academy and inserted another 16 year old rookie d-man, a banged up Sawyer Mynio, back into the lineup.  

Meanwhile the Blazers were fresh and healthy.  They hadn't played since the Saturday win over the T-birds. Instead of traveling back to Kamloops between games, they made a short trip up to Vancouver to rest and practice.  A recipe for a T-birds disaster right?  Seattle should just fold the tent and live to play another day.  But this T-birds team doesn't back away from a challenge and undermanned they battled and stayed within striking distance until the final minutes of the game,falling 4-1.  

There are no moral victories in hockey.  You don't get points in the standings for playing hard just to come up short. I think though, the Thunderbirds will look back on this busy pre-Thanksgiving stretch and understand it was at this point in the season, not their recent eight-game winning streak, where they came together, developed their team identity and earned the character that will define them the rest of the way.

One shining example of that is their penalty kill.  Yes, they'd prefer not to be in the box as often as they are, but if any area of play is a complete team effort, it is on the PK. Everyone has to be willing to make sacrifices for the good of the team, doing what's necessary to disrupt an opponent's power play.  Over their last five games Seattle has killed off 18 of their oppenents 20 power play chances, including a couple of lengthy 5-on-3s.  The result?  The T-birds went into Thanksgiving with the WHL's top ranked penalty kill at 85.6%.  They did much of that work with two key parts of the penalty kill, Rybinski and Rempe, unavailable for much of that span.

My T-birds Three Stars for the past five games:

Third Star: C Jordan Gustafson. Last spring was technically his rookie season, but he only got 23-games.  He still has not played a full season of hockey at the WHL level, so I still look on him as a rookie.  He accumulated five points over his last five games and on the season is a point per game player.  He was all over the ice Wednesday night and scored the T-birds lone goal. In the abscense of Rybinski and Rempe, he's been centering the T-birds top line.

Second Star: C/W Jared Davidson.  Davidson is another one of those guys every team needs.  He plays in all situations.  He can play up and down the lineup.  He can play the wing on the first line or center your second line.  With Rybinski and Rempe out, Seattle needed his versatility. After going goal-less in his first eight games, he now has five in his last ten.  he has a deadly shot that will be key to getting more consistency from the T-birds power play.Three of his five goals have been scored on the power play.   

First Star: W Conner Roulette.  It's almost been a quiet first 18-games of the season for the Dallas Stars prospect. That is, until you look at his numbers. He leads the team points (20), is tied with Gustafson for the most goals (9) and is tied with Rybinski and Kevin Korchinski in assists (11). He's registered a point in all but two games so far.  He has points now in five straight games (3g, 3a).

Denied Number Nine

 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.  

Tri No More (Not Really)

 After three straight and four of their last six games against Tri-City, the Seattle Thunderbirds will put the Americans in their rear view mirror.  Well, for a couple weeks at least.  Seattle actually has another  game on the schedule this month against the Americans, but that will wait until after Thanksgiving.  

For now, the T-birds will take their wins and move forward, preparing for a pair of games this coming weekend.  Friday they host the Portland Winterhawks.  Don't forget, it's Girls Night Out.  Go to seattlethunderbirds.com for details.  Saturday Seattle travels north to Everett for a showdown with the Silvertips. 

The Thunderbirds were successful this past weekend because they found different ways to win both games, but the common theme was effort.  And that's been the mantra throughout their current seven game winning streak. Sure, you can lose a game even when you give your best effort, but it is highly unlikely you'll ever win without it. I say this, knowing there is another level of play this team can reach.  We're just twelve games into the season and they certainly haven't peaked yet.  Their team chemistry is still developing.  

You could point to the four wins in the current winning streak against Tri-City and say, yeah, but they're doing it against a team at the bottom of the Western Conference standings.  Again, the players don't have control over who their opponent is.  There job is to go out and meet the challenge and win.  Control the controllables by taking care of your business.  The position in the standings of these two teams would be reversed had the T-birds not played well and lost. 

Remember about a decade ago when Portland beat Seattle 10 out of 12 times, and went on to win a WHL Championship?  No one put an asterisk next the Winterhawks title because a 57-win team beat a 24-win team ten times on their way to the Cup. Good teams find ways to win, no matter the opponent. Who you're playing shouldn't matter as much as how you're playing.  

What areas does Seattle have to clean up as they move forward?  You might have to take out a microscope to find them, but they're there.  They need to cut down the number of odd man rushes and breakaways they're allowing, especially when they are on the power play.  And this is a little nitpicky, because they actually have been doing a better job recently of bearing down when they have the lead, but there have been a few ocassions when they get a little lackadaisacal coming back on pucks in the defensive zone. That slows down their transition game at times.

They are still taking too many penalties.  The coaches want to limit an opponent's power play chances to about three a game.  Right now the T-birds are allowing 5.5.  Seattle's penalty kill has been good. At around 85-percent it ranks with the best in the league, but the team's strength is 5-on-5 hockey and you can't play that when you're in the box.  

The Thunderbirds power play is hovering at just under 20-percent.  I thnk they'd like it up at around 25-percent or better, but I'm not to worried about it. They probably need to get to more rebounds when they have the man advantage, but even when they don't score off the power play, they generate momentum off it. 

They're doing a lot of things well.  Chiefly among them, they are getting a solid team effort every game.  They are rolling four lines and getting all three d-pairs involved.  The goaltending has been excellent.  Their transition game seems to improve with each outing and they win most 50-50 battles along the boards. They win the puck posession battle most nights and 30-plus shots on goal is the norm. They probably want to do better on faceoffs, but they seem to come up with key faceoff wins at the right time, especially late in games.

The coaching staff consistently talks about good habits.  Well, the best habit you can have is winning.  The T-birds have that right now.

My T-Birds Three Stars for the Weekend:

Third Star: The top D pairing of Ty Bauer and Ryan Gottfried. Bauer leads the team in +/- at +10.  He had a pair of assists this weekend. He'll take the odd penalty but that's because he plays a physical brand.  He's getting more and more opportunities to put shots on net.  Gottfried didn't register a point in either game but finished the weekend with a +3 rating.  Describing him as "consistent" or "steady" might seem bland, but that's what he is.  You get the same game from him every night.  He's a terrific penalty killer, blocking shots and sweeping pucks out of harms way.  

Second Star:  C Henrik Rybinski.  He has points now in seven straight games and is now a point a game player with 11-points (2g, 9a) in 10 games.  The reality is, he has a point in all but one game he has played.  I don't really count opening night down in Portland.  He got hurt on the opening shift and missed the rest of the contest. Along with Bauer, he's the alpha dog on the team. He sets the tone for how this team wants to play by expending every ounce of energy he has on every shift. He wants to earn a pro contract and you can see that in every shift he takes. 

First Star:  C/W Jordan Gustafson.  He's on a six game point streak and now leads the team in goals scored with eight. Along with Conner Roulette has the team lead in points with 14 through 12-games.  His offensive game, the shoot first mentality, draws your attention but he's a complete player.  Do yourself a favor and watch him all over the ice.  Watch him in the d-zone, on the backcheck.  Key on him along the boards in the attacking zone. On his OT game winner Saturday, he never stopped skating, even without the puck, putting himself in position to score that goal.