Giants deny Thunderbirds in season opener | WHL
Published 11:51 pm Friday, September 25, 2015
The Seattle Thunderbirds came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period, but a Vancouver power-play goal with 2:42 left in the game lifted the Giants to a 3-2 season-opening, Western Hockey League win at the Pacific Coliseum on Friday night.
With the score tied 2-2 the T-Birds were called for delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass in their end of the ice with 4:04 left in the game. Ty Ronning took advantage on the power play and scored from the slot to get the game-winning goal. Carter Popoff and Clayton Kirichenko had the assists.
Taz Burman had a solid game in net making 22 saves on 25 shots but registers the loss.
Vancouver took a 1-0 lead at 7:12 of the first period on a goal from Radovan Bondra. Jackson Houck had the only assist.
Ronning scored at 18:09 of the second to extend the Giants lead to 2-0. Brennan Menell and Dawson Holt had the assists.
Seattle cut the lead to one at 4:27 of the third period. Keegan Kolesar carried the puck into the Giants zone on the right wing. He fed the puck to the Ethan Bear in the corner. Bear found Eansor all alone in front of Vancouver goalie Payton Lee. Eansor beat Lee for the T-Birds first goal of the season.
The T-Birds struck again at 11:48 of the third to tie the game 2-2. Mathew Wedman skated the puck down the right wing into the Vancouver zone. He spotted Nick Holowko streaking past the far defenseman and hit him with a pass. Lee was going left to right tracking the puck and Holowko caught him out of position and put the puck into an empty net. The assist by Wedman was his first point as a T-Bird.
Lee ended up making 26 saves on 28 shots in the win.
The T-Birds’ home opener is next Saturday, Oct. 3 against the Prince George Cougars at 7:05 p.m. at ShoWare Center.
For tickets, go online.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – 1, Vancouver, Bondra 1 (Houck), 7:12. Penalties – Odgers, Van (major-fighting), 8:59. Osterman, Sea (major-fighting), 8:59. Malm, Van (hooking), 16:53.
Second period – 2, Vancouver, Ronning 1 (Menell, Holt), 18:09. Penalties – Ottenbreit, Sea (hooking), 11:37. Osipov, Van (cross checking), 15:41. Wedman, Sea (slashing), 18:15.
Third period – 3, Seattle, Eansor 1 (E. Bear, Kolesar), 4:27. 4, Seattle, Holowko 1 (Wedman), 11:48. 5, Vancouver, Ronning 2 (Popoff, Kirichenko), 17:48. Penalties – Thrower, Van (interference), 5:46. E. Bear, Sea (delay of game), 15:56. Bench, Sea (too many men-served by Volcan), 19:45.
Shots on goal – Seattle 9-10-9 28, Vancouver 13-7-5 25. Goalies – Seattle, Burman 25 shots-22 saves (0-1-0-0); Vancouver, Lee 28-26 (1-0-0-0). Power plays – Seattle 0-3; Vancouver 1-4. A – 4,741. Referees – Jeff Ingram, Brett Iverson. Linesmen – Bevan Mills, Nathan Van Oosten.
