Flodell, T-Birds silence Americans | WHL
Published 10:32 am Monday, March 7, 2016
Logan Flodell made 17 saves to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to their eighth straight victory, a 4-0 shutout of the Tri-City Americans, in Western Hockey League play Sunday night at the Toyota Center in Kennewick.
Playoff-bound Seattle (40-23-3-0), winners of 12 of its last 13 games, is in first place in the U.S. Division, four points ahead of the Everett Silvertips with six games remaining in the regular season.
The T-Birds and Silvertips collide Friday at the ShoWare Center. Face-off is 7:35 p.m.
Flodell (21-13-3-0) posted his third shutout of the season.
The T-Birds scored two goals in 25 seconds late in the second period to take a 2-0 lead.
Nolan Volcan drove the puck behind the Tri-City net where Scott Eansor came around the net on the left side and put the puck through the crease to Donovan Neuls. Tri-City goalie Nicholas Sanders went down to stop Eansor, enabling Neuls the room to slam the puck into the empty net at 15:03 of the period for his 12th goal of the season.
On the ensuing shift, Cavin Leth intercepted an Americans cross-ice pass on the Tri-City blue line for a breakaway. Leth came in on Sanders and beat the goalie over the glove with a quick wrist shot at 15:28.
The T-Birds made it a 3-0 lead at 5:38 of the third period on a lucky bounce for Alexander True, who came down the right wing into the Americans zone and cut into the high slot. True took a wrist shot that hit the glass behind Sanders. The puck ricocheted off the glass and hit Sanders in the back of the mask and went into the net. The goal was True’s 12th of the season.
Tri-City, who is fighting for a playoff spot as the season winds down, pulled Sanders with over five minutes left in the game to try and get back into the game. Andreas Schumacher scored an empty-net goal at 14:44 of the third to seal the win for the T-Birds. True and Ethan Bear had the assists on the goal.
The T-Birds outshot the Americans 10-4 in the third period and 35-17 in the game.
Sanders stopped 31 of 34 shots and his record is now 7-4-0-1.
Tickets
Tickets are available at the T-Birds website and at the ShoWare Center box office, which is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday game days at 10 a.m. and Sunday game days at noon.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – No scoring. Penalties – Eansor, Sea (hooking), 1:08.
Second period – 1, Seattle, Neuls 12 (Eansor, Volcan), 15:03. 2, Seattle, Leth 12, 15:28. Penalties – No penalties.
Third period – 3, Seattle, True 12, 5:38. 4, Seattle, Schumacher 3 (True, Bear), 14:44 (en). Penalties – Gropp, Sea (slashing), 7:16. James, Tri (interference), 10:06. McCue, Tri (cross checking), 15:15. Smith, Sea (roughing), 16:34. James, Tri (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 16:34. Schumacher, Sea (roughing), 16:58. Stewart, Tri (cross checking), 16:58.
Shots on goal – Seattle 7-18-10 35, Tri-City 5-8-4 17. Goalies – Seattle, Flodell 17 shots-17 saves (21-13-3-0); Tri-City, Sanders 34-31 (7-4-0-1). Power plays – Seattle 0-2; Tri-City 0-2. A – 3,097. Referees – Kyle Kowalski, Mark Pearce. Linesmen – Ron Dietterle, Trevor Shively.
