Giants top T-Birds, 5-4 | WHL

For the Reporter

The Vancouver Giants defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-4, in a back-and-forth Western Hockey League game Monday afternoon at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

The T-Birds came back from three one-goal deficits in the third period but were not able to come back a fourth time after Tyler Benson scored for Vancouver with 3:47 left in the game.

Shea Theodore had three assists in the game to give him 138 career assists. He now tied with Thomas Hickey for second on the T-Birds’ all-time list for assists by a defenseman. Craig Channel has the most assists in T-Birds history for a defenseman with 166. Theodore has 191 career points on 53 goals and 138 assists and is the franchise leader in goals and points by T-Birds defenseman.

The T-Birds host the Western Conference leading Kelowna Rockets at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday.

Logan Flodell made 16 saves in the first period to keep the Giants at bay. Vancouver had three power plays in the period but was not able to capitalize. Seattle had five shots on goal in the period.

Seattle (27-20-3-3) took a 1-0 lead with 8:44 left in the second period. Cory Millette passed the puck to Lane Pederson who skated up the left wing on a two-on-one. Pederson looked to his right then snapped a shot past over Vancouver goalie Cody Porter’s blocker from the left circle. Jared Hauf had the second assist.

Vancouver (22-29-1-2) came back and tied the game 1-1 at 15:19 of the second on an unassisted goal from Jackson Houck. Houck intercepted a cross ice pass in the slot and beat Logan Flodell over the blocker.

The Giants went in front 2-1 at 19:02 of the second. Jakob Stukel came out of the right corner, skated through the crease, and beat Flodell under the glove. Houck had the assist on the goal. The goal went to video review, possibly to determine if the Giants made a hand pass to get the puck to Stukel. The goal was upheld on video review.

Jerret Smith tied the game 2-2 with a power-play goal 40 seconds into the third period. Roberts Lipsbergs worked the puck out of the right corner to Theodore at the high point. Theodore crossed the puck to Smith who one-timed the pass and bear Porter over the glove. The puck hit the back bar of the net and rocketed back into the slot. Play continued for about 30 more seconds before the referees blew the whistle and went to video review. The goal counted and was Smith’s fifth of the season.

Vancouver went in front 3-2 at 5:33 of the third on a goal from Jesse Roach. Roach beat Flodell over the glove on assists from Dakota Odgers and Mason Geertsen.

Millette tied the game 3-3 when he banged in a rebound on the power play. Mathew Barzal passed the puck to Theodore in the right circle. Theodore snapped the puck on net. Porter made the save but the puck lay in the crease. Millette jammed it past Porter for the tying goal.

Zane Jones scored an unassisted goal at 9:20 of the third to give the Giants a 4-3 lead. Jones forced a turnover in the right circle and came in alone against Flodell. Jones beat Flodell high on the blocker side.

Seattle tied the game 4-4 at 11:33 of the third on Ryan Gropp’s 22nd goal of the season. Gropp outmuscled a Giants defenseman in the slot to take a pass from Theodore. Gropp handled the puck to his right, came back left and beat Porter over the right shoulder.

Tyler Benson scored on a breakaway to give the Giants a 5-4 lead with just under five minutes left in the game. Carter Popoff sprung Benson with a pass from the right boards.

Seattle pulled Flodell for an extra attacker with over two minutes left in the game. Barzal hit the post from the right circle and Porter make a very good save on Gropp in close to deny the T-Birds a tying goal. The game ended with the T-Birds in a puck battle in the Vancouver zone.

Seattle outshot Vancouver 15-6 in the third period and Vancouver outshot Seattle 34-30 in the game.

Flodell made 29 saves on 34 shots and his record is now 1-2-0-0.

Porter stopped 26 of 30 shots and he is now 11-11-1-2.

SCORING SUMMARY

First period – No scoring. Penalties – Hauf, Sea (major-fighting), :24. Geertsen, Van (major-fighting), :24. Ottenbreit, Sea (interference), :52. Bear, Sea (delay of game), 12:19. Kolesar, Sea (goaltender interference), 17:48.

Second period – 1, Seattle, Pederson 7 (Millette, Hauf), 8:44. 2, Vancouver, Houck 17, 15:19. 3, Vancouver, Stuckel 4 (Houck), 19:02. Penalties – Ottenbreit, Sea (interference), 9:46. Odgers, Van (tripping), 15:46. Foster, Van (boarding), 19:29.

Third period – 4, Seattle, Smith 5 (Theodore, Lipsbergs), :40 (pp). 5, Vancouver, Roach 6 (Odgers, Geertsen), 5:44. 6, Seattle, Millette 15 (Theodore, Barzal), 7:37 (pp). 7, Vancouver, Jones 26, 9:20. 8, Seattle, Gropp 22 (Theodore, Eansor), 11:33. 9, Vancouver, Benson 13 (Popoff), 15:18. Penalties – Osipov, Van (roughing), 6:47. Lipsbergs, Sea (tripping), 15:23. Mennell, Van (unsportsmanlike conduct-embellishment), 15:23.

Shots on goal – Seattle 5-10-15 30, Vancouver 16-12-6 34. Goalies – Seattle, Flodell 34 shots-29 saves (1-2-0-0); Vancouver, Porter 30-26 (11-11-1-2). Power plays – Seattle 2-3; Vancouver 0-4. A – 6,072. Referees – Tyler Adair, Jeff Ingram. Linesmen – Dustin McGowan, Michael Bean.