For the Reporter
Liam Hughes had 31 saves to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 3-1 WHL victory over the Vancouver Giants at the Langley (B.C.) Events Centre on Friday night.
Hughes, the first star of the game, had 10 saves in the first and third periods and 11 saves in the second period and is now 2-0-0-0 on the season.
Seattle took a 1-0 lead with 1:31 left in the second period on Dillon Hamaliuk’s power-play goal. Simon Kubicek took a slap shot from the high point that came off the end boards to Payton Mount to the right of the goal. Mount took a quick shot that came off Vancouver goalie David Tendeck to Hamaliuk to the left of the net. Hamaliuk put the rebound into the net for his second goal of the season.
Vancouver outshot Seattle 12-11 in the second period and led 22-20 in shots after two periods.
The Giants tied the game 1-1 on an unassisted goal by James Malm at 8:27 of the third period.
Matthew Wedman broke the 1-1 deadlock at 16:53 of the third period. Mount sprung Wedman and Hamaliuk on a two-on-one break from the Seattle zone. Wedman skated down the left wing and snapped a quick wrist shot over Tendeck’s glove and just under the crossbar for the go-ahead goal. Jake Lee had the second assist.
Mount’s two assists gave him his first multi-point game as a T-Bird.
The Giants pulled Tendeck late in the game for an extra attacker. With 14 seconds left in the game the T-Birds won a faceoff in the left circle and were able to move the puck up ice. Hamaliuk played the puck to Nolan Volcan to send the team captain in all alone, and he put the puck into the empty net.
Vancouver outshot Seattle 32-28 in the game.
The T-Birds travel to Portland to take on the Winterhawks at 6 p.m. Saturday. The T-Birds’ next home game is Saturday, Oct. 6, against the Kelowna Rockets at 6:05 p.m. at the accesso ShoWare Center.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – No scoring. Penalties – Kannok Leipert, Van (high-sticking) 1:15. Harsch, Se (tripping), 9:57. Dmytriw, Van (interference), 15:50. Bench, Sea (served by Hamaliuk), 16:34. Hardy, Van (tripping), 19:42.
Second period – 1, Seattle, Hamaliuk 2 (Mount, Kubicek), 18:29 (pp). Penalties – Kubicek, Sea (slashing), 12:09. Roman, Van (kneeing), 16:38. Bulych, Van (hooking), 18:49.
Third period – 2, Vancouver, Malm 3, 8:27. 3, Seattle, Wedman 2 (Mount, Lee), 16:53. 4, Seattle, Volcan 2 (Hamaliuk) 19:55 (en). Penalties – Lee, Sea (tripping), 5:45. Bulych, Van (holding), 17:50.
Shots on goal – Seattle 9-11-8 28, Vancouver 10-12-10 32. Goalies – Seattle, Hughes 32 shots-31 saves (2-0-0-0); Vancouver, Tendeck 27-25 (2-1-0-0). Power plays – Seattle 1-5; Vancouver 0-4. A – 2,738. Referees – Stephen Campbell, Nick Swaine. Linesmen – Cade Cooke, Adam Harris.
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