The Seattle Thunderbirds hockey team kept its playoff hopes alive Wednesday night with a 5-0 victory over the Kelowna Rockets at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia.
The T-Birds have 63 points and are tied with the Kamloops Blazers for ninth place in the Western Conference playoff standings. The T-Birds are three points behind the eighth-place Prince George Cougars, and four points behind the seventh-place Everett Silvertips.
Seattle and Everett both have three games remaining in the regular season. The top eight teams in the conference make the playoffs.
The T-Birds stay on the road and will face the Spokane Chiefs on Friday at Veterans Memorial Arena. They return home to the ShoWare Center for the last two regular season games of the year. They face the Portland Winterhawks at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday and the Tri-City Americans at 5:05 p.m. on Sunday.
Seattle goalie Calvin Pickard stopped 23 shots to get his first shutout of the season and his record is now 27-31-3-5.
Seattle (27-33-4-5) took a 1-0 lead at 14:55 of the first period on a power-play goal by Burke Gallimore. Marcel Noebels crossed the puck to Gallimore at the top of the right circle. Gallimore skated towards the net and put a hard slap shot on goal. Gallimore’s shot beat Kelowna goalie Jordon Cooke over the left shoulder.
The puck went in the right corner of the net, hit the top inner bar and came out the left side and into the slot. The red goal light did not come on and the referees did not indicate a goal had been scored, so play continued on the ice. After about 30 seconds more of play the whistle blew giving the officials a chance to use video review.
After about a minute of review the officials indicated a goal had been scored. Brenden Dillon had the second assist on Gallimore’s team leading 33rd goal of the year.
The T-Birds increased their lead to 2-0 at 17:42 of the first on Chance Lund’s sixth goal of the year. Dillon sent the puck up ice to Lund who skated into the left circle. Lund put a slap shot on goal that beat Cooke over his right shoulder.
Seattle outshot Kelowna 14-9 in the first period.
Travis Toomey got a lucky bounce and extended the T-Birds lead to 3-0 lead at 5:59 of the second period. Toomey got to a loose puck at the top of the right circle and put wrist shot on goal. Cooke was sliding to his left to make the save just as Toomey’s shot hit a Kelowna defender and changed direction. Cooke had slid out of position to make the save on the initial shot and puck sailed into an empty net. It was Toomey’s 22nd goal of the season.
The T-Birds led 22-14 in shots after two periods after outshooting the Rockets 8-5 in the second period.
The T-Birds went in front 4-0 at 9:01 of the third period on an unassisted goal from Luke Lockhart. Lockhart picked up a loose puck in the right circle of the Kelowna zone and put a slap shot on goal. Lockhart’s shot beat Cooke over the left shoulder for his 21st goal of the year.
Marcel Noebels made it a 5-0 T-Birds lead at 15:12 of the third. Mitch Elliot centered the puck from the right circle to Noebels who was in front of Cooke. Noebels beat Cooke over the blocker for his 26th goal of the season. Lockhart had the second assists on the goal.
Seattle outshot Kelowna (42-27-0-1) 11-9 in the third period and 33-23 in the game.
Cooke stopped 28 of 33 shots and his record is 7-6-0-0.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – 1, Seattle, Gallimore 33 (Noebels, Dillon), 14:55 (pp). 2, Seattle, Lund 6 (Dillon), 17:42. Penalties – Button, Sea (hooking), 10:50. Bench, Kel (too many men-served by Franko), 14:22.
Second period – 3, Seattle, Toomey 22, 5:59. Penalties – Severson, Kel (tripping), 7:57. Button, Sea (slashing), 14:28.
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