Mathew Barzal scored 1:30 into overtime to lift the Seattle Thunderbirds to a dramatic 5-4 win over the Everett Silvertips in Game 3 of their Western Conference playoff semifinal series at the ShoWare Center on Tuesday night.
The T-Birds can close the Western Hockey League best-of-seven series in Game 4 Friday at ShoWare. Face-off is 7:35 p.m.
Ryan Gropp came off the left boards at the blue line and skated to the high slot. Gropp took a shot with Keegan Kolesar screening Everett goalie Carter Hart. Gropp’s shot hit a body in front of Hart and rebounded into the right circle. Barzal skated to the loose puck and beat Hart with a wrist shot to send the 5,141 at ShoWare Center into a frenzy.
Barzal, who missed the first round of the playoffs with the mumps, tied the game 4-4 at 4:23 of the third period. Donovan Neuls passed the puck to Barzal in the left corner. Barzal skated up to the left point and then back down to the top of the left circle. Barzal took a wrist shot with Kolesar screening Hart. Barzal’s shot beat Hart over the glove for his second goal of the playoffs.
Seattle goalie Carl Stankowski made 14 saves to improve his playoff record to 7-0.
Seattle took a 1-0 lead at 12:52 of the first period on Kolesar’s fourth goal of the playoffs. Barzal made a backhand saucer pass from the left boards in the neutral zone the Everett zone where Kolesar chased it down. Kolesar came in on Hart and took a shot. The puck went through the goalie and Kolesar got to it below the goal line. Kolesar flicked the puck back at Hart and it hit the goalie and went into the net. Aaron Hyman had the second assist on the goal.
Seattle outshot Everett 10-6 in the first period.
The T-Birds went in front 2-0 at 32 seconds into the second period. Ethan Bear took a shot from the mid-point that went through Hart and lay in the crease. Sami Moilanen banged at the puck before Nolan Volcan dove and pushed the puck across the goal line.
Seattle took a 3-0 lead 3:33 in the second period. Matthew Wedman chased down a puck in the left corner of the Everett zone. Wedman got the puck to Zack Andrusiak who took a shot from a sharp angle. Andrusiak’s shot hit the right boards and the puck went into the right circle. Alexander True collected the puck and beat Hart with a wrist shot for his fourth goal of the playoffs.
Everett scored its first goal at 7:42 of the second. Dominic Zwerger was hooked on a breakaway and lost control of the puck. Aaron Irving got the loose puck in the right circle and fired it on goal past Stankowski.
The Silvertips cut the T-Birds’ lead to one goal at 9:41 of the second on a power-play goal from Eetu Tuulola. Kevin Davis and Dominic Zwerger had the assists.Everett tied the game 3-3 on a power-play goal from Zwerger at 13:29 of the second.
The Silvertips went in front 4-3 at 14:37 of the second on an unassisted goal from Tuulola.
Seattle led 32-18 in shots after 60 minutes by outshooting Everett 10-3 in the third period. The T-Birds outshot the Silvertips 33-18 in the game. Hart finished the game with 28 saves.
Series glance
Western Conference semifinal vs. Everett
Game 1 – Seattle 3, at Everett 2
Game 2 – Seattle 4, at Everett 3
Game 3 – At Seattle 5, Everett 4, OT
Game 4 – Everett at Seattle, Friday, April 14, 7:35 p.m.
Game 5 – Seattle at Everett, Saturday, April 15, 7:05 p.m*
Game 6 – Everett at Seattle, Tuesday, April 18, 7:05 p.m.*
Game 7 – Seattle at Everett, Wednesday, April 19, 7:05 p.m.*
*if necessary
Tickets
For Game 4, fans can purchase 10 tickets at $22 each for $220 and get an additional two free tickets plus $10 worth of Chuck-A-Pucks. The group ticket special is available online. The special for Game 4 is also available by contacting the T-Birds at 253-239-PUCK (7825) and is not available on game day. It is advance purchase only.
Single-game tickets for Game 4 are on sale at the ShoWare Center box office and online. The box office is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – 1, Seattle, Kolesar 4 (Barzal, Hyman), 12:35. Penalties – Wylie, Evt (embellishment), 7:58. Moilanen, Sea (tripping), 15:32.
Second period – 2, Seattle, Volcan 3 (Moilanen, Bear), :32. 3, Seattle, True 4 (Andrusiak, Wedman), 3:33. 4, Everett, Irving 2 (Zwerger), 7:42. 5, Everett, Tuulola 4 (Davis, Zwerger), 9:41 (pp). 6, Everett, Zwerger 3 (Bajkov, Tuulola), 13:29 (pp). 7, Everett, Tuulola 5, 14:37. Penalties – Adams, Sea (hooking), 8:58. Eansor, Sea (hooking), 11:47. Bajkov, Evt (high-sticking), 15:36.
Third period – 8, Seattle, Barzal 2 (Neuls), 4:23. Penalties – No penalties.
Overtime – 9, Seattle, Barzal 3 (Gropp), 1:30. Penalties – No penalties.
Shots on goal – Seattle 10-12-10-1 33, Everett 6-9-3-0 18. Goalies – Seattle, Stankowski 18 shots-14 saves (7-0); Everett, Hart 33-28 (4-5). Power plays – Seattle 1-2; Everett 2-3. A – 5,141. Referees – Kevin Bennett, Brett Iverson. Linesmen – Mark Heier, Nathan Van Oosten.
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