For the Reporter
Zack Andrusiak and Dillon Hamaliuk each had a goal and two assists to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 5-3 season-opening Western Hockey League victory over the Portland Winterhawks at the accesso ShoWare Center on Saturday night.
Seattle took a 1-0 lead at 11:11 of the first period on Nolan Volcan’s power-play goal. Simon Kubicek passed the puck to Zack Andrusiak on the right wing in the neutral zone. Andrusiak moved the puck to Volcan as he entered the offensive zone. Volcan took a shot from the right circle that rebounded off Portland goalie Shane Farkas, right back to the team captain, who put the rebound under Farkas for the team’s first goal of the season.
The Winterhawks tied the game 1-1 with a five-on-three power-play goal by Joachim Blichfeld at 14:54 of the first. Reece Newkirk and Jared Freadrich had the assists.
The T-Birds struck for three goals in 5:13, two coming 48 seconds apart, early in the second period to take a 4-1 lead.
Dillon Hamaliuk set up the T-Birds go-ahead goal 50 seconds into the period. Hamaliuk got a loose puck in the high slot and stickhandled around two Portland defensemen forcing Farkas down. Hamaliuk then backhanded the puck to a wide open Andrusiak as the right post. Andrusiak slammed the puck into the open net.
Owen Williams and Matthew Wedman combined for the two goals in 48 seconds. One a three-on-one rush, Andrusiak carried puck into the offensive zone on the right wing before dropping the puck to Williams, who wired it over Farkas’ glove at 5:15.
Hamaliuk set up Wedman at 6:03 to make it a 4-1 game. Hamaliuk held off a Portland defenseman with his left arm and fed the puck to Wedman the left post. Wedman chipped the puck over a prone Farkas for the goal.
As good as the T-Birds started the second, goalie Liam Hughes finished the second stopping a penalty shot and a breakaway. At 14:23 of the of the second, Seth Jarvis was awarded a penalty shot when he was tripped up on a breakaway. Jarvis whiffed on a shot from the slot, but the puck kept moving, and he went for a backhand shot that Hughes gobbled up.
Then with the T-Birds on the power play, Hughes stopped Mason Mannek on a breakaway with four minutes left in the period.
The Winterhawks cut the T-Birds’ lead to two goals at 5:29 of the third period on Jarvis’ goal. Cross Hanas had the only assist.
Jarvis scored at 12:10 of the third to cut the T-Birds’ lead to one goal. Nick Cicek and Matthew Quigley had the assists.
Farkas headed to the bench with just over a minute left in the game for an extra attacker. Hamaliuk got to a loose puck just inside the Seattle blue line. Hamaliuk sent the puck the length of the ice and hit the empty net to seal with win.
Hughes finished with 30 saves on 33 shots to get his first win of the season.
Farkas made 30 saves on 34 shots.
What’s ahead
The T-Birds’ next game is Friday, Sept. 28, at 7:35 p.m. at the Vancouver Giants. They travel to Portland to take on the Winterhawks at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29.
Their next home game is at 6:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, against the Kelowna Rockets.
Single-game tickets are on sale online and at the ShoWare box office. Season tickets can be purchased by calling the T-Birds office at 253-239-7825.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – 1, Seattle, Volcan 1 (Andrusiak, Kubicek), 11:11 (pp). 2, Portland, Blichfeld 1 (Newkirk, Freadrich), 14:54. Penalties – Kolle, Sea (tripping), 2:55. MacKenzie, Por (roughing), 11:02. Bauer, Sea (tripping), 13:27. McIsaac, Sea (roughing), 14:29. Cicek, Por (roughing), 17:23.
Second period – 3, Seattle, Andrusiak 1 (Hamaliuk), :50. 4, Seattle, Williams 1 (Andrusiak), 5:15. 5, Seattle, Wedman 1 (Hamaliuk), 6:03. Missed Penalty Shot – Mannek, Por, 14:23. Penalties – McNelly, Sea (holding), 11:41. Ludvig, Por (tripping), 14:29. Lee, Sea (high-sticking), 19:23. Blichfeld, Por (10-minute misconduct), 19:57. De Jong, Por (cross checking, 10-minute misconduct), 20:00. Gilliss, Por (major-fighting), 20:00. Gricius, Por (roughing), 20:00. Mannek, Por (major-fighting, game misconduct), 20:00. Bauer, Sea (major-fighting, game misconduct), 20:00. Hughes, Sea (10-minute misconduct), 20:00. Volcan, Sea (roughing), 20:00. Williams, Sea (major-fighting), 20:00.
Third period – 6, Portland, Jarvis 1 (Hanas), 5:29. 7, Portland, Jarvis 2 (Cicek, Quigley), 12:10. 8, Portland, Hamaliuk 1, 19:32. Penalties – MacKenzie, Por (tripping), 5:32.
Shots on goal – Seattle 11-15-9 35, Portland 12-10-11 33. Goalies – Seattle, Hughes 33 shots-30 saves (1-0-0-0); Portland, Farkas 34-30 (0-1-0-0). Power plays – Seattle 1-6; Portland 1-4. A – 6,069. Referees – Brett Iverson, Mark Pearce. Linesmen – Michael Bean, Ron Dietterle.
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