Ross pulls out the stops as Thunderbirds top Silvertips

December 1, 2019 10:30 am
Seattle goalie Roddy Ross. COURTESY PHOTO, Brian Liesse, T-Birds
Seattle goalie Roddy Ross. COURTESY PHOTO, Brian Liesse, T-Birds

Roddy Ross had 32 saves and Andrej Kukuca and Conner Roulette each scored to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 2-1 Western Hockey League victory over the Everett Silvertips at Angel of the Winds Arena on Saturday night.

Ross had 32 saves in the game, making 12 saves in the first period, 14 in the second period and six more in the third period.

Everett took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Ronan Seeley 1:02 into the game.

Seattle tied the game 1-1 at 3:07 of the first on Andrej Kukuca’s seventh goal of the season. Kukuca got a loose puck in the neutral zone and headed up ice on a two-on-one break with Roulette. Kukuca skated into the right circle and beat Everett goalie Dustin Wolf with a snapshot over the goalie’s right shoulder. The goal was Kukuca’s seventh of the season.

The T-Birds had a lot of energy in the third period and carried the game. They capitalized with 6:02 left when Roulette jammed in a puck in the crease. Owen Williams took a shot from the right circle that came off Wolf to Henrik Rybinski at the right post. Rybinski got a stick on the puck before Roulette put it into the net for his fifth goal of the season.

Seattle put 20 shots on Wolf in the third period and outshot Everett 38-32 in the game.

Notes

The T-Birds’ next game is at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at the Spokane Chiefs. They return home game on Dec. 10 – a Dave and Buster’s 2-for-Tuesday. All tickets, soda, popcorn, hot dogs and beer have special two-for-one prices. Single-game tickets are on sale online and at the accesso ShoWare Center.

The T-Birds’ holiday premium voucher package is available – 12 flexible vouchers valid for any home game from Jan. 11 to March 21, for $23 a voucher. There are no service charges or other fees to purchase the package. Fans can contact the T-Birds at 253-239-PUCK (7825) or go online to purchase a voucher package.

SCORING SUMMARY

First period – 1, Everett, Seeley 2 (Fonstad, Goncalves), 1:02. 2, Seattle, Kukuca 7 3:07. Penalties – Jeri-Leon, Sea (hooking), 3:44. Gurney, Evt (unsportsmanlike conduct, major-fighting), 6:36. Rempe, Sea (major-fighting), 6:36. McNelly, Sea (cross checking), 10:02.

Second period – No scoring. Penalties – Bauer, Sea (hooking), 13:09. Rempe, Sea (tripping), 16:00. McNelly, Sea (holding), 18:56.

Third period – 3, Seattle, Roulette 5 (Rybinski, Williams), 13:58. Penalties – Mitchell, Evt (tripping), 4:03. Seeley, Evt (holding), 6:21.

Shots on goal – Seattle 9-9-20 38, Everett 13-14-6 32. Goalies – Seattle, Ross 32 shots-31 saves (7-9-2-1); Everett, Wolf 38-36 (13-6-0-0). Power plays – Seattle 0-3; Everett 0-5. Referees – Mike Campbell, Fraser Lawrence. Linesmen – Nick Albinati, Fraser Lawrence.