Stankowski backstops Thunderbirds to Game 1 win | WHL playoffs

Kolesar scores twice in 4-2 victory over Tri-City

March 25, 2017 9:30 am
The Thunderbirds’ Keegan Kolesar celebrates after scoring one of his two goals during a 4-2 playoff win against the Americans on Friday night. COURTESY PHOTO, Brian Liesse/T-Birds

Carl Stankowski made 33 saves to lead the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 4-2 win over the Tri-City Americans in Game 1 of their best-of-seven, first-round Western Hockey League playoff series at the ShoWare Center on Friday night.

Game 2 is 7:05 p.m. Saturday at ShoWare.

Stankowski was at his best with the T-Birds leading 3-1 before the 10-minute media timeout of third period. Stankowski stopped Parker AuCoin on a shorthanded breakaway. Austyn Playfair scored at 7:26 of the third on a shorthanded breakaway to cut the T-Birds’ lead to one goal.

Stankowski denied Morgan Geekie on a breakaway as he was being hooked by a T-Bird defender, drawing a penalty shot. Stankowski stopped Geekie’s five-hole attempt on the penalty shot at 9:39 of the third. He then followed that up with a save on a second AuCoin shorthanded breakaway.

Seattle took a 1-0 lead at 5:37 of the first period. Ethan Bear took a wrist shot from the mid-point. Tri-City goalie Rylan Parenteau knocked down the puck and Alexander True got a stick on the rebound. The puck went into the left circle where Keegan Kolesar chased it down. Kolesar spun around and whipped the puck at Parenteau. Kolesar’s shot beat the goalie on the glove.

The T-Birds extended the lead to 2-0 at 8:50 of the first on a power-play goal from Ryan Gropp. Bear took a wrist shot from the mid-point that hit Kolesar in the high slot. The puck went to Gropp in the left circle and he took a quick wrist shot. Gropp’s shot beat Parenteau on the short side as the goalie scrambled over to try and make the save.

The Americans got on the board at 10:10 of the first on a goal from Jordan Topping.

Austin Strand gave the T-Birds 3-1 lead at 4:50 of the third. Strand came across the blue line and skated into the high slot. Strand took a wrist shot that beat Parenteau over the glove. Sami Moilanen and Aaron Hyman had the assists.

AuCoin’s breakaway goal at 7:26 was unassisted.

The T-Birds sealed the win when Kolesar scored his second goal of the game at 17:46 of the third. Turner Ottenbreit had the puck in the left corner of the T-Birds zone as Kolesar was coming out of the penalty box. Ottenbreit played the puck up to Donovan Neuls who banked it off the glass to Kolesar in the neutral zone. Kolesar skated down the left wing and with a defenseman in front of him snapped a wrist shot over Parenteau’s glove.

Parenteau made 27 saves on 31 shots.

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SERIES GLANCE

Seattle vs. Tri-City, best-of-7 first-round series

Game 1 – At Seattle 4, Tri-City 2

Game 2 – Tri-City at Seattle, Saturday, March 25, 7:05 p.m.

Game 3 – Seattle at Tri-City, Wednesday, March 29, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – Seattle at Tri-City, Friday, March 30, 7:05 p.m.

Game 5 – Tri-City at Seattle, Saturday, April 1, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 6 – Seattle at Tri-City, Monday, April 3, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 7 – Tri-City at Seattle, Wednesday, April 5, 7:05 p.m.*

* if necessary

TICKETS

Fans can purchase single-game tickets online or at the ShoWare Center box office.

SCORING SUMMARY

First period – 1, Seattle, Kolesar 1 (True, Bear), 5:37. 2, Seattle, Gropp 1 (Kolesar, Bear), 8:50 (pp). 3, Tri-City, Topping 1 (Sandhu, Krebs), 10:10. Penalties – Tyszka, Sea (handling the puck), 1:42. Wotherspoon, Tri (tripping), 8:35. True, Sea (hooking), 10:56. Eansor, Sea (boarding), 19:02.

Second period – No scoring. Penalties – Adams, Sea (checking from behind), 2:57. O’Reilly, Tri (cross checking), 6:22. Moilanen, Sea (high-sticking), 12:28.

Third period – 3, Seattle, Strand 1 (Moilanen, Hyman), 4:50. 5, Tri-City, Playfair 1, 7:26 (sh). 6, Seattle, Kolesar 2 (Neuls, Ottenbreit), 17:46. Penalties – Geekie, Tri (tripping), 6:38. Valimaki, Tri (high-sticking), 8:25. Missed Penalty Shot – Geekie, Tri, 9:39. Wedman, Sea (tripping), 12:13. Kolesar, Sea (hooking), 15:35. Fuller, Tri (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 19:52. James, Tri (10-minute misconduct), 20:00. Playfair, Tri (cross checking), 20:00. Yorke, Tri (10-minute misconduct), 20:00. Strand, Sea (10-minute misconduct), 20:00.

Shots on goal – Seattle 9-11-11 31, Tri-City 12-4-19 35. Goalies – Seattle, Stankowski 35 shots-33 saves (1-0-0); Tri-City, Parenteau 30-27 (0-1-0). Power plays – Seattle 1-6; Tri-City 0-7. A – 3,359. Referees – Kevin Bennett, Sean Raphael. Linesmen – Nick Bilko, Zach Brooks.