Thunderbirds blast Rockets behind Volcan hat trick

Fred Meyer Teddy Bear Toss presented by WARM 106.9 FM returns Saturday

January 20, 2018 8:30 am
The Thunderbirds’ Nolan Volcan celebrates one of his three goals with teammate Sami Moilanen, right, in front of the Rockets’ net during WHL play Friday night. COURTESY PHOTO, Brian Liesse/T-Birds

Nolan Volcan had a hat trick to power the Seattle Thunderbirds to a 7-2 Western Hockey League win over the Kelowna Rockets in front of a sellout crowd of 6,057 at the accesso ShoWare Center on Friday night.

The T-Birds host the Swift Current Broncos at 7:05 p.m. Saturday in a game that features the annual Fred Meyer Teddy Bear Toss presented by WARM 106.9 FM. After the first T-Birds’ goal fans will throw teddy bears and stuffed animals on the ice. They will be collected by the WARM 106.9 FM Teddy Bear Patrol and will be distributed to police and fire departments who give them to children in times of emergency and crisis.

On Friday, Seattle goalie Dorrin Luding had 27 saves to improve to 6-10-1-0.

Seattle (23-16-4-2) took a 1-0 lead 59 seconds into the first period. Sami Moilanen won the puck in the left circle and found Zack Andrusiak in the slot. Andrusiak beat Kelowna goalie Brodan Salmond low on the glove side for his 20th goal of the season.

Nolan Volcan made it 2-0 at 8:01 of the first. Volcan intercepted a Kelowna pass in the left circle, skated forward and beat Salmond with a wrist shot over the glove for his 21st goal of the season.

The T-Birds made it a 3-0 lead at 6:07 of the second period. Moilanen poke checked a Kelowna forward in the neutral zone. Noah Philp got the loose puck on a three-on-one. Philp skated toward Salmond and beat the goalie on the blocker side for his ninth goal of the season.

Kelowna (28-14-2-1) got on the board at 10:20 on Dillon Dube’s power-play goal. Cal Foote and Kole Lind had the assists.

Volcan scored his second of the game at the 12-minute mark of the second on the power play to give the T-Birds a 4-1 lead. Jarret Tyszka had the puck at the left point and passed it down the wall to Volcan, who skated into the left circle and snapped a wrist shot past Salmond under the blocker. Moilanen had the second assist on the goal.

Turner Ottenbreit scored on a breakaway at 13:40 of the second to make it a 5-1 Seattle lead. Ottenbreit was following a Kelowna forward around the blue line when he lost an edge and went down. Ottenbreit kicked the puck to his stick at the Seattle blue line and charged down ice, beating Salmond with a shot through the legs for his sixth goal of the year.

The Rockets replaced Salmond with Cole Tisdale after the T-Birds fifth goal. Salmond had 11 saves on 16 shots and his record is 4-5-0-1.

Seattle extended the lead to 6-1 at 6:43 of the third to make it a 6-1 lead. Tyszka passed the puck up to Matthew Wedman on the left wing. Wedman entered the zone and then dropped the puck to Blake Bargar inside the blue line. Bargar skated into the right circle and put a wrist shot over Tisdale’s blocker into the upper left corner of the net.

Kelowna got a second goal at 10:34 of the when Conner Bruggen-Cate scored. Leif Mattson and Jack Cowell had the assists.

Volcan completed the hat trick at 17:33 of the third with a five-on-three power-play goal. Tyszka passed the puck from the right point to Donovan Neuls in the right circle. Neuls took a shot that Tisdale stopped. Volcan got the rebound and slid it under the goalie for his first career hat trick.

Seattle outshot Kelowna 13-7 in the third period and 33-29 in the game.

Tisdale made 15 saves on 17 shots.

Tickets are on sale online on the T-Birds website and at the ShoWare Center box office. Season tickets may be purchased by calling the T-Birds office at 253-239-7825.

SCORING SUMMARY

First period – 1, Seattle, Andrusiak 20 (Moilanen), :59. 2, Seattle, Volcan 21, 8:01. Penalties – Katzalay, Sea (delay of game), 4:09.

Second period – 3, Seattle, Philp 9 (Moilanen), 6:07. 4, Kelowna, Dube 20 (C. Foote, Lind), 10:20. 5, Seattle, Volcan 22 (Tyszka, Moilanen), 12:00. 6, Seattle, Ottenbreit 6, 13:40. Penalties – Katzalay, Sea (tripping), 9:20. Brennan, Kel (roughing), 11:26. Lee, Sea (delay of game), 17:02.

Third period – 7, Seattle, Bargar 9 (Wedman, Tyszka), 6:43. 8, Kelowna, Bruggen-Cate 14 (Mattson, Cowell), 10:34. 9, Seattle, Volcan 23 (Moilanen, Tyszka), 17:33 (pp). Penalties – Brennan, Kel (hooking), 2:42. Dube, Kel (tripping), 4:47. Ottenbreit, Sea (charging), 6:11. Neuls, Sea (roughing), 6:11. Chizen, Kel (roughing), 6:11. Malukhin, Sea (boarding), 8:43. Pow, Kel (roughing, major-fighting), 8:43. Katzalay, Sea (major-fighting), 8:43. Dube, Kel (slashing), 12:08. Korczak, Kel (holding), 15:36. Bruggen-Cate, Kel (cross checking), 17:25.

Shots on goal – Seattle 11-9-13 33, Kelowna 10-12-7 29. Goalies – Seattle, Luding 29 shots-27 saves (6-10-1-0); Kelowna, Salmond 16-11 (4-5-0-1), Tisdale 17-15. Power plays – Seattle 2-6; Kelowna 1-4. A – 6,057. Referees – Duncan Brow, Ian Jendro. Linesmen – Justin Nicole, Adam Brastad.