Seattle Thunderbirds fans, you can rest easy tonight. Your favorite junior hockey team has sailed through the first round of playoff games with flying colors, more specifically beating the Prince George Cougars with a score of 4-1 on Saturday night! Did anyone think this was going to be possible in December or early January when the Birds were struggling to form a cohesive team? It’s almost hard to believe that this is the same team. This confident, talented group of young men seems able to take on any team and come out victorious.

 5,092 people turned up at the ShoWare Center to see the winsome Birds notch yet another win, much to the crowd’s delight. Fans were not happy with the officials that night, who seemed off their “game,” but they were certainly pleased with the work of the team. Although some fans asked for better power plays, which is a legitimate criticism, most agreed that it was an intense and enjoyable game to witness. The Birds now lead in the best of seven series and we can’t wait to see what will happen next.

Several T-Birds had a spectacular night, not the least of whom was Landon Bow with his 17 saves on 18 shots. Bow now has two playoff wins under his belt, and it’s great to see him being so well celebrated and accomplished after such a tumultuous start to his T-Birds career. Two goals were made by Keegan Kolesar, whom fans agreed was on fire last night, and three assists were made by Matthew Barzal. Ethan Bear and Scott Eansor also scored goals.

No goals were made during the first period, which occurred during the first playoff game against the Cougars as well. During the second period, both teams scored, tying the game 1-1 with goals from Kolesar and Witala. Then Bear stepped in and took the game for the Birds during the same period, and Seattle never let the Cougars take it back. Kolesar and Barzal both scored during the third period.

Games 3 and 4 will be at Prince George, so fans may not be able to see those in person. The games will take place this Tuesday and Wednesday. Tune in at 7:00 PM to catch the games and see if the Birds continue to win. Miss this game? Be sure to check the website for highlights and to download a digital program to commemorate the game.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia