Seattle had a chance to close things out at home on Wednesday night and simply couldn't get it done.
They looked tired... both physically and emotionally and they allowed Kelowna to be the aggressors. They spent far too much time worrying about officials and not enough time worrying about keeping their composure and keeping Kelowna's PP from attacking.
The good news is that the Tbirds played pretty poorly on Wednesday night and Kelowna didn't exactly blow their doors off. Now the Rockets have two more injuries to deal with but have momentum on their side and the home crowd behind them.
Connor Honey is out until further notice as he has been suspended by the league for the hit that has knocked MacKenzie Johnston out for the remainder of the playoffs. I thought the hit was too aggressive and probably warranted a penalty for Charging but I thought where he hit Johnston got a lot of shoulder and drove Johnston's opposite shoulder into the boards (hence the dislocated shoulder). So I'm not sure that I agree with the leagues assessment here.
You never want to see players get hurt and you feel for Johnston who will be out 6-8 weeks... but the punishment shouldn't be based on the outcome, it should be based on the action and I just didn't think the action was very different from what we see happened in hockey in general and certainly in playoff games where the intensity and the checking/hitting is more intense.
So Seattle has that to deal with and they'll attempt to close out the series up in Kelowna where the Tbirds have had a ton of success over the years but haven't had success closing out a playoff series.
If they can regain their energy and intensity and get back to the trapping, mucking style that slowed the Rockets down in the first 3 games AND stay out of the penalty box, they should have an excellent shot to close out the series tonight against all reasonable expectations.
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17 comments :
OK. Guess we get another shot at home. But I fear we're about to become the second team in WHL history to piss away a 3-0 series lead.
hmmmm i had a feeling this may happen... this sucks... seattles gotta win this series... cmon seattle!!!!! win it at home!!!!
Only good thing, I was able to loosen my wife's purse strings and got permission to take the kids to the game. We expect a WIN! Go T-Birds!
Glover made some unreal saves in the second and third periods. The final shot by Theo missed by no more than three inches. Good to see the birds figure out how to score again.
We gotta hope that those last few seconds of the game reminded them that, yes, they can in fact hang with, score on, and beat Kelowna. We'll see if that's the lesson they learned come Tuesday.
Also, I'll just say it... FREE KEEGAN KOLESAR!
Barzal still not signed and should be playing in this series. NOT a good sign Barzal will ever be a thunderbird.
Ya anonym @3:11. I have zero inside knowledge of the situation but I don't think he will ever play here. The bantam draft is about 4 1/2 weeks from now, meaning he has had a year to decide on playing here. I think he has already committed to playing somewhere else in the WHL. I found it interesting that he told Andy Eide that he would decide before the draft. Probably to give Russ the chance to trade him and maybe move up in the draft or acquire a package of players and picks. The whole showing up for a practice and watching rather than playing in two playoff games, is to me all PR for his future team. I'm not a head case or problem, and I was really considering Seattle right up to the last minute. My camp just decided that it wasn't the right opportunity for me. We shall see what happens, but I am looking forward to watching and cheering for Kolesar and Bear. Players that would love to get in there right now against Kelowna.
Seattle wont trade him.. They will hold onto him and let him go NCAA route and hope when hes taken top 5 in NHL draft in 2015, that his NHL team will want him to play Junior hockey for a season to prepare better for NHL.
Seriously, the WHL is giving Honey three games for a shoulder to shoulder hit? Would they also like to spot Kelowna a 2-0 lead before game 6 started and if necessary game 7 as well?
T-birds are going to have to dig deep, feed off the crowd and get off to a good start tomorrow night.
So the WHL officials, on and off the ice, have somehow managed to reach a new depth of incompetance. Honey is one of my favorite Birds right now, given his ability to score and his willingness to chase pucks deep and lay hits, even on bigger players, and to have him out tomorrow night is brutal.
Again, FREE KEEGAN KOLESAR!
Birds are going to have to dig deep tomorrow and pull out a win, there allot of tickets left so hopefully we get a crowd around 3,ooo to 3,500.
It doesn't seem like the fans are buying those half price tickets. I expected more to be sold by this time.
I am sure no one in t bird managment would say anything to suggest that Bruce Hamilton might have had the ear of whoever hands out the suspensions, but I am sure they are thinking it.
20014
The honey suspension is the whl way of saying kamloops vs kelowna would be a great series to put on shaw. No I don't really think that but 3 playoff games for something that should have been maybe a 2 min charge c'mon now, sad the kid got hurt but he turned into it no ill intent. That's steep and very suspect.
once again it's the officiating or the leagues fault!
Kolesar is expected to play tonight.
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