This past week we were off from OSN, and many things took place, including a ton of games.
We’ll try to catch up.
Spokane picked up three goals, one a period, but it wasn’t enough to get past Seattle, who scored 4 as the Thunderbirds outshot the Chiefs 38-31 went 1/3 while Spokane went 1/4 on the power play.
Neither Saskatoon nor Prince Albert scored on the combined 12 power plays 0/5 and 0/7, but Saskatoon outshot PA 23-18 and scored a 3-1 win.
Edmonton outshot Red Deer 37-34 and shutout the Rebels 5-0 using 3 of their 7 power play chances.
Neither Calgary nor Lethbridge hit the lamp on their 3 power play chances each, but Lethbridge scored a 3-1 win over the Hitmen though Calgary outshot the Hurricanes 35-29.
The next night, Portland dropped Seattle on TV 4-1, where the Hawks scored once on their 5 power plays, while Seattle scored once on three tries.
Everett continued their dominant ways with a 2-0 shutout over the Chiefs. Everett failed on two power plays; Spokane missed on their one chance while the shots remained tied.
Moose Jaw beat Swift Current 5-1 on the scoreboard and a wide margin of 41-17 on shots. Moose Jaw scored 4 of the power play goals with 8 tries, and Swift Current failed on their one try.
Brandon Wheat Kings couldn’t convert on their 6 power plays but still eeked out a 3-2 win over Regina Pats. The Pats scored once on their 6 tries. Brandon outshot the Pats 35-24
Lethbridge went 2/5 on the power play, but lost to Calgary 4-3 which went 0/6 but gained a 40-32 shots on goal.
Edmonton scored a 3-1 win over Red Deer but was close in shots with a 28-27 Edmonton lead. Edmonton potted 2/3 on the power play yet only yielded 1 goal on 6 tries.
The next night 6 games were on the docket.
Portland nabbed a 4-3 win over Spokane Chiefs, where Portland was the home team in Seattle. Portland outshot the Chiefs 38-33. Portland went 0/2 and Spokane 0/3 on the power play.
Everett shutout the Tri-City Americans 7-0 but only scored 2/4 on the power play, shutting out the Americans 0/2 and outshot them 34-18.
Winnipeg needed overtime to defeat Prince Albert 3-2. The Ice scored 1/6 on the power play, stopping all three tries by the Raiders, but outshot the Raiders 35-22.
Saskatoon scored a 3-1 win over Moose Jaw, where neither team scored on the power play on their combined 6 tries. The Blades got 28-21 shots on goal edge in the game.
Calgary outshot the Hurricanes 40-36 but got past the Canes 7-4. The Canes went 2/5 on the power play and shut out the Hitmen 0/3.
Neither Edmonton nor Red Deer scored on their 6 combined power plays, but the Oil Kings scored a 5-2 win over the Rebels. Edmonton also doubled up on shots on goal 36-18
Swift Current scored a 5-2 win over the Raiders, where they went 2/6 on the power play and shut out the Raiders on their 2 chances. The Raider did outshoot Swift Current 30-28.
A wild battle ensued with Saskatoon getting past the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-4. The Wheaties outshot the Blades 33-28 but were held scoreless on their 7 power play tries, holding the Blades to just once on 5 tries.
The next night saw Winnipeg score an ugly 8-3 win over the Regina Pats, though they were outshot 35-33. The Ice scored three goals on five power play chances while blanking the Pats on four tries.
The next night saw Everett blank the Tri-City Americans, this time 3-0. The Silvertips scored once on their three tries on the power play, blanking the Americans on 4 tries. Tri-City outshot the Silvertips 30-21.
The Brandon Wheat Kings scored a lopsided 8-2 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors, with the Wheat Kings scoring 5/7 on the power play, with Moose Jaw scoring twice on six chances and giving Brandon a 42-29 shot advantage.
It took overtime for Saskatoon to get a 6-5 win over Swift Current, where both teams went 1/2 on the power play. The Blades enjoyed a 41-20 shot advantage in the game.
Things came to a head in the WHL with a rather ugly story out of Seattle this past week. First reported by Gregg Drinnan, the actions seemed to have started last season. In an age where racial intolerance is unacceptable, the report came from a staff member who oversaw it and reported it. Bill Laforge, General Manager of the Thunderbirds, provided the following statement:
Kent, March 25, 2021 – In the week leading up to the start of the Seattle Thunderbirds 2020-21 season, a report of two players communicating inappropriate racial comments and actions towards a third player in the team locker room was brought forward. We thoroughly investigated this incident upon learning of it by conducting interviews with the team and staff. The Seattle Thunderbirds have a zero-tolerance policy for comments and actions that are racially insensitive or bullying.
The Western Hockey League has a zero-tolerance policy for racism, and any other form of abuse, and is committed to providing a safe and positive environment for all players. Each year, the WHL delivers extensive Players First educational programs to ensure players and team staff understand the importance of respect and know how to prevent hazing, abuse, harassment, and bullying. All members of the Seattle Thunderbirds completed Respect in Hockey educational programming and Respect in Sport certification, which includes specific programming on racism and diversity, prior to the start of the 2020-21 WHL Regular Season.
Effective immediately the two players are no longer on the T-Birds roster. The two players removed from the roster will continue their education and personal growth in this area. We will use this incident to further emphasize that comments of this nature will not be tolerated and further emphasis will be placed on educational programming in this area.
The Seattle Thunderbirds will have no further comment on this incident.
Bil La Forge
Seattle Thunderbirds General Manager.
