The Western Hockey league Championship Series is heading to Seattle deadlocked at a game apiece after the Thunderbirds wrestled away home ice advantage from the Winnipeg Ice with a 4-2 victory Saturday Night before an announced crowd of 5609 at Canada Life Centre.
Winnipeg Jets 2022 first round draft pick Brad Lambert scored a pair of third period goals for the Thunderbirds who will now enjoy home ice advantage for the next three games.
The Western Conference champs snapped a 1-1 tie early in the third period with goals just 8 seconds apart from Lambert and Reid Schafer – both courtesy of giveaways by Ice defensemen.
Lambert picked off a Karter Prosofsky clearing attempt inside the Winnipeg blueline and snapped a wrist shot past Hauser at 5:02.
On the ensuing faceoff, Dylan Guenther of the T-Birds intercepted a Graham Sward pass across the end boards and fed a wide open Schafer who dropped to one knee ala Brett Hull to beat Hauser at 5:10 for what turned out to be the winning goal.
Ice Head Coach James Patrick felt his team’s puck management overall was lacking in Game Two. “It wasn’t our defending, it wasn’t our D zone coverage. It was strictly puck management that gave them some opportunities that they capitalized on.”
Zach Benson beat Seattle netminder Thomas Milic in tight for his second goal of the night and sixth of the post season less than 3 1/2 minutes after the two quick Seattle tallies to make it a one goal game.
But Lambert settled the issue when he tracked down a loose puck in neutral territory that had bounced over the stick of Winnipeg forward Vladislav Shilo and went bar down to restore Seattle’s two goal advantage with 2:46 remaining.
“For the breakaway I got a good bounce and got around the D. Their D made a turnover for me on the first goal and just buried it. ”
Benson, who celebrated his 18th birthday with Friday’s 3-2 win, opened the scoring barely 4 minutes in when he beat a screened Milic glove side to give the Ice a 1-0 lead.
Hauser turned in a 35 save effort in a losing cause while Milic stopped 28 of 30 Ice shots.
Defenseman Jeremy Hanzel scored Seattle’s other goal, ripping home a one timer just 1:24 into the second period to tie it 1-all.
The series now shifts to the Pacific Northwest and will resume Tuesday Night with Game Three. Game Four is set for Wednesday and game five will be played Friday with all three games in Seattle starting 9:05 p.m. CT.
Thunderbirds Head Coach Matt O’Dette says having home ice for those next three games is not something his team is focusing on. “We’re just looking towards the next game. We’re going to be excited to be in front of our home fans. Having last change – yes it is nice to have that. They have some dangerous guys that you want to make sure you have the right guys on the ice for.”
If the series extends to a sixth game, it would be played Sunday, May 21 back in Winnipeg at 7 p.m. A seventh and deciding game would be played Monday, May 22 at 5 p.m.
The eventual winner will represent the WHL in the 2023 Memorial Cup Tournament which is set to start Friday, May 26 in Kamloops, B.C.
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