Thunderbirds
Youth serves Birds in shutout victory

By Jim Riley
Special to The Seattle Times

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It was rookie appreciation night at KeyArena, and the Seattle Thunderbirds celebrated with their fourth straight win.

Rookie goaltender Gavin McHale stopped 26 shots and rookie center Mitch Fadden scored two goals to help the T-birds beat the Tri-City Americans 3-0.

The T-birds are 5-0 at home under rookie head coach Rob Sumner and lead the U.S. Division with a 9-3 record.

McHale, who is 6 feet 6 with a wingspan that has earned him the nickname "Big Bird," has won both starts in his fledgling Western Hockey League career, stopping 45 of 46 shots.

"Every save is tough in this league," McHale said after making it look the opposite. "Everyone is playing excellent in front of me. Once I make the first save, they're clearing it away from in front of the net."

McHale said he wasn't nervous and is trying to make the most of his opportunities.

So is Fadden, who has four goals and eight points this season and plays with the intensity of a veteran.

"I've always been a confident player," Fadden said. "If you play timid, you're already defeated."

Tyler Metcalfe snapped a scoreless tie in the second period on a goal set up by Denis Tolpeko. After killing off a penalty to start the second period, Tolpeko broke free at the blue line and snapped off a quick shot on Tri-City goaltender Carey Price. Tolpeko kept batting at the rebound and it eventually came out to Metcalfe, who knocked it in for his second goal and 10th point of the season.

Fadden made it 2-0 when Ryan Gibbons planted himself in front of Price.

"Gibbons was right there, so I just took a shot on net," Fadden said. "Somehow it got right through the goalie's legs."

Fadden's second goal, which put the game away in the third period, came after a perfect clearing pass from Zack FitzGerald sent the rookie off on a breakaway.

"I heard it hit the post, but I knew it was in," Fadden said. "I'm fortunate to be playing with a great line with Gibbons and Tolpeko. They both create a lot of open ice for me."

Sumner said having a deep and balanced team was one of the keys to winning three games in three nights.

"We had a great effort right through our lineup," Sumner said. "We used a lot of our bench, and everybody was involved. We came with energy, and I was very happy with the tempo and the intensity that we played with."

Sumner said he didn't hesitate to give McHale his second start, even though it meant giving red-hot Bryan Bridges a rest.

"Gavin played very solid, and we know he has the ability," Sumner said. "Getting a shutout is a great achievement."

The T-birds have beaten the Americans twice this season and are 4-1 against the U.S. Division.

Notes

• The T-birds and Americans play seven more times this season. The next game is in Kennewick on Nov. 3.

• The T-birds are still playing without Nate Thompson (knee), Cole Simpson (hip flexor) and Josh Lepp (hand).

• The T-birds play next in Spokane on Friday and return home against Kamloops on Saturday.

Thunderbirds 3, Americans 0

Tri-City	0	0	0	—	0
Seattle	0	2	1	—	3

First — No Scoring. Second — 1. Seattle, Metcalfe 2 (Tolpeko) 1:19. 2. Seattle, Fadden 3 (Gibbons, Stamler) 12:47. Third — 3. Seattle, Fadden 4 (FitzGerald) 14:13. Shots on goal — Tri-City 10-12-4 — 26.Seattle 6-16-16 — 38. Goalies — Tri-City: Price (L,3-5-2); Seattle: McHale (W, 2-0-0). Power plays (Goalies — s, chances) — Tri-City: 0-4; Seattle: 0-5. Attendance — 2,983.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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