Hockey players are renowned for their ability to play despite excruciating pain. Ryan Gibbons proved last Sunday that he belongs in the fraternity.

Late in the first period against the Vancouver Giants, the thin, 6-foot-5 forward for the Seattle Thunderbirds took an awkward hit and felt his left skate slice into his right ankle.

Gibbons knew it was bad when he removed his skate boot and found it filled with blood. He knew it was worse than bad when he could see his ankle bone.

"When I turned my boot over it, was like dumping out a glass of water, there was so much blood," Gibbons said. "We were short a couple of guys already, so I wanted to get right back out there."

Seattle trainer Tim Holmstrom and doctors at Pacific Coliseum agreed to give it a shot. Gibbons spent most of the second period getting seven stitches in the ankle. In the third period, Gibbons scored the game's only goal.

"It was such a tight game that my mind was only on the game," Gibbons said. "It kind of felt like a bruise, so I didn't even think of it as a cut with stitches."

Although the win helped numb the pain, Gibbons limped around on Monday. He missed practice Tuesday but expected to be in the lineup when the T-birds play in Prince George today.

"It was a clean cut with a sharp skate, so it should heal very nicely," Gibbons said. "It's just sore right now because of the swelling."

Gibbons' clutch goal put Seattle at 31-11-0-1, the best record in the Western Hockey League, and gives the T-birds a 13-point lead over second-place Everett in the U.S. Division.

Gibbons said the big lead won't make the T-birds complacent.

"All we have to do is think back to last year," Gibbons said, remembering the fifth-place finish that kept the T-birds out of the playoffs. "There's no such thing as a comfortable lead for us. We're just going to keep on trucking. Nothing is going to stop us now."

Although the T-birds are the unanimous choice as the top team in the WHL for the second week in a row according to a poll of writers who cover the league, coach Rob Sumner said there's plenty of room for improvement.

The most obvious area is a power play that has been largely ineffective all season and ranks 15th among the 20 league teams at only 13.1 percent.

"One of our goals has been to get our defensemen more involved offensively," Sumner said. "It doesn't happen overnight, but now we're consistently seeing our D-men add offense, so it is getting better. We're consistently getting scoring chances, and that's what you want."

Notes

• Seattle's injury situation is about to get better. Tyler Metcalfe, the team captain who has been out with a high ankle sprain, made the long trip to Prince George. He is expected to be ready to play Saturday when the Portland Winter Hawks visit KeyArena.

• Denis Tolpeko, who is out with a shoulder injury, didn't make the trip but should return next week.

• Scott Jackson and Chris Durand, who were in Vancouver for the Top Prospects Game last night, flew into Prince George this morning and were expected to play against the Cougars.