Tri-City blanks T-birds to win series

KENNEWICK — The Seattle Thunderbirds took their best shot, in fact they fired off 32 of them, but it wasn't enough.

The T-birds' season ended with a 4-0 loss to the Tri-City Americans on Friday in the Western Conference semifinals in a game that typified the series won by the Americans four games to one.

"We played hard and well and we obviously went down, but it sure didn't seem like a 4-0 game," Seattle coach Rob Sumner said. "They were opportunistic again, and they have a great goalie. Credit them. It wasn't just bad luck on our part, but we were right there the whole way."

Tri-City advances to the Western Conference final against either Spokane or Vancouver, who are tied at two games apiece in the other semifinal.

The difference in the game and series was Tri-City's power play and the steady, often spectacular goaltending of Chet Pickard.

Colton Yellow Horn scored twice, once on the power play and once into an empty net for the Americans, who scored 11 power-play goals in the series.

"That's the way the series went, our power play outperformed theirs and so did our penalty killing," Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur said. "A bounce here and a bounce there, and it could have been different."

Tri-City took the lead with its power play. Jason Reese scored his third goal of the playoffs when he slid the puck past Jake DeSerres on Tri-City's backdoor play that worked so often in the series.

Seattle had a chance to tie the score when Reese drew a penalty at the 20-minute mark of the period for hooking, but was unable to capitalize.

The T-birds had several more opportunities against Pickard in the second period, but might have showed some frustration when Taylor Procyshen stole a pass at his own blue line and scored on a breakaway at 12:13.

It was the second shutout of the series for Pickard, who also blanked the T-birds in Game 2. He made 32 saves in this one, several from close in.

The Americans, who had the best record in the regular season at 52-16-2-2, are 8-1 in the playoffs. The only loss was a 7-1 rout by Seattle in the series opener.

Seattle captain Thomas Hickey, who suffered a concussion in Game 1 and missed the next three games, returned for Seattle and fired off several hard shots on Pickard.

"He's all heart, and he plays to win," Sumner said. "He did whatever he could to help us win. People don't know how hurt we were. We had guys who probably shouldn't have been in the lineup and fought through it. It was a quality effort from our team."

The game was the last one for Seattle overagers Scott Jackson, Benn Olson and Ian McKenzie.