The T-Birds broke their 12 game losing streak at the Coliseum in a big way, taking advantage of a hot PP and shutting the door on the home team. Not sure why Hay pulled the goalie down 4-0, maybe trying to break the second consecutive shut-out for Calvin Pickard who is beginning to look like his brother Chet the past two games. I don’t agree with Hay letting the T-Bird players pad their stats, but you’ve got to admire the balls it takes to make that call. The Giants had a few chances, but when the net was open they couldn’t get their sticks on the puck. The Thunderbirds did a good job clearing the front of their net, checking well and made the most of their lead as they did last night in Everett. Pickard turned away 25 shots for the blank sheet. His second in as many nights.

The Seattle squad opened the scoring just past the mid-way mark of the first period. Sena Acolatse scored his first of two in the game. Taking a Rouse feed to the net, beating back-up Brendan Jensen for the first goal of the game. The T-Birds followed that up with a PP goal a couple of minutes later when Charles Wells put one home off of some quick passing by the T-Birds. Rai and Warg were awarded the helpers.

The Giants held the Seattle team to just three shots in the second, but one of them found its way through Jensen, who did not sound like he was very good tonight. The G-Men played a better period out-shooting the visitors 9-3, but were on the wrong side of the scoring sheet as Pickard a made few good stops to preserve his shut-out streak. The Giants had a tough time getting plays to connect and lacked some serious finish around the net. On a delayed penalty the Birds put in the first coffin nail. With the goalie pulled, Sena Acolatse scored his second of the game on an individual effort going from behind his net, end to end, putting the puck past Jensen. This more than anything is indicative of the kind of half-effort game the Giants put out there tonight. The Giants were also lacking the surging Kevin Connauton, off on a one game suspension for his part in a line brawl on Friday night.

It took ‘til the third period until the Giants actually got some traffic and pressure right in the crease. Jensen wasn’t able to keep his team close early on and the T-Bird goals seemed to come out of nowhere tonight. Very little set-up just bang, bang plays. The two teams had 9 shots apiece in the final frame as the Giants were not able to up their game or work their way past the tough and tenacious checking of the Seattle T-Birds in this one. The Birds cashed in another PP just past the mid-way mark of the third. Prab Rai, the Vancouver Canucks prospect who had three easy points tonight, found the twine past Jensen. Neilsen and Schappert garnered the assists. With under two minutes to play Don Hay elected to pull his goalie either as an exercise, to break Pickard’s shut-out streak, or to make a point to the boys. Regardless of what his reasons were the T-Birds scored another easy one padding Rai’s stats with a solo EN marker, giving the Birds a 5-0 victory on the night. Sadly Pickard did not need to stand on his head for the goose-egg, the Giants just sucked tonight and need to be much better than this with that daunting, virtually two month, roadsie coming up in January.

The Giants barely out-shot the Birds 25-22, but failed to make that count on the score-sheet. They are letting some teams win easy games and that’s not Giants hockey. They can take the losses in stride if they aren’t giving their opponents an easy time of it, but both games versus the Americans and this one were easy wins to give away and that just can’t happen. The other guys better feel like they had to put everything into their game to get the win and tonight they didn’t. The Birds just needed to play a solid road game, their third in three nights, and they did.

The Giants have a couple days off to work to get their game back in shape. They failed to get their fourth straight win of the season in this game and have to start all over again to find that groove. They take on the Chilliwack Bruins on Wednesday at the Coliseum. They need to keep up their record versus the Bruins, tromping them soundly so far this season, to regain a bit of swagger they were starting to develop over the past few games. The puck drops at 7pm PST on Wednesday.

Three Stars

1. Sena Acolatse
2. Calvin Pickard
3. Prab Rai