The Tri-City Americans finally returned to the win column in dramatic fashion, defeating the Seattle Thunderbirds 5–4 in a shootout in a must-win game for their playoff hopes while also ending their 12 game losing streak in the process.

First Period

Seattle came out flying, outshooting Tri-City 10–3 through the opening ten minutes. Their pressure paid off as they opened the scoring on their second power-play opportunity of the game.

Frustration continued to mount for Tri-City, as they were forced into their third penalty kill of the game after the second media timeout. The Americans were being outworked early and were in danger of falling behind 2–0.

The penalty kill held strong, and shortly after the kill, Savin Virk, Tri-City’s leading goal scorer, tied the game for his first goal of the night.

Jake Gudelj entered the zone down the right wing and spotted Virk trailing into the play. Gudelj slid the puck over, and Virk barreled into the slot with speed before beating Seattle goaltender Grayson Malinoski glove side.

Seattle responded late in the period, however, much to the disapproval of the Toyota Center crowd. Matej Pekar was credited with the goal after the puck deflected in front with just two minutes remaining.

After one period, Tri-City trailed 2–1. Despite Seattle’s dominant start and three power plays in the opening frame, the Americans had done a good job limiting the damage.

Also during the first intermission, the 9th annual G2 Wiener Dog Race took place.

Second Period

Tri-City got off to a strong start in the second period, tying the game on a one-time blast from Jake Gudelj at the point. The goal gave Gudelj two points on the night already.

Later in the period, Tri-City earned its first power play of the game. After snapping an 0-for-28 drought in the previous game, the Americans power play had come to life.

The puck was worked to the front of the net, creating a scramble where Alex Laing was able to shove it past Malinoski to give Tri-City its first lead of the night. It was Laing’s sixth goal of the season and his second in as many games.

Seattle answered shortly after when Noah Kosick led an odd-man rush and fed Cameron Schmidt on the backdoor. Schmidt buried it past Wendt to tie the game 3–3.

The teams remained deadlocked for the remainder of the period, though Schmidt nearly gave Seattle the lead late with a one-timer from the right circle that sailed just wide.

Tri-City looked much improved in the second period. Shots were even at 20–20 heading into the third, and the Americans were 1-for-2 on the power play.

Third Period

The third period turned into one of the most entertaining final frames Tri-City has played in the second half of the season.

The game remained tight throughout. Unlike many of their recent games, the Americans did not allow Seattle to take control during pivotal times.

Midway through the period, Cruz Pavao created one of the best chances of the night. After weaving around the Seattle defense, he put a backhand on net, gathered his rebound in front, and somehow fired the puck over the crossbar with the net wide open as Malinoski was sprawled out and the top half of the net was open. Pavao’s effort did draw a penalty, as he looked into the rafters disgusted at his miss.

Tri-City’s power play, which had struggled mightily throughout February, came through again arguably during the most important game of the season up to this point.

Savin Virk buried a rebound for his second goal of the game, giving Tri-City a 4–3 lead with eight minutes remaining as they were now just minutes away from ending this streak.

But the drama was far from over.

A late penalty to Jake Gudelj gave Seattle a power play with just two minutes left. The Thunderbirds pulled Malinoski to create a six-on-four advantage.

The gamble paid off.

With 1:19 remaining, Coster Dunn found space in the left circle and fired a shot over the shoulder of a screened Wendt to tie the game 4–4 and force overtime.

Overtime

Seattle generated several Grade-A chances during the extra frame but could not solve Wendt, who made multiple key saves to keep the game alive.

With neither team able to score, the game headed to a shootout.

Shootout

Cruz Pavao led off the shootout for Tri-City and used his classic forehand-backhand move to score, improving to a perfect six-for-six in his WHL shootout career.

Seattle countered with Cameron Schmidt, but he fired his shot wide.

Savin Virk followed and calmly skated in before beating Malinoski to give Tri-City the 2-0 advantage in the shootout.

Wendt then made the final save, securing the 5–4 shootout victory.

Postgame / What’s Next

The win snapped one of the worst losing streaks in team history and improved Tri-City’s record to 26-29-4-1.

The Americans now sit three points out of a playoff spot and just one point behind Seattle.

First star Savin Virk, who scored twice in the victory, spoke after the game.

“It feels great to get back in the win column. It was a tough game, but when we play our game I think we’re a tough team to beat.”

Virk also reflected on the mood in the locker room during the 12-game losing streak.

“It was a tough locker room. Guys were frustrated, but others were persevering. It’s about finding that balance and getting back to the consistency we had earlier in the year. Tonight was a great step toward that.”

Head coach Jody Hull also noted a major difference in his team’s mentality.

“It was a very important win. We were a bit sluggish in the first, and I challenged the guys in the second intermission to be harder on pucks and shoot more. Once we started doing that, you could see our energy and mojo coming back.”

Hull emphasized the belief the team showed throughout the night.

“They believed they could get it done. You could see it on their faces and in how they worked. If we played like that and lost, there would be no reason to be upset. They did everything possible to win, and they got the job done in the end.”

Tri-City finished the night 2-for-3 on the power play. Their two power-play goals matched their total from the entire month of February, and the unit is now 3-for-4 over the past two games.

The Americans now travel to Seattle tomorrow night for a 6:05 PM rematch as they try to complete the weekend sweep and move closer to a playoff spot.