tbirdsRats. The T-birds kind of let this game get away from them a bit.

Better luck tonight, guys! Unfortunately we’ll miss that game because we’ve got Roller Derby tickets. This time of year is always a scheduling challenge, between playoff games, the start of the ACT Theatre season, and Roller Derby getting started. Assuming the T-birds can win at least one of the next 3 games, though, we’ll be at game 5 next Thursday.

(details of Friday’s loss, after the jump)

The teams traded goals during the first period, with Seattle’s Ian Mackenzie scoring first on a power-play. One of the Bloodoff brothers (yes, they have a pair of players with the beyond-awesome last name of BLOODOFF) scored off his backhand to tie it. The T-birds were looking like the better team through the second period and were up 2-1 when Kelowna scored their second goal with just 14 seconds left in the period.

Ouch. The T-birds lived up to the stereotype that giving up a goal late in a period really takes the wind out of a team’s sails. They really looked back on their heels though much of the third period, and struggled to gain or maintain possession offensively. They gave up a power-play goal to go down by one.

Still they rallied with some good shifts, but ultimately flubbed what could have been the game-tying goal. With Helenius pulled for the extra attacker, the team crashed the net with good pressure. But Jim O’Brien just couldn’t quite handle a bouncing puck on the edge of the crease, and their best chance to tie eluded them.