Well, folks, we had high hopes that the Seattle Thunderbirds would end the year on a high note. And that may still be possible, seeing as they have one more game to go before we kiss 2015 goodbye. But that high note will not include last night’s game against the Spokane Chiefs, because Spokane really took the game. In fact, they played so hard that the Birds did not make a single goal all night long.

The Birds were playing the Chiefs at the Spokane home territory, Veterans Memorial Arena, which is always tougher to begin with. You have fewer fans rooting you on in person, you’re in more unfamiliar territory and surrounded by the fans of the opposing team—so you expect a little extra difficulty anyway. But the Chiefs just had zero mercy for the Birds Saturday.

Spokane outshot Seattle right off the bat, scoring a goal in the first period and shooting nine shots to Seattle’s five. Dominic Zwerger, assisted by Jason Fram and Jacob Cardiff, made the goal. During the second period, Curtis Miske, assisted by Keanu Yamamoto and Dominic Zwerger,  scored a goal. The final goal of the night was scored by Hudson Elynuik and assisted by Kailer Yamamoto and Dominic Zwerger again. Logan Flodell made25  saves while the Chiefs’ goalie, Tyson Verhelst, made 19. It just doesn’t seem fair, does it?

So Seattle is still first place in the US Division, but before you breathe a sigh of relief, keep in mind that they are only ahead by a single point now. The Chiefs are right behind them—and the Silvertips are tied with the Chiefs. A first place loss could come at a moment’s notice so the Birds need their fans to believe in them harder than ever.

The last game of the year is coming up this week. On Thursday, the Birds will be playing at Portland. The puck drops at 7:30 for one final game just before the clock strikes midnight, so be sure to be thinking of how they will #unleashthethunder while you are enjoying your New Year’s Eve festivities. The Birds will have one more game this week, a Saturday match versus Tri City at the ShoWare Center, and then they’ll have two more games next week: one versus Portland and one versus Everett, both at the ShoWare Center. Be sure to get your tickets early so you can cheer them on live.

Photo courtesy of wikipedia