Unless the goalie is sitting on the bench, hockey teams are supposed to have a maximum of five skaters on the ice.
If they skirt that rule, they're asking for trouble.
Kind of like what the Seattle Thunderbirds gave the Prince George Cougars Wednesday at CN Centre in a 4-0 spanking.
Cavin Leth served up the punishment in the third period with the Cougars forced to try to kill their third bench minor of the game for too many men and the T-bird's centre scored their second goal. Brad Morrison, the designated sinbin occupant, was nearing the end of the penalty when Leth wired a shot from the slot for his second of the game with 14:26 gone in the third. It was more than enough offence to spark the T-birds to victory and a split of the two-game WHL series.
Landon Bow, newly acquired in a trade from the Swift Current Broncos, made 26 saves for his third shutout of the season.
All of the scoring happened in the third period. Ryan Gropp and Jerret Smith, with a shorthanded empty-netter, also put pucks into the Cougar net.
The win moved the T-birds (23-15-3-0) within five points of the Cougars (26-16-1-1) in the Western Conference standings.
The Cougars were caught napping when Leth collected the opening goal of the game, 13 seconds into the third period. Scott Eansor turned on the jets to beat his check to loose puck behind the net and backhanded a pass that found the blade of Leth's stick.
Gropp's goal, his 19th of the season, came after a giveaway at the blueline from Cougars defenceman Josh Anderson, which set up a 3-on-0 chance.
The T-birds, who lost the opener of the series 6-2 on Tuesday, protected their lead well to kill off consecutive penalties in the first half of the third period, led by the shot-blocking antics of defencemen Jerret Smith and Turner Ottenbreit and forwards Mathew Barzal and Alexander True.
The Seattle defence kept the Cougars from getting pucks deep into the zone and their passes were off-target way too many times. Once Seattle got its lead, despite some solid play from Cougars goalie Ty Edmonds, the home team offered very little pushback.
The game got off to a bit of rough start with two fights in the first three minutes.
Cougars Anderson tangled with T-bird Jared Hauf in a battle of large-bodied defencemen 51 seconds into the game, followed by a spirited duel between Seattle winger Luke Osterman and Cougars tough guy Kolby Johnson.
After a scoreless opening period which ended with Cats sniper Jesse Gabrielle denied on a breakaway deke attempt, the game opened in the middle frame with chances at either end of the ice foiled by the goalies.
Twice in the second period the Cats got caught twice with one too many skaters on the ice and escaped unscathed - but just barely. Edmonds got caught behind the net when the puck took a funny bounce off the end boards right onto the stick of Leth. Acquired along with Bow from Swift Current at the trade deadline, Leth let go a shot right away and Edmonds dove along the ice, somehow catching it in his trapper.
The Cougars came close on a 2-on-1 pass from Chase Witala to Justin Almeida, but Bow was in great position to shift in the crease and rob Almeida of his second goal of the season.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Cougars take to the road for their next game Saturday in Vancouver, followed by a Tuesday date in Kelowna... Cougar winger Kody McDonald's three-goal effort in Tuesday's win came in his 100th career WHL game with the Cougars. He now has 11 goals this season.
Game Summary:
T-Birds 4 at Cougars 0
First Period
No scoring.
Penalties - Hauf Sea (fighting), Anderson PG (fighting) 0:51,Osterman Sea (fighting), Johnson PG (fighting), Ottenbreit Sea (tripping), McDonald PG (high-sticking) 5:42, Schuldhaus Sea (roughing) 15:34, Witala PG (slashing) 16:19.
Second Period
No scoring.
Penalties - Hauf Sea (holding) 2:09, PG bench (too many men, served by Morrison) 4:10, Osterman Sea (tripping) 6:33, Gabrielle PG (high-sticking) 6:53, PG bench (too many men, served by Almeida) 10:16.
Third Period
1. Seattle, Leth 8 (Eansor, Volcan) 0:13
2. Seattle, Leth 9 (Allbee, Schumacher) 14:26 (pp)
3. Sesttle, Gropp 19 (Holowko, Barzal) 17:58
4. Seattle, Smith 7, 18:59 (sh)
Penalties - Holowko Sea (tripping) 3:11, Volcan Sea (interference) 8:44, PG bench (too many men, served by Morrison) 12:34, Eansor Sea (double high-sticking) 17:58.
Shots on goal by
Seattle 5 14 9 --28
Prince George 10 7 9 --26
Goal - Seattle, Bow (LW,12-14-4-0); Prince George, Edmonds (L,14-9-1-0).
Power plays - Sea: 1-6; PG: 0-7.
Referees - Brett Iverson, Colin Watt; Linesmen - Ron Dietterle, Nick Albinati.
Attendance - 2,362.
Scratches - Seattle: D Jarret Tyszka, RW Quinn Seidel, LW Garan Magnes, RW Keegan Kolesar (served one-game suspension for taking part in staged fight, Jan. 11); Prince George: D Luka Zorko (healthy), D Joel Lakusta (healthy), RW Josh Curtis (healthy), LW Colby McAuley (served one-game suspension for taking parting staged fight, Jan. 11).
