The Seattle Thunderbirds hockey team continued their late season playoff push this past week, gaining ground in the Western Conference standings after a pair of wins that helped move the team into seventh place.

Seattle began the stretch Friday night on the road against the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick. The game went to a shootout, with Tri-City ultimately claiming the victory. The result still gave the Thunderbirds one point in the standings.

Heading into Saturday’s matchup, Seattle sat in tenth place in the Western Conference. The Thunderbirds returned home and responded with a decisive 5–1 win over the Americans in front of a mostly filled arena.

The victory, combined with losses by both Victoria and Portland that night, lifted Seattle into the seventh spot in the conference standings.

Portland regained the position Sunday after defeating Tri-City, moving the Winterhawks back to seventh and dropping Seattle to eighth.

The Thunderbirds returned to the ice Tuesday against the visiting Victoria Royals and earned a 2–0 victory. Goaltender Marek Sklenicka recorded his second career shutout, helping Seattle move back into seventh place.

With six games remaining in the regular season, Seattle is four points behind the Spokane Chiefs for sixth place in the Western Conference.

The top eight teams will advance to the playoffs.

The Thunderbirds will return to home ice this Saturday night, Mar. 14 when they host their I-5 rival the Portland Winterhawks. The game will also be celebrated as Pride Night.

The Thunderbirds’ 2025-26 Western Hockey League regular season continues through Mar. 22, 2026, with home games at accesso ShoWare Center in Kent:

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