Mathew Barzal and Co. leave lasting impression on Seattle Thunderbirds franchise
WINDSOR, Ont. — When the Seattle Thunderbirds fell 7-0 on Tuesday to the Saint John Sea Dogs at the Memorial Cup, it signalled the last time the franchise’s core would play together.
It’s the end of a four-year journey for a group of teenagers now forced to take the next step in their careers.
Forwards Mathew Barzal, Ryan Gropp, Keegan Kolesar, Scott Eansor and defenceman Ethan Bear — all rookies with Seattle in 2013 — will be moving on, with four full seasons of junior under their belt.
“After we lost I was kind of having flashbacks from when I was 16 to now,” said Bear, an Oilers prospect. “Very sad, probably the last day I’ll throw on the jersey with those guys.