PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — Carter Hart’s 17-year-old season began exactly like his 16-year-old year — with a road shutout in the season opener.
Hart stopped all 27 shots as the Everett Silvertips defeated the Prince George Cougars 2-0 in the first game of the season at the CN Center in Prince George.
The Tips (1-0-0-0) won their third consecutive season opener. Hart was the surprise starter at goaltender last year in a 1-0 win at Seattle.
Rookie Connor Dewar clinched the victory with his first goal as a Silvertip as he used an assist from Cole MacDonald to score an empty-net goal at 19:23 in the third. Patrick Bajkov’s second-period goal gave Everett the lead it did not relinquish.
The Tips also were the recipient of an apparent goal that was called back. With the score still knotted at 0-0 at 2:34 in the second, Brogan O’Brien set a screen in front of the net and appeared to backhand the puck past Hart.
But the replay showed that O’Brien had kicked it into the goal, and the officials waved off the goal, which preserved what proved to be Hart’s fifth career shutout.
Everett bounced back from a tough first period offensively in which it was out-shot 6-5. The Tips out-shot Prince George (0-1-0-0) 31-21 over the final two periods to hold a 36-27 shot advantage.
Hart was challenged heavily in the first period and also made a critical save in the final minute of the second to preserve the lead.
Bajkov gave the Tips their first lead of the season with a shot from the middle of the left circle at 12:30 in the second with both teams down to four players on the ice. The goal was unassisted.
Dawson Leedahl nearly made it 2-0 with a breakaway from center ice, but Prince George goaltender Ty Edmonds made an impressive save to keep it a one-goal game.
With the goaltender pulled as the final minute ticked away, 16-year-old Dewar scored his first career goal with 37 seconds to play that pushed the score to 2-0 and sent many of the 3,902 fans at the CN Center heading for the exits.
The Tips killed both Cougar power plays including a Mackenzie Dwyer slashing penalty with 3:56 to play in the game.
Edmonds took the loss despite recording 35 saves. The two teams conclude their two-game season-opening stint Sunday at the CN Center. The puck drops at 5 p.m.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
