The Game
The Everett Silvertips certainly gave their fans plenty of entertainment for the home opener.
The night that began with a friendly grizzly bear riding a four-wheeler continued with fireworks and the raising of a U.S. Division championship banner, and concluded with an edge-of-your-seat overtime victory when overage assistant captain Remi Laurencelle knocked home the game-winner from fellow overage assistant captain Carson Stadnyk as the Tips won 5-4 over Spokane.
Laurencelle scored twice and added an assist for the Silvertips in what was an excellent home debut for the Winnipeg native. A prolific scorer at the midget level, Laurencelle became a “fourth line grinder” with the Lethbridge Hurricanes. But he has found new life with the Silvertips since arriving via trade halfway through the 2013-14 season.
“It’s just how the league works, right?” Laurencelle said. “Sometimes you have to change your role and become a grinder, and I was fortunate enough to have some good teammates with some perfect passes (tonight).”
The game itself was a true back-and-forth affair as neither team led by more than a goal at any time.
The Turning Point
With Spokane leading 3-2 at 11:58 in the second period, Chiefs right winger Kailer Yamamoto was granted a penalty shot. But Silvertips goaltender Carter Hart recorded a glove save to keep it a one-goal game. Instead of falling behind by two goals the Tips scored back-to-back power play goals to take their first lead of the game.
Three Stars
3. Kevin Davis, Everett: Davis earned the third star with two assists on the evening.
2. Jason Fram, Spokane: Fram, the Chiefs’ overage captain, earned the second star by scoring Spokane’s first two goals.
1. Remi Laurencelle, Everett: No doubt about this choice as Laurencelle scored twice and had an assist to lead the Tips to victory.
Notes: The Tips scratched G Austin Lotz, D Tristen Pfeifer, D Jantzen Leslie, F Brian King and F Yan Khomenko… Pfeifer had hoped to play Saturday, but is still out with a shoulder injury… Khomenko has yet to play this season… The Tips were 3-of-5 on the power play after scoring just one power play goal in the previous three games combined. Said head coach Kevin Constantine: “We struggled a little bit in the beginning on the power play, so that was nice. We said it was going to take a while and it still will probably take a while, but it was good to build a little confidence when you get out there and get some goals on them.”
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