Silvertips trying to find right chemistry on the ice

EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips swapped centers on their first two lines Friday, with Matt Fonteyne joining Carson Stadnyk and Dawson Leedahl on the first line, while Remi Laurencelle teamed with Dario Winkler and Patrick Bajkov on the second.

The two lines were back to normal by the end of Friday’s game, a 2-1 overtime victory over Prince George, and remained that way in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Vancouver.

“It’s just trying to find chemistry in the long run, but there’s also chemistry in the short run and that changes game to game,” Silvertips coach Kevin Constantine said. “Some nights guys are really going (well) and you can imagine in life there are days you aren’t going (well) for whatever reason. … We’re always searching during the game to see who is really going (well).”

Love is good as gold

Silvertips assistant coach Mitch Love has been absent from the Everett bench the past two weeks, but with good reason: He was assisting Hockey Canada’s Team White at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge in British Columbia.

Team Canada White made it worth Love’s while as the team topped Russia 6-2 on Sunday to win the gold medal.

Also in international hockey news, the CHL Canada-Russia Series began Monday in Kelowna, B.C., and continues tonight in Kamloops.

The first two games feature Russia taking on Team WHL. The Russians continue the series with two games against Team OHL Nov. 12 and 16, and Team QMJHL Nov. 17 and 19.

Everett goaltender Carter Hart and defenseman Noah Juulsen are on the Team WHL roster.

Team WHL scored the game’s first seven goals en route to a 7-3 victory over Russia Monday night.

Juulsen scored the second goal for Team WHL. His backhand goal at 14:35 in the first period came on assists from Brayden Point and Collin Shirley.

Hart allowed Russia’s three goals while recording six saves in the game.

U.S. Division at a glance

The Seattle Thunderbirds (10-6-1-0, 21 points) finished 2-4 on their daunting Central Division swing, including two games during which they held a 3-1 lead through two periods. Nevertheless, Seattle defeated Medicine Hat 5-2 Saturday to finish the road trip with a win and remain in first place in the U.S. Division.

The Spokane Chiefs (8-7-2-1, 19 points) are in second place and haven’t lost in regulation in their past five games. The Chiefs are two points ahead of the Silvertips (8-4-0-1, 17 points), who have an excellent chance to leapfrog Spokane with a home-and-home series scheduled for Wednesday and Friday.

Portland (7-9-0-0, 14 points) has dropped three straight, though the last two came at the hands of defending WHL champion Kelowna. Both were high-scoring affairs as the Rockets won by scores of 5-4 and 8-5. Portland’s Adin Hill, the reigning WHL Goaltender of the Month, allowed a dozen of the 13 goals scored by Kelowna.

The Tri-City Americans (6-10-1-0, 13 points) are last in the division and have lost two straight games and seven of their past 10, including an 8-1 drubbing by Spokane on Saturday. The Americans are currently dealing with a number of injuries, including Boston Bruins draftee Brandon Carlo, who has missed the past five games.

Power to the players

It’s a bit out of our normal coverage area, but a bizarre situation unfolded in the Ontario Hockey League Sunday night that seemed to finally resolve itself Monday afternoon.

According to numerous media reports, Rolf Nilsen, the owner of the Flint (Mich.) Firebirds fired head coach John Gruden and assistant coach Dave Karpa Sunday after the team’s victory over the defending Memorial Cup champion Oshawa Generals. The quarrel was evidently over the playing time of Nilsen’s son, Hakon, a Firebirds defenseman.

Except the players weren’t having any of it. The entire team, including Hakon, turned in their sweaters as they quit en masse following the announcement, pledging to return if the coaches were reinstated.

Following a Monday meeting between Rolf Nilsen and OHL commissioner David Branch, Gruden and Karpa were rehired with new three-year contracts according to TSN. The players appear to have returned, although TSN reported that a number had called their agents to request trades Sunday night. We will continue to watch to see how this situation plays out.

WHL honors Merkley, Bow

Kelowna Rockets forward Nick Merkley was named WHL Player of the Week after recording eight points (four goals, four assists) in three games to help the Rockets post a 3-0-0-0 record for the week.

Swift Current goaltender Landon Bow was the league’s nominee for CHL Goaltender the Week. Bow posted two wins to go along with a 1.07 goals against average and a .966 save percentage.

Follow Silvertips writer Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.