KENT — The Seattle Thunderbirds were picked by many prognosticators to win the U.S. Division of the WHL this season.
Yet the T-Birds have been chasing their rivals to the north, the Everett Silvertips, in the standings for much of the season due primarily to Everett’s six wins in the first seven contests between the two teams.
Saturday night at ShoWare Center the T-Birds knocked off the Tips 2-0 before 5,586 fans to move within three points of the division lead as Seattle earned its first win in regulation over Everett this season.
“We feel like we dropped an egg last game with them scoring with 10 seconds left and the game before that they scored with two minutes left, so it’s nice to get that win under our belt and know we can actually beat these guys,” said T-Birds star and New York Islanders prospect Mathew Barzal.
This is Parents Weekend for the Silvertips and the near-capacity crowd featured a large contingent of Tips parents that rode a chartered bus to the game. The group made its presence vociferously felt in the otherwise hostile confines.
“It’s just 40 minutes down the road and it’s pretty much a clash between two cities,” Everett goaltender Carter Hart said. “Every time you get Everett and Seattle it’s going to be an all-out war. I thought tonight we went to war. We just couldn’t capitalize on our scoring chances.”
The Tips’ parents and supporters withstood a scary start to the second period when Hart left after making a save at 1:05.
The puck hit Hart in the shoulder area and he immediately fell forward on the ice and was helped to the dressing room by the trainer while backup Mario Petit came in to play in his third straight game.
Hart was cleared to return and made his way back onto the ice at 10:26 in the second and played the remainder of the game.
“I’m feeling better now,” Hart said. “It was just a little stinger.”
Barzal scored both goals for Seattle (35-23-3-0, 73 points) and Landon Bow recorded his sixth shutout of the season to hand the Tips their third consecutive loss.
Everett (35-21-4-2, 76 points) continued to show the effects of fatigue following two weeks of playing with just 16 skaters rather than the customary 18. The Tips began Saturday’s game with a full complement of skaters, but defenseman Brycen Martin left the game following a big hit along the boards and did not return.
“I’m happy with the effort (but) I don’t think we had any energy,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine said. “I think we gave all the energy we have, but we don’t have any energy.”
The T-Birds scored the only goal they needed when Barzal collected the puck along the left boards, darted into the center of the ice and waited for a prone Everett defender to slide by, then beat Hart with a wrist shot for the 1-0 lead at 15:56 in the first period.
“We made a mistake and it gave them a two-on-one, which you can’t do against their best line,” Constantine said. “You gotta be smart, but mistakes happen in the game. I’m not trying to pick on anybody, but we made a mistake and gave a very good player a two-on-one, and you can’t do that.”
Barzal also added an empty-netter at 19:11 in the third.
The Silvertips killed off what essentially amounted to a four-minute power play beginning at 15:26 in the second when Brandon Ralph was sent to the box for interference. Three seconds before Ralph was to return Lucas Skrumeda was whistled for slashing, but the T-Birds did not convert on either opportunity.
The Tips had their own four-minute power play midway through the third when Scott Eansor was whistled for high sticking and unsportsmanlike conduct, but Everett was unable to take advantage.
The Silvertips were 0-for-6 on the power play though that wasn’t surprising given that Seattle leads the league in the penalty kill.
Bow stopped all 24 shots sent his way while Hart finished with 19 saves on 20 shots.
The Silvertips conclude the weekend with a 4 p.m. game Sunday against Tri-City at Xfinity Arena.
Thunderbirds 2, Silvertips 0
Everett 0 0 0 — 0
Seattle 1 0 1 — 2
1st Period—1, Seattle, Barzal 20 (Gropp, Schuldhaus), 15:56. Penalties—Stadnyk Evt (interference), 3:07; Wedman Sea (tripping), 13:19; Eansor Sea (slashing), 18:49.
2nd Period—No Scoring. Penalties—served by Uhrich Sea (too many men), 7:50; Ralph Evt (boarding), 10:26; Volcan Sea (boarding), 13:07; Ralph Evt (interference), 15:26; Skrumeda Evt (slashing), 17:23.
3rd Period—2, Seattle, Barzal 21 (Neuls), 19:11 (EN). Penalties—Eansor Sea (high sticking, unsportsmanlike cnd.), 8:01.
Shots on Goal—Everett 7-10-7-24. Seattle 5-7-9-21.
Power Play Opportunities—Everett 0 / 6; Seattle 0 / 4.
Goalies—Everett, Hart 33-20-1-2 (20 shots-19 saves); Petit 2-1-3-0 (0 shots-0 saves). Seattle, Bow 18-20-4-0 (24 shots-24 saves).
A—5,586
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.
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