EVERETT — There were flashes of brilliance in the nine starts and 15 total appearances Mario Petit made at goaltender for the Everett Silvertips in the regular season.
There were his three regular-season wins, including a 3-2 Valentine’s Day victory at Spokane and 3-2 overtime win at Portland on March 13.
There was also the Feb. 24 performance when he saved all eight third-period shots after relieving starter Carter Hart in a four-goal comeback against Kelowna. Though the Tips lost that game 6-5 in overtime, Petit gave glimpses of his ability.
Yet, the brilliance was interspersed with periods of mediocrity including three consecutive defeats to end the regular season as Hart nursed a lower-body injury.
With that mixed showing hopes were somewhat tempered when Petit was pressed into service for last weekend’s two playoff games against Portland. Yet the 18-year-old rookie Manitoban out-performed virtually all expectations in those two games and is a big reason why the Silvertips have a 2-0 lead as they resume their series Tuesday against the Winterhawks at 7 p.m. at Portland.
“I think for the most part the team did all the work — I just made the saves I had to make,” said Petit, who was named the Western Hockey League’s nominee for the CHL Goaltender of the Week on Monday. “(My team) got pucks through, they scored goals (and) they got a crazy amount of shots.”
Petit has grown well-versed in saying the right things while keeping on top of his conditioning and preparedness to play. That was about all he could do while stuck behind Hart, the Western Conference Goaltender of the Year and a highly projected NHL draft pick.
Nevertheless, Petit has put up some impressive numbers of his own against the Winterhawks. Twice during the regular season he relieved Hart, and didn’t allow a goal either time. He then earned the aforementioned March 13 victory during which he saved 24 of 26 shots.
“Mario has been great,” Silvertip forward Matt Fonteyne said after Saturday’s game. “Every time he’s been put in position to play he’s been ready for it. He works super hard when he’s not playing and after the game. He’s put himself in the best position to get the job done every night.”
When including both regular and postseason play Petit has a 3-0-0-0 record with a shutout and 84 saves on 87 shots for a .966 save percentage against Portland in five appearances. Hart was 4-5 with a .900 save percentage in nine appearances against the Winterhawks.
A night after shutting out Portland 3-0 in last Friday’s playoff opener, Petit faced a Portland offensive blitzkrieg that featured a half-dozen shots in the first three minutes. The Winterhawks went up 1-0 on the power play and the Tips trailed for the first time in the series.
“Portland always comes out strong, but it seems like with each game they’re coming out even stronger and that’s what is expected for game number three,” Petit said. “The boys just kind of weathered the storm for a bit and then pushed back.”
That pushback came in the form of Brandon Ralph’s game-tying goal two minutes later. Fonteyne gave Everett the lead for good later in the opening period, and Remi Laurencelle made it 3-1 in the second period, which is how the game ended.
“Momentum is probably the biggest part of the game,” Petit said. “If you give it away to the other team they’re just going to keep coming. But if you regain it and it’s more of an even game things tend to go more your way.”
The Tips often discuss how momentum does not carry over from game to game or even period to period, so they’ll look to seize it from the outset tonight.
Following tonight’s game the teams will play game four at Portland’s Moda Center Wednesday at 7 p.m. If necessary the series will return to Everett on Friday and will follow a one-one-one format to decide which team moves on the Western Conference semifinals.
Notes
The Tips announced Monday that they have signed 2000-born defenseman Gianni Fairbrother to a WHL Standard Player Agreement. Fairbrother was Everett’s fourth-round pick in the 2015 bantam draft and No. 80 overall. He has joined the active roster and is wearing No. 46. … Hart returned to practice Monday for the first time in two weeks. He participated in about half the drills before leaving the ice, as was the plan. … Tristen Pfeifer (upper body) skated with the team for the first time in two weeks. … Riley Sutter (leg) also skated at Monday’s practice.
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.
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