Silvertips stop Prince George in shootout

Published 11:20 pm Friday, January 9, 2009

EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips now know what their plan should be if the game is tied after regulation.

Play for the shootout.

Everett kept its perfect shootout record intact, defeating the Prince George Cougars 3-2 Friday night at Comcast Arena. The Tips won the shootout 2-1.

Everett has gone past regulation eight times this season. In games decided in overtime, the Tips are 0-5. But when it lasts to the shootout, Everett is 3-0.

Shane Harper scored the decider in the fifth round of the shootout, and he also had a goal and an assist in regulation as Everett (19-16-5-0) won its second straight since trading star winger Kyle Beach to Lethbridge.

Zack Dailey also scored in regulation; Kellan Tochkin had a crucial do-or-die goal in the shootout to keep it alive; and Thomas Heemskerk made 19 saves in goal for the Tips.

“We were a little slow out of the gate,” Everett coach John Becanic said. “At first I thought we were just OK, but then I thought we were really good the rest of the way.”

Brian Matte scored both goals for Prince George (15-26-0-2) and Joe Caligiuri stopped 32 shots in net for the Cougars.

Both regulation and the shootout followed the same pattern — Everett falling behind, then battling back. Prince George scored early in each of the first and second periods, only to see Everett tie it later in the period both times.

Then in the shootout, Brett Connolly scored in the first round for the Cougars, with Heemskerk having to stop two attempts and Tochkin needing to score just to keep the game alive. Harper put the puck between Caligiuri’s legs to give the Tips the lead, then Heemskerk forced Corey Tyrell to shoot wide to end it.

“It was the way the game went,” Becanic said. “We had to score from behind in the shootout just to extend it, and Thomas was really good in the shootout. He gave us a chance.”

Everett also debuted its two newest players, left wing Dan Iwanski and defenseman Alex Theriau, who came to Everett in the Beach trade. Iwanski in particular looked right at home as his line with Dale Hunt and Paul Van de Velde caused Prince George all kinds of problems.

“I thought Iwanski, Van de Velde and Hunt were really good especially,” Becanic said. “That line was dangerous all night and generated scoring chances. (The Cougars) really collapse around the net. I don’t know how many shots they blocked, but they had big blocks at key times. And when Caligiuri was tested he was pretty good.”

Everett was strong off the start, with Daniel Bartek hitting the post less than two minutes into the game, but it was Prince George that found the net first. On the power play, Cameron Cepek’s shot from the point hit hard off the boards and deflected off Alex Poulter right to Matte in front. Matte scored past a stranded Heemskerk to make it 1-0 just 3 minutes, 11 seconds in.

The Cougars carried play after that, but it was the Tips who tied it with 7.2 seconds remaining in the first period. The Tips created havoc in front of the Cougars’ net, and when Chris de la Lande’s shot was blocked, Bartek’s errant rebound attempt went right to Harper, who scored at the post to make it 1-1.

Prince George regained the lead 5:10 into the second period, Matte winding up and blasting a slap shot from the top of the left circle into the far-upper corner, making it 2-1.

The Tips were unable to take advantage of a lengthy five-on-three soon after, but Everett scored on a different power play later in the period. Van de Velde feathered a shot off Caligiuri’s pads, with the rebound going out the opposite direction, where Dailey put it in to make it 2-2 at 13:35.

Both teams had chances to win it in the third, but Caligiuri saved Tyler Maxwell after a steal deep in the Prince George zone, and Heemskerk turned away Connolly on a breakaway.

Everett had a power play to start overtime but couldn’t score, Caligiuri getting a pad on Bartek’s chance on the rebound.

Slap shots: Today is the WHL trade deadline, though the Tips already have done their heavy lifting in deals that brought in Heemskerk, Iwanski and Theriau while shipping out Beach and defenseman Mike Alexander. … Prince George was without star center Dana Tyrell (season ending knee surgery) and goaltender Kevin Armstrong (ankle sprain).

Silvertips 3, Cougars 2 (SO)

Prince George1100—2

Everett1100—3

@5. NHL box :Everett won shootout 2-1

First Period—1, Prince George, Matte 14 (Cepek, Poulter), 3:11 (pp). 2, Everett, Harper 18 (Bartek, de la Lande), 19:52. Penalties—Potuer, Everett (delay of game), 2:48; Hobbs, Prince George (hooking), 10:13; Potuer, Everett (interference), 13:13.

Second Period—3, Prince George, Matte 15 (Poulter, Regier), 5:10. 4, Everett, Dailey 4 (Van de Velde, Harper), 13:35 (pp). Penalties—Stanfield, Prince George (hooking), 5:30; Scherger, Prince George (hooking), 5:54; Cepek, Prince George (cross checking), 12:41; Bidlevskii, Prince George (roughing), 12:41; Hunt, Everett (roughing), 12:41; Hunt, Everett (tripping), 16:29.

Third Period—No goals. Penalties—de la Lande, Everett (slashing), 10:36; Cepek, Prince George (cross checking), 19:55.

Overtime—No goals. Penalties—none.

Shootout—Everett 2 (Van de Velde NG, Bartek NG, Tochkin G, Maxwell NG, Harper G); Prince George 1 (Connolly G, Jackson NG, Viedensky NG, Matte NG, C. Tyrell NG).

Shots on goal—Prince George 8-7-6-0—21. Everett 9-8-12-5—34. Power-play opportunities—Prince George 1 of 4. Everett 1 of 5.

Goalies—Prince George, Caligiuri 3-7-0-2 (34 shots, 32 saves). Everett, Heemskerk 9-7-2-2 (21 shots, 19 saves).

A—6,669.

Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog