Tri-City 4, Everett 0
Published 10:37 pm Saturday, January 7, 2012
TALKING POINTS
This one’s pretty easy to sum up. Tri-City has the best record in the WHL and is in the midst of a franchise-record winning streak. Everett has the worst record in the WHL. Therefore, 4-0 seems like it would have been a reasonable prediction before the game started.
Shockingly, this was the first time Everett’s been shut out this season. The Tips may be the most offensively-challenged team in the league, and Everett is averaging a measly 2.3 goals per game. Nevertheless, the Tips somehow managed to find the net at least once in all 38 previous games. In contrast, Everett was shut out 10 times last season and still made the playoffs. So really, this was a long time coming.
This was Tri-City’s 13th straight victory, and afterward Americans coach Jim Hiller described it as perhaps his team’s best road performance this season. This Everett team doesn’t have much of a chance against that Tri-City team playing at the top of its game. And Everett wasn’t quite at its best tonight, either, as the Tips were infected by a case of fumblitis. The puck sure seemed to be bouncing off Everett’s sticks a lot tonight.
With winger Jesse Mychan traded before the game, and with goaltender Andy Desautels headed back to his junior A team tomorrow, that means Everett needs to make just one more roster move to get down to the 25-player limit and allow winger Zach McPhee to come off the injured list.
TURNING POINT
It was a fairly even first period when, in the late going, the puck got caught up in Everett defenseman Josh Caron’s skates at the Tri-City blue line. Malte Stromwall swooped in, poked the puck out, raced off on a breakaway and beat Tips goaltender Kent Simpson high glove side. That opened the scoring and sent the Americans on their way.
HIT OF THE DAY
Midway through the first period Tri-City’s Sam Grist ran over Josh Winquist just as Winquist received the puck along the boards.
THREE STARS
First star: Brendan Shinnimin, Tri-City. One goal and one assist, he may not be the most popular player out there, but he sure is effective.
Second star: Stromwall. One goal and one assist, that goal got the party started for Tri-City.
Third star: Ty Rimmer, Tri-City. 22 saves for the shutout, but not really challenged.
The Herald’s honorable mention: Patrick Holland, Tri-City. No points, but he dominated the puck from start to finish.
BOX SCORE
