Everett 2, Portland 1 (OT)
Published 8:45 pm Sunday, February 26, 2012
TALKING POINTS
Everett’s playoff bandwagon had stalled to a halt.
The Tips’ dreary 3-0 loss Saturday to fellow playoff seeker Seattle was a backbreaker, and Everett was faced with the prospect of an O-fer weekend with Portland — winner of nine straight and scorer of 34 goals in its previous four games — coming to town. Then things appeared even bleaker as Everett’s goal drought reached 170 minutes.
But the Tips hung tough, with goaltender Kent Simpson in sparkling form, and wouldn’t you know it Everett found a way. With Simpson pulled for an extra attacker, Josh Winquist put a shot from the high slot into the top corner with 50.1 seconds remaining to tie it at 1-1. Then 1:07 into OT, Kohl Bauml won a puck battle in the corner and put Ryan Harrison free on goal, and Harrison made a move around Portland netminder Mac Carruth to end it.
This one doesn’t completely make up for Saturday’s loss to Seattle, but it certainly helps alleviate the pain. With Seattle falling 5-1 to Tri-City tonight, Everett is back within one point of playoff position. Seattle has played one fewer game, but the teams still have three head-to-head match-ups remaining.
One comment on the officiating tonight. Did they have an early plane to catch? They let pretty much everything go (Everett had a grand total of 35 seconds of power-play time), including waiving off almost every icing call. It certainly wasn’t slanted either way, and personally I’m not against letting them play. But it certainly was odd seeing so much let go.
TURNING POINT
When all is said and done, it may be that Winquist’s goal will be what put the Tips into the playoffs.
HIT OF THE DAY
Early in the second period Everett’s Dominik Bittner had a nice hip check that upended Ty Rattie as Rattie entered the offensive zone with speed.
THREE STARS
First star: Simpson. 35 saves. He’s peaking at the right time for the Tips.
Second star: Carruth. 26 saves, made some important stops during regulation.
Third star: Harrison. One goal, and it was a biggie.
The Herald’s honorable mention: Austin Adam, Everett. In truth, Adam was not the fourth-best player on the ice tonight. But he deserves some special mention. The 16-year-old defenseman played first-pairing minutes tonight, and his efforts were a big part of why the Tips were able to hold the highest-scoring team in the WHL to one goal.
BOX SCORE
