Final thoughts as Everett Silvertips fall to Tri-City Americans
Published 12:03 am Sunday, March 6, 2016
The Game
A Silvertip stole the offensive show tonight. A former Silvertip, that is.
Tyler Sandhu, who played two-plus season with the Tips before he was traded to Red Deer midway through last season (and then subsequently traded to Tri-City), scored twice and had an assist as the Americans defeated the Tips.
Tri-City has been a thorn in Everett’s side this season.
“I think it’s just two tough teams that like to play hard and a lot of credit to them over there,” Sandhu said of his former team. “They are such a hard team to play against and we just know we need to come in and match that effort. Sometimes it goes well and sometimes it doesn’t.”
The Tips found themselves in an early 2-0 hole despite holding a large shot advantage in the first period. Everett rallied in the second to take the 3-2 lead before uncharacteristically giving it back to the Americans.
With Everett up a goal the puck went into the stands off a Tri-City stick midway through the second period. It appeared that Everett thought it was intentional and that Tri-City should have been penalized for delay of game. Following a discussion the referees decided it was accidental and did not penalize Tri-City.
“I think the momentum kind of shifted after they shot it out of play,” Everett forward Matt Fonteyne said. “I don’t know if it got chipped out or what happened there, but the ref said it got chipped out or tipped out.”
Fonteyne went on to say that the Tips need to do a better job of not letting an external event like that affect their collective psyche. On Saturday it appeared to do so as the Americans immediately scored twice to reclaim a lead they didn’t relinquish.
So what does it all mean? Well, the Tips could have clinched a playoff spot with a win or overtime loss. Instead Seattle becomes the first U.S. Division team to clinch as the Thunderbirds won their seventh straight, a 2-1 verdict over Portland on Saturday. The Tips’ magic number remains one and their number to clinch home ice advantage stands at eight.
It also sets up a huge game Tuesday when the Tips play host to Portland for the final time this season. The Winterhawks currently hold the No 7 seed in the conference, third place in the division and are nine points in back of Everett in the standings. The two teams also meet in Portland next week Sunday. Those two games will go a long way in determining if Portland can catch Everett in the standings.
Of course Everett could still win the division, but will need some help. The Tips now trail Seattle by two points in the standings. The teams play one more time, but Seattle has the edge in a points tie because it has three more wins than Everett.
The Turning Point
The momentum seemed to shift most during the discussion about the puck that left the ice in the second period. Tri-City went on to quickly score twice and regain the lead.
Three Stars
1. Tri-City G Nicholas Sanders: Sanders had 36 saves while earning the win.
2. Tri-City F Tyler Sandhu: The former Silvertip recorded a three-point night.
3. Everett F Matt Fonteyne: The second-line center scored twice for the Tips.
HM: Tri-City F Parker Bowles (3A, plus-four), Everett D Noah Juulsen (1A, plus-one).
