Carter Hart returns as the Everett Silvertips sweep the Portland Winterhawks out of the WHL playoffs
Published 11:17 pm Wednesday, March 30, 2016
The Game
The Everett Silvertips have something to prove and they did so in emphatic fashion by sweeping the Portland Winterhawks right out of the playoffs while winning four straight in the opening round.
Of course this Portland team isn’t the same as the ones that won four straight Western Conference titles or even the same one that beat the Tips in the second round a year ago. But that doesn’t matter to Everett veterans like Cole MacDonald, Carson Stadnyk and Dawson Leedahl, who have seen two seasons end at the hands of the Winterhawks.
Despite goaltender Mario Petit’s impressive number in the series (3-0 record, 1.33 GAA, .953 save percentage) the coaching staff opted to start Carter Hart Wednesday, and the 17-year-old delivered.
Both goals Hart surrendered came on screens set while the Tips were on the penalty kill, so you can’t really fault the goalie.
Silvertips head coach Kevin Constantine mentioned how Portland losing captain Dominic Turgeon to season-ending shoulder surgery prior to game three helped tip the balance in Everett’s favor.
“I think them losing Turgeon was huge in terms of their captain and kind of their leader in that, and I don’t think we’d have won in four if he had been healthy,” Constantine said.
Constantine said he felt like the Tips let up when leading 3-0 in game three and allowed the Winterhawks to claw within a goal through two periods before ultimately prevailing 5-3.
That didn’t happen Wednesday night as the Tips scored first and answered both of Portland’s tying efforts with goals of their own.
The Turning Point
MacDonald’s second goal with less than a minute to go in the second period proved the game-winner.
Three Stars
Note: I picked my own
Everett D Cole MacDonald: The overager scored twice including the game-winner for the Tips.
Everett F Patrick Bajkov: Bajkov had two assists and was plus-one for the night
Portland D Keoni Texeira: Texeira had a goal and an assist.
Honorable mention: Everett G Carter Hart (28 saves), Everett F Matt Fonteyne (two assists).
