Silvertips show their mettle in win over Rockets

Published 1:30 am Monday, January 16, 2017

EVERETT — It’s only January, but if you didn’t know better you might think the Everett Silvertips are already engaged in a playoff series.

Such has been the emotion and physicality at Xfinity Arena in recent games as the Tips held off the Kelowna Rockets 5-4 before 3,712 fans in an afternoon matinee contest on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“(There was) definitely a playoff atmosphere,” said Tips defenseman Kevin Davis, who scored Everett’s first goal and added an assist. “They compete really hard, so we had to match their compete level.”

Monday’s game came just two days after the Tips dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to a physical Seattle team at home. Oh, and Everett travels to Kent on Tuesday for yet another game against the Thunderbirds at 7:05 at the ShoWare Center.

“Those are two of the most physical teams in the league, but we were mentally prepared for those guys,” said Everett forward Riley Sutter, who also tallied a goal and two assists in the victory. “Now we have to get ready for Seattle.”

The victory moves the U.S. Division-leading Tips (28-5-7-1, 64 points) back into a tie with Prince George for the Western Conference lead. Everett has four games in hand of the Cougars.

Kelowna (26-16-3-0, 55 points) is tied for second behind Prince George in the B.C. Division.

The Rockets hurt themselves by taking seven penalties, and the Tips made them pay by cashing in three times. The Tips went to the box three times and held Kelowna off the scoreboard on the man advantage.

“(The Rockets) are big, they’re physical, they’re old school, and by old school I mean war,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine said. “Tonight was war. I respect them for how they play. They play extremely hard and I admire that. I thought it was a playoff type of hockey (game) where it was very emotional and physical, and I’m proud of our guys for hanging in that kind of environment.”

The teams were already knotted 3-3 when the second period began, but the Tips found the net twice on the power play to take a 5-3 lead into the third.

The first came at 9:27 when Davis faked a shot from the point before passing to Dominic Zwerger at the left circle, whose shot beat Michael Herringer’s glove side. Herringer then exited for Brodan Salmond.

Nearly 10 minutes later, Sutter pushed the lead to 5-3 when he trapped a pass from Matt Fonteyne with his skate and redirected the puck past Salmond at 19:17.

“The last two games we weren’t crisp on our power plays, so it was nice to see that our power play was sharp,” said Davis, who quarterbacks Everett’s top power-play unit.

Conner Bruggen-Cate pulled Kelowna to within 5-4 at 13:26 in the third, but Hart and the Silvertips defense held on for the final six-plus minutes.

“The beauty from my standpoint is Carter salvaged the game,” Constantine said of the Everett netminder who earlier in the day was named the WHL Goaltender of the Week. “Sometimes when you’re not feeling it as a goalie it’s hard to get in that zone where you start really feeling good, and he fought. I was very impressed with Carter Hart fighting tonight maybe when he didn’t feel like he had his best game.”

Each team found the net three times in a wide-open opening period. Davis opened the scoring at 2:55 in the first when he went between Herringer’s legs after splitting the Kelowna defense with an assist from Sutter on the power play.

Lucas Johansen tied at 4:05 with a shot from the high slot before Bryce Kindopp put the Tips back on top at 5:50 with a slap shot from the left circle.

Kelowna took advantage of a turnover in Everett’s defensive zone and Jack Cowell finished to tie the game 2-2 at 12:21.

Connor Dewar gave the Tips their third lead of the period from the slot thanks to a brilliant pass from Wyatte Wylie at 18:22, but Calvin Thurkauf’s goal on the rush at 19:38 sent the two teams into the first intermission tied 3-3.

“I didn’t think the game changed much. I just think the goaltending changed,” Constantine said. “All the pucks went in during the first period. It wasn’t any more scoring chances or less scoring chances than a normal game — the pucks just went in.”

Hart finished with 25 saves on 29 shots. Everett returns home Friday for a 7:35 match-up with Seattle.

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Silvertips 5, Rockets 4

Kelowna 3 0 1 – 4

Everett 3 2 0 – 5

1st Period-1, Everett, Davis 4 (Sutter), 2:55 (PP). 2, Kelowna, Johansen 2 (Soustal, Gardiner), 4:05. 3, Everett, Kindopp 6 (Skoleski), 5:50. 4, Kelowna, Cowell 4 (Gardiner, Foote), 12:21. 5, Everett, Dewar 8 (Wylie), 18:22. 6, Kelowna, Thurkauf 19 (Gardiner, Merkley), 19:38. Penalties-Foote Kel (interference), 1:16; Centazzo Evt (tripping), 6:07; Lind Kel (interference), 13:27; Davis Evt (high sticking), 14:01.

2nd Period-7, Everett, Zwerger 19 (Davis, Sutter), 9:27 (PP). 8, Everett, Sutter 14 (Fonteyne, Zwerger), 19:17 (PP). Penalties-Southam Kel (hooking), 8:26; Southam Kel (cross checking), 12:22; Juulsen Evt (cross checking), 12:22; Soustal Kel (slashing), 17:44.

3rd Period-9, Kelowna, Bruggen-Cate 3 (Southam, Twarynski), 13:26. Penalties-Southam Kel (interference), 1:53; Hilsendager Kel (high sticking), 4:58; Zwerger Evt (slashing), 6:51; Merkley Kel (interference), 19:56.

Shots on Goal-Kelowna 12-5-12-29. Everett 8-10-8-26.

Power Play Opportunities-Kelowna 0 / 3; Everett 3 / 7.

Goalies-Kelowna, Herringer 19-10-2-0 (11 shots-7 saves); Salmond 7-6-1-0 (15 shots-14 saves). Everett, Hart 18-3-5-0 (29 shots-25 saves).

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