Tips finish strong road trip with 3-2 OT win over Swift Current

Published 1:30 am Saturday, February 18, 2017

SWIFT CURRENT, Saskatchewan — The Everett Silvertips had a feeling their six-game road trip to the Eastern Division would prove fruitful and it did.

The Tips knocked off the Swift Current Broncos 3-2 in overtime before 2,367 fans Saturday at Credit Union i-plex for their fifth straight victory and sixth win in their last seven games.

“We really liked our guys’ energy level,” Everett assistant Mitch Love said in a postgame interview on 1380 KRKO. “So whatever the guys did on the road trip in terms of keeping their sleep patterns in check, and their nutrition and getting the rest where they needed to I thought was very evident here today.”

Finnish import Eetu Tuulola potted the game-winner at 2:53 in the overtime period as U.S. Division-leading Everett (36-12-8-2, 82 points) has now defeated Swift Current (30-18-4-6, 70 points) five consecutive times.

Everett appeared poised to win in regulation, but Glenn Gawdin drew the Broncos even at 2-2 when he tipped in his second goal of the game at 18:27 in the third with Swift Current goalie Taz Burman pulled for the sixth attacker.

Everett’s Devon Skoleski broke a 1-1 tie as he converted on the rush at 12:14 in the second period. It was his career-high 12th goal of the season.

Noah Juulsen had previously tied the game for Everett on the power play at 1-1 with a slap shot from the right circle at 13:56 in the first. It was Juulsen’s seventh point on the six-game road trip.

Everett then killed off back-to-back penalties to end the second stanza thanks in large part to the heroics of goalie Carter Hart as the teams went into the second intermission tied 1-1.

“I thought five-on-five for the most part the ice was tilted toward our favor,” Love said. “The times that we did spend some time (in our end) was when we had some penalties to kill there late in the second, but our penalty kill, which has a done a great job all year, and our goaltender made the saves we needed to make tonight and keep it at what it was and gave us enough time to get the two points.”

A Silvertips turnover led to a Broncos breakaway less than two minutes into the game. Riley Stotts’ shot missed, but Swift Current retained the puck and Gawdin beat Hart from the right circle for a 1-0 lead at 1:53.

Everett finished with a 33-29 shot advantage as Hart finished with 27 saves.

The Tips are back in action at 7:35 p.m. Friday at home as they play host to Portland at Xfinity Arena.

Silvertips 3, Swift Current 2 (OT)

Everett0111—3

Swift Current1010—2

1st Period—1, Swift Current, Gawdin 20 (Steenbergen, Stotts), 1:53. Penalties—Tuulola Evt (boarding), 6:29; Bajkov Evt (holding opp. stick), 14:35; Gawdin Sc (roughing), 14:35; Khaira Sc (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 14:35.

2nd Period—2, Everett, Juulsen 11 (Skoleski, Irving), 13:54 (PP). Penalties—Skrumeda Evt (cross checking), 0:00; Skoleski Evt (slashing), 4:59; Mole Sc (slashing), 4:59; Chaulk Sc (interference), 12:20; Dewar Evt (holding), 15:46; Irving Evt (tripping), 17:44.

3rd Period—3, Everett, Skoleski 12 (Bajkov, Christiansen), 12:15. 4, Swift Current, Gawdin 21 (Lajoie, Minulin), 18:27. Penalties—Khaira Sc (holding), 1:36.

OT Period—5, Everett, Skrumeda 4 (Skoleski), 2:53. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal—Everett 13-9-7-4-33. Swift Current 8-17-3-1-29.

Power Play Opportunities—Everett 1 / 3; Swift Current 0 / 4.

Goalies—Everett, Hart 25-7-6-1 (29 shots-27 saves). Swift Current, Burman 12-10-4-1 (33 shots-30 saves).

A—2,367