REFLECTIONS: Silvertips make it a half-dozen wins in a row
Published 12:30 am Saturday, February 25, 2017
The Game
Evidently it’s not just that the East Division might having a down season. The Tips appear fully recovered from their seven-game winless swoon that now seems like ancient history after winning six straight and seven of eight to move three points in front of Seattle (with two games in hand) for the division lead. They also remain one point ahead of Prince George (and somehow still with four games in hand) atop the Western Conference.
However, the Tips can solidify that Saturday when they play host to Kamloops, and Sunday when they travel to Kent. Sunday’s game looms particularly large as the Thunderbirds have beaten Everett four times in the last five meetings – and that was a brilliant 1-0 shutout win by Carter Hart where Everett’s lone goal came on the power play.
But I digress. The Tips never trailed in Friday’s 4-1 win over Portland, though head coach Kevin Constantine noted the Winterhawks largely controlled the final two periods. Hart kept them at bay and the Tips added single goals in each of the last two stanzas to pull away.
The performance of the top line of Dominic Zwerger-Matt Fonteyne-Patrick Bajkov was exceptional. That line combined for nine points while Zwerger had a hand in all four goals. Everett’s top line carried the team for much of the season before faltering a bit during the winless stretch. Friday’s performance indicates a return to that early-season success.
The Turning Point
Everett killed three penalties in the second period including a 5-on-3 that lasted about a minute and a half. Hart doubled his save total from 12 to 24 in that span and went on to finish with 42 stops.
Three Stars
1. Everett F Dominic Zwerger: The Austrian overager had a goal and three assists and was plus-three.
2. Everett F Patrick Bajkov: Zwerger’s linemate had a goal and two assists and was plus-three.
3. Everett G Carter Hart: Hart had 42 saves and won his sixth straight game.
Honorable mention: Tips D Noah Juulsen (one goal, plus-one), Tips D Jake Christiansen (one goal, plus-two), Everett F Matt Fonteyne (two assists, plus-three), Portland Joachim Blichfeld (one goal).
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