Silvertips rally past Rockets 4-3 in shootout

Published 1:30 am Friday, September 29, 2017

KELOWNA, British Columbia — Those end-of-practice penalty shots are paying off.

Matt Fonteyne scored the game-winner in the shootout as the Everett Silvertips dealt the Kelowna Rockets their first loss of the season in a 4-3 shootout Friday at Prospera Place.

Fellow overage forward Patrick Bajkov also scored in the shootout while Tomas Soustal scored for Kelowna (2-0-1, four points). Everett improved to 2-1 with four points on the season.

Everett was 2-3 in shootouts last season. This was the first overtime and shootout session for the Tips in the young season.

Carter Hart, making his first appearance of the regular season for the Silvertips, saved 35 of the 38 shots he faced. That included a half-dozen in overtime as Kelowna took advantage of a power play in the extra session to out-shoot Everett 6-1.

But Hart stood tall to force the shootout.

That the game went as far as it did seemed unlikely early on.

The Silvertips found themselves trailing 3-0 halfway through the second period.

But then they went to work.

Fonteyne put the Tips on the board when he backhanded the puck past Kelowna goalie Brodan Salmond on the power play at 11:47 in the second.

Connor Dewar cut the deficit to 3-2 with a wrister from the left circle at 4:29. Riley Sutter then tallied the equalizer at 17:49 to force overtime.

The Rockets wasted no time taking the early lead and ultimately took a three-goal lead in the second period.

Kelowna defenseman Cal Foote, a first-round pick by Tampa Bay in this year’s NHL draft, opened the scoring with a wrister through traffic from the left circle that Hart never saw.

Libor Zabaransky pushed it to 2-0 at 16:18 for his first career WHL goal. The Rockets appeared to be on their to putting the Tips away early when James Hilsendager’s first goal of the season made it 3-0 after the Rockets killed a 5-on-3 Silvertips power play.

Dewar finished with a goal and an assist and Bajkov added two helpers to lead the Everett offense. The Tips were 1-for-4 on the power play.

Zabransky and Cal Foote each had a goal and an assist for Kelowna. The Rockets came up empty on half a dozen man advantages.

Everett returns to action Saturday at 7:05 p.m. when they travel to the Toyota Center for the Tri-City Americans’ home season opener.

Silvertips 4, Rockets 3, SO

Everett 0 1 2 0 — 4

Kelowna 2 1 0 0 — 3

1st Period-1, Kelowna, Foote 2 (Bruggen-Cate, Zabransky), 5:21. 2, Kelowna, Zabransky 1 (Foote, Gardiner), 16:18. Penalties-Wylie Evt (interference), 2:21; Cowell Kel (high sticking), 2:54; Hein Evt (hooking), 7:00; served by Vitelli Evt (too many men), 18:41; Dube Kel (misconduct – mouthguard), 20:00.

2nd Period-3, Kelowna, Hilsendager 1 (Lind), 9:05. 4, Everett, Fonteyne 3 (Bajkov, Dewar), 11:47 (PP). Penalties-served by Fasko-Rudas Evt (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 2:06; Soustal Kel (high sticking), 6:03; Lind Kel (hooking), 6:44; Dube Kel (high sticking), 11:02.

3rd Period-5, Everett, Dewar 1 (Bajkov, Fairbrother), 4:29. 6, Everett, Sutter 3 (Davis, Christiansen), 17:49. Penalties-Liwiski Evt (interference), 2:13; Richards Evt (major-fighting), 11:00; Hilsendager Kel (major-fighting), 11:00.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-served by Fasko-Rudas Evt (too many men), 2:39.

Shootout – Everett 2 (Bajkov G, Sutter NG, Fonteyne G), Kelowna 1 (Lind NG, Soustal G, Foote NG).

Shots on Goal-Everett 9-5-8-1-1-24. Kelowna 14-13-5-6-0-38.

Power Play Opportunities-Everett 1 / 4; Kelowna 0 / 6.

Goalies-Everett, Hart 1-0-0-0 (38 shots-35 saves). Kelowna, Salmond 2-0-0-1 (23 shots-20 saves).

A-4,718