Silvertips’ quick response sets up 2-0 series lead

Published 11:30 pm Saturday, March 28, 2026

EVERETT — As big a statement as the Everett Silvertips made with their 8-1 win against the Portland Winterhawks in Game 1 of the WHL Playoffs First Round on Friday, it would have little bearing on Game 2 the following night at Angel of the Winds Arena.

Portland would need just one bounce-back performance to even the best-of-7 series and shift to Games 3 and 4 at home with a clean slate. After Nathan Free opened the scoring with a power-play goal midway through the first period, the Winterhawks had a prime opportunity to do so.

But just as Everett jumped ahead less than a minute into Game 1, it took less than a minute for the Silvertips to respond in Game 2.

Picking up the puck in his own zone, Everett defenseman Brek Liske snaked through the neutral zone and into Portland’s, cutting to the right circle for a shot, which bounced off Winterhawks goalie Ondrej Štěbeták.

Unlike Game 1, Liske did not find the back of the net for the Silvertips’ first goal. However, his shot fell to Rhys Jamieson in front, and the rookie forward punched in the rebound to tie it 1-1 just 39 seconds after Portland opened the scoring.

“(Jamieson) is good around the net. Great play by (Liske) — smart shot,” Silvertips coach Steve Hamilton said. “Just looking to generate those second chances, and Rhys doesn’t need a lot of extra touches around that area. So really good little pop for us in terms of energy, and a good response.”

Everett needed just four more minutes to take the lead, and they added two more goals en route to a 4-1 win and a 2-0 series lead.

Through two games, the Silvertips have outscored the Winterhawks 12-2 and outshot them 128-46. Behind a raucous home crowd, Everett stormed into the postseason and continued their impressive stretch of 14 wins in 15 games, dating back to the regular season.

“I think that’s just our standard,” forward Rylan Gould said of the shot disparity. “I think that we look in the mirror and we’re playing against ourselves a lot of the nights where we just want to play up to our standard, and it’s one of those things where (if) we meet that expectation, I think that the result comes our way. So a lot of times, we’re not even looking at the score. We’re just trying to play to our identity.”

Matias Vanhanen had the winning goal and an assist, Landon DuPont had two assists and goalie Anders Miller allowed just one goal again while making 20 saves. For Portland, Free was the lone scorer for the second game in a row, and Štěbeták made 44 saves on 47 shots.

Even before the Winterhawks took the lead, Hamilton was happy with how his side played out of the gate. After the previous night’s drubbing, Everett expected Saturday to be a tighter game, but Hamilton liked how the team adjusted.

Case in point: Jamieson’s tying goal within a minute of falling behind, which highlighted an effort from a physical fourth line that includes Mirco Dufour and Hunter Rudolph, and does not always get prime scoring opportunities.

“I think that it’s hard to produce when you’re young in this league,” said Gould, who has played 327 career games in the WHL, including the postseason. “I think that our whole fourth line is doing such a good job of just kind of playing to their identity and playing the right way, and then you get rewarded for it. So I’m proud of all of them, and especially (Jamieson). I mean, we know his scoring ability, and he’s going to be a player in this league that scores a lot of goals.”

The Silvertips grabbed the lead at 14:20 of the first period when Carter Bear sent a backhand pass to Vanhanen from the right corner, somehow connecting with the rookie Finn in front of the net for the quick shot.

Operating on the top line all year and finishing as the team’s top two scorers, Vanhanen and Bear delivered in a crucial spot once again.

“I think (he’s) got eyes on his back,” Vanhanen said of Bear. “That was such a great pass, so easy (to) score.”

Everett thought it had a goal from captain Tarin Smith after the defenseman poked the puck through a pile-up in front of Štěbeták at 16:59, but the official behind the net immediately waved it off. After a brief deliberation, it was confirmed to be no goal.

“(The official) just let me know that he’d lost sight of the puck,” Hamilton said. “There’s a small delay by the time he gets to the whistle, and then I mean, I understood. Our guys play to the whistle, but once (the officials) lose sight of it, in their mind, the play is dead. So I was fine with the explanation.”

The Silvertips would end up scoring the next goal anyway, with Gould finishing in front of the left post with a backhand rebound while facing away from the net at 7:44 of the second period. It completed a passing cycle between Vanhanen and DuPont, who fired the initial shot on net from the left circle.

Gould said he relied entirely on his instincts to pull off the tricky shot.

“(I) trust the players around me, and I thought that was my best option there, and lucky enough it went in,” Gould said.

Carrying a 3-1 lead into the third period, Everett continued to control the puck and create chances, aided by three power-play opportunities in the final frame alone. While they did not convert any — finishing 1-for-5 on the night — it was not for a lack of effort. Overall, the Silvertips looked strong in their process.

“Just trying to get a lot of shots,” Vanhanen said. “Trying to make plays.”

Jaxsin Vaughan appeared poised to ice the game, slipping behind the defense for a breakaway on an empty net with less than three minutes remaining, but he put his shot off the post and out. The Winterhawks had a couple more offensive zone opportunities afterwards, but Miller and Co. held firm until Miettinen redeemed his teammate with an empty-netter from the neutral zone at 18:57.

The Silvertips did all that could be asked of them to finish the first two games of the series with a 2-0 lead, but the returning members from last year’s team will remember how their second round series against Portland started and ended. Everett also took the first two games at home before dropping three straight. The Silvertips forced a Game 7, but ultimately fell 4-2 after taking a 2-1 lead early in the third period.

As every member of the current team will repeat, it’s a different series with different teams — and Everett won much more convincingly in the first two games this year compared to last — but they also understand there’s no time to get comfortable no matter what the series scoreboard reads.

“Right from Day 1, something we’ve preached and believed and lived is ‘be good on the road,’ and take our game and pack it up and go three hours down the road and be good again,” Hamilton said. “And I think that’s maybe been one of our greatest strengths through the year is being able to be consistent home and away.

“When you get to the playoffs, it’s going to probably be a pretty packed barn, and for us, we just got to show up and do our thing.”