Tips return home, top Winterhawks 4-1 for 6th straight win

Published 1:30 am Friday, February 24, 2017

EVERETT — Xfinity Arena hasn’t been silent for the past two weeks.

The U.S. National Curling Championships and the Harlem Globetrotters ensured that. However, the Everett Silvertips, the building’s primary tenant have been absent for nearly three weeks.

The U.S. Division and Western Conference-leading Silvertips returned in convincing fashion as they defeated the Portland Winterhawks 4-1 before 5,513 fans.

“We knew coming into this game that we have to play good to beat this team,” said Tips forward Dominic Zwerger who finished with a goal and three assists. “They’re a good hockey club and I think we executed pretty good.”

It was the sixth straight victory for Everett (37-12-8-2, 84 points) and snapped a three-game losing streak to Portland (32-26-1-3, 68 points). More importantly the Tips moved three points ahead of second-place Seattle as the Thunderbirds were routed 7-3 by the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick.

Patrick Bajkov finished with a goal and two assists while Matt Fonteyne had two helpers as the top line finished with nine points. The two combined with linemate Zwerger to score the game’s first goal less than two minutes in.

“We understand it’s hard to come off a road trip and play well,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine said. “I don’t really know the science behind it, but it’s hard, so we needed to get off to a good start. So that first goal that Fonteyne’s line scored I think was very important to get us off on the right foot because the game started to kind of tilt (Portland’s) direction in the second and third.”

Carter Hart was masterful in the net as he finished with 42 saves on Portland’s 43 shots. The only goal came near the end of Portland’s first power play and courtesy of an Everett breakdown that gave Joachim Blichfeld a one-on-one chance with Hart.

That merely tied the game as the Tips struck first and never trailed.

“I thought that we came out pretty strong and to get the first goal there was pretty key,” Hart said. “I think that really set the tone for the game. I think that all week we really stressed that after a week off that we need to be ready for this game Friday night and I thought that really showed tonight.”

Trailing 2-1 after one period, the Winterhawks dominated the second stanza with a 17-9 shot advantage. However, the Tips came away with the only goal in the frame as Fonteyne found Jake Christiansen at the left circle and the Tips’ second-year defenseman flicked a wrister past Portland goalie Cole Kehler for a 3-1 advantage at 14:20.

Three Portland power plays in the second period contributed to the lopsided shot total, but Hart wasn’t beaten in the frame as the Tips took a two-goal advantage into the third.

“I think (Hart) was very good. He was, to me, our best player,” Constantine said. “That’s a little more in terms of shots and scoring chances than we’d prefer and he was great. I think we got a couple of fortunate bounces down there in the second period, but nonetheless I thought he was pretty sharp.”

Everett came up empty on a four-minute high sticking penalty in the third, but also killed off a Portland man advantage in the frame.

Tips defenseman and captain Noah Juulsen then iced the game at 11:59 with a tap-in from a Zwerger feed on the rush that pushed Everett’s lead to 4-1.

“In today’s game your (defensemen) have to be part of your offense,” Constantine said. “They just gotta know when, and when is based on if there is wide-open ice and there’s no chance of a turnover, then they should be part of it. If it’s congested ice with the high probability of a turnover then they’ve gotta be more cautious. We want our ‘D’ to be very active.”

The Silvertips wasted no time getting on the board as Bajkov scored on the game’s second shift. Zwerger won a puck battle on the wall and passed to Fonteyne who found Bajkov in the slot. Bajkov roofed a wrist shot past Kehler at 1:17 in the first period.

“We talked before the game that the start was the biggest key to this game,” Zwerger said. “(I) just went in there and got a lucky bounce there on the wall, gave it to Fonzy and he made a nice pass to (Bajkov) and he put it home.”

The Winterhawks drew even at the very end of a power play at 15:08 in the first. Caleb Jones found Blichfeld with a stretch pass at the blue line, and Blichfeld split the Everett defense and buried a shot past Hart to make it 1-1.

Everett regained the lead when Zwerger crashed a net-front scrum from the right side and pushed the loose puck past a sprawled Kehler to make it 2-1 at 17:50 in the first.

The Silvertips return to action at 7:05 p.m. Saturday as the Kamloops Blazers come to Xfinity Arena.

Silvertips 4, Winterhawks 1

Portland 1 0 0 — 1

Everett 2 1 1 — 4

1st Period—1, Everett, Bajkov 24 (Fonteyne, Zwerger), 1:17. 2, Portland, Blichfeld 26 (Jones, Glass), 15:08 (PP). 3, Everett, Zwerger 24 (Sutter, Bajkov), 17:50 (PP). Penalties—Tuulola Evt (hooking), 13:09; Hughes Por (roughing), 15:57; Revel Por (roughing), 15:57; Wylie Evt (roughing), 15:57; Overhardt Por (slashing), 16:28.

2nd Period—4, Everett, Christiansen 5 (Fonteyne, Zwerger), 14:20. Penalties—Fonteyne Evt (slashing), 4:26; Juulsen Evt (roughing), 5:54; Dewar Evt (holding), 11:16.

3rd Period—5, Everett, Juulsen 12 (Zwerger, Bajkov), 11:59. Penalties—Overhardt Por (high sticking, high sticking), 2:27; Sutter Evt (high sticking), 6:52; Davis Evt (roughing), 18:51.

Shots on Goa—Portland 11-17-15-43. Everett 16-9-7-32.

Power Play Opportunities—Portland 1 / 6; Everett 1 / 4.

Goalies—Portland, Kehler 24-17-0-3 (32 shots-28 saves). Everett, Hart 26-7-6-1 (43 shots-42 saves).

A—5,513

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