Silvertips close out regular season with overtime loss

Published 1:30 am Sunday, March 19, 2017

KENNEWICK — The regular-season finale meant little to the Everett Silvertips.

However, the Tri-City Americans had ample incentive and it showed as the Americans erased a pair of two-goal deficits and knocked off the Tips 6-5 in overtime Sunday before 4,190 fans at the Toyota Center.

Jordan Topping finished off the game with a hat trick as his final goal at 2:40 of overtime as the Americans (41-28-3-0, 85 points) slipped past Portland to earn the No. 3 postseason seed from the U.S. Division. The Western Hockey League playoffs begin Friday.

The Americans take on second-seeded Seattle while Portland will be the first wild card and take on B.C. Division champion Prince George.

The Tips led 3-2 through two periods and Brian King’s fourth goal of the season, at 4:29 of the third, pushed their lead to two.

Topping scored at 6:25 to cut the deficit to 4-3, but Connor Dewar’s goal at 13:48 pushed Everett’s lead back to a pair at 5-3.

The Americans then scored twice with goalie Rylan Parenteau on the bench for an extra attacker. Topping found the net at 17:44 and Dylan Coghlan tied it at 18:33 to force overtime.

The score was knotted 1-1 through one period. Juuso Valimaki gave Tri-City its first lead of the game with a wrister off the rush at 2:48 in the second period, but Riley Sutter answered with a wrist shot of his own at 4:42 to tie the game 2-2. It was the 20th goal of the season for Sutter, who left the game in the second period after taking a big hit and did not return.

Everett then regained the lead on Brandson Hein’s second goal of the game when he beat Evan Sarthou blocker side to make it 3-2.

Hein opened the scoring as he waited out Tri-City goalie Evan Sarthou and stashed Everett’s first goal at 3:07 in the first period.

But the Tips took back-to-back penalties that gave the Americans a 5-on-3 advantage. Morgan Geekie wasted no time in tying the game to make it 1-1 at 6:12 in the opening period.

Petit saved 43 of the 49 shots put up by the Americans. Hein finished with two goals and an assist, and King had a goal and an assist.

Topping had a four-point night, and Coghlan had a goal and two assists. Tyler Sandhu, a former Silvertip, added three assists.

Everett takes on Victoria at 7:35 p.m. Friday at Xfinity Arena in Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Americans 6, Silvertips 5 (OT)

Everett 1 2 2 0—5

Tri-City 1 1 3 1—6

1st Period—1, Everett, Hein 5 (Walker), 3:07. 2, Tri-City, Geekie 35 (Sandhu, Välimäki), 6:12 (PP). Penalties-Babych Evt (too many men), 5:38; Christiansen Evt (delay of game), 5:54; Coghlan Tc (tripping), 11:54; Yorke Tc (roughing), 15:15; Yorke Tc (cross checking), 18:30.

2nd Period—3, Tri-City, Välimäki 19 (Sawchuk, Leason), 2:48. 4, Everett, Sutter 20 (Richards), 4:42. 5, Everett, Hein 6 (Babych, Wylie), 13:22. Penalties-Yorke Tc (interference), 7:44; Anderson Evt (roughing), 16:32; Fuller Tc (roughing), 16:32; Richards Evt (10-minute misconduct), 18:24; Anderson Evt (interference), 18:49.

3rd Period—6, Everett, King 4 (Tuulola), 4:29. 7, Tri-City, Topping 26 (Sandhu, Coghlan), 6:25. 8, Everett, Dewar 14 (King, Hein), 13:48. 9, Tri-City, Topping 27 (Coghlan, Wotherspoon), 17:44. 10, Tri-City, Coghlan 15 (Sandhu, Topping), 18:33. Penalties-James Tc (charging), 11:38.

OT Period—11, Tri-City, Topping 28 (Wotherspoon, AuCoin), 2:40. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal—Everett 13-8-9-0-30. Tri-City 13-14-15-3-45.

Power Play Opportunities—Everett 0/5; Tri-City 1/3.

Goalies—Everett, Petit 11-5-3-1 (45 shots-39 saves). Tri-City, Sarthou 11-8-2-0 (23 shots-19 saves); Parenteau 26-15-1-0 (7 shots-6 saves).

A—4,190