Everett 6, Seattle 0
Published 11:03 pm Saturday, January 17, 2015
TALKING POINTS
I can’t say I saw this coming.
Seattle came into the game as the hottest team in the WHL, going 9-1-0-1 in it’s previous 11, including a huge 5-2 victory at league-leading Kelowna on Friday. And regardless of the standings, Everett-Seattle games are always close.
But from the time Jake Mykitiuk broke a scoreless tie early in the second period it was all Everett. The Tips could have blown the doors off the game in the second period with the number of grade-A scoring chances they had, and then they did blow the doors off the game in the third.
I think it’s safe to say the T-birds were suffering from an emotional letdown. They had that big win at Kelowna the previous night, then had to travel back to Everett overnight. But Everett took full advantage with a quality performance from start to finish.
The Tips are getting some really good finishing from up and down the roster. Six different players scored goals Saturday, and Everett now has seven different players with double-digit goals, along with two others sitting on nine and a third who would be well past 10 if not for 20 missed games.
The victory was Everett’s fourth straight and the seventh out of the last eight. It sure seems like that trip east did the Tips a world of good. Everett was scuffling before the trip, going 7-9-1-0 in its previous 17. But not only have the Tips gotten back to their winning ways, they’re doing it emphatically, outscoring their opponents 34-11 during the past eight contests.
Everett now heads back on the road after just a week back home, with a four-games-in-five-nights trip through northern B.C. to face Prince George and Kelowna. The Tips will be without defenseman Noah Juulsen for the two games at Prince George because of the CHL Top Prospects Game.
TURNING POINT
It wasn’t so much a turning point as it was as confirmation point. Everett dominated the second period, but the Tips looked like they were going to emerge with just a 1-0 lead, allowing Seattle to maintain hope going into the third. But with just 38.2 seconds remaining in the period Ivan Nikolishin converted a back-door feed from Carson Stadnyk on the power play to allow Everett to get comfortable.
THREE STARS
First star: Austin Lotz, Everett. 31 saves, his fourth shutout of the season. He actually fought the puck for much of the game, but he made two excellent saves in the third after the Tips were in control.
Second star: Stadnyk. One goal and two assists, he was kind of fighting the puck, too, but he made two gorgeous passes to set up goals, then made a fancy drag move for his own tally.
Third star: Nikita Scherbak, Everett. One goal and one assist, also hit two posts and had a couple passes that probably should have been put away. He was the most dangerous player on the ice.
The Herald’s honorable mention: Take your pick, as Everett had a lot of players perform well. But Mykitiuk deserves mention for scoring in two straight games since being placed on a line with Scherbak, and the little guy is unafraid to stick his nose into the fray.
BOX SCORE
