Silvertips one win away from WHL title

Published 9:18 am Thursday, May 14, 2026

It all looked routine, until it wasn’t.

Collecting the puck in his own zone, Prince Albert Raiders defenseman Justice Christensen lost an edge and fell to the ice next to the boards. Forward Aiden Oiring skated in to retrieve the loose puck, but he lost his edge and slipped as well.

Capitalizing on the Raiders’ misfortune, Everett Silvertips forward Zackary Shantz swooped in to take the puck with plenty of space in the right corner, and centered it to Shea Busch for a quick tap-in.

Just minutes after Prince Albert had a potential game-tying goal nullified by an early whistle, Busch put the Silvertips ahead 4-2 midway through the third period in Game 4 of the WHL Championship at Art Hauser Centre on Wednesday.

“I just got to credit my linemate, ’Shantzy’ there,” Busch told reporters in Prince Albert after the game. “He makes a good play, and I was lucky enough for that one to go in the back of the net, and just got to do what the team needs.”

Matias Vanhanen scored an empty-netter to give Everett a 5-2 victory, extending its series lead to 3-1. With one more win, the Silvertips will be WHL Champions for the first time.

“It’s the opportunity you play for,” Everett coach Steve Hamilton said. “We talked about not playing like we have a parachute or a cushion. Our job is play the game that’s right in front of us. I think that’s what’s made us a really consistent team throughout the season, is home or away, we show up. We find a way, and that’s a big part of our identity.”

Vanhanen and Julius Miettinen each had a goal and an assist, and Landon DuPont added two helpers to lead the scoring in Game 4. Goalie Anders Miller stopped 31 shots.

The Silvertips needed just 32 seconds to get on the board, when Vanhanen cruised up the right side and threw a backhand chance to the crease that Miettinen punched in for his 14th goal of the postseason.

After outshooting the Raiders 15-6 in the first period, Everett got outshot 17-8 in the middle frame. Prince Albert finally leveled things at 9:53 of the second period. Defenseman Linden Burrett’s shot from the right point bounced off Vanhanen’s body into open space in front of the left post, where Brandon Gorzynski swooped in to tie it 1-1.

The Raiders continued to threaten around the net, but Miller stood his ground with a sequence of big saves to keep the game tied until Rylan Gould restored the Silvertips’ lead with his sixth power-play goal of the playoffs at 18:53.

DuPont skated into the high slot and connected with Miettinen next to the right post, and the Seattle Kraken prospect found Gould on the doorstep for the tap-in.

It marked the first of two power-play goals for Everett, which finished 2-for-5 on the man-advantage on Wednesday. The penalty kill went 6-for-6 to stifle a productive Prince Albert unit as well.

“It was really important,” Hamilton said. “It was a great feed down low. (Gould) got himself well-positioned, and it was just a quick strike at the goal line. When your power play can answer — I think we had two tonight — that’s important.

“Special teams are always going to be a difference-maker at this time of year. Certainly give the props to the penalty kill as well. We dug in, and there’s a lot of sacrifice when you’re getting into those moments and everything’s on the line. I credit the guys for putting themselves in front of pucks and doing whatever’s required.”

Carter Bear pushed the lead to 3-1 with another power-play goal at 4:24 of the third period with a rip from the high slot, but Christensen brought it back within one at 6:43 with a shot through traffic from the outside edge of the right circle.

The Raiders appeared to tie it a few minutes later when Miller held an attempted wraparound from Oiring on the right post before it got pushed out to the slot, where defenseman Bennett Kelly launched it to the back of the net, but officials called the play dead right before the shot.

It appeared the official behind the net never saw the puck slip out to Kelly and thought Miller had frozen the puck, which robbed Prince Albert of a tying goal.

“For us, you got to control what you can control,” Raiders coach Ryan McDonald said. “Ultimately, I have really no comment on what (the official) might have saw from behind the net. Unfortunate that the whistle went as quick as it did, and the puck was on our stick, but again, that’s hockey and you got to move on from it and look for your next opportunity.”

Prince Albert’s skating mishap midway through the third period ultimately robbed the home team of another opportunity, as Busch cashed in to give Everett a 4-2 lead at 10:20 before Vanhanen sealed the game with his empty-net goal at 17:35.

Everett captured a 3-2 win in Game 3 on Tuesday after falling behind 2-1 early in the second period. Luke Vlooswyk scored his first goal of the postseason on a shot through traffic from the point to tie it up 2-2 at 18:07 of the second period, and Miettinen scored the winner at 15:32 of the third, rebounding Brek Liske’s shot with his backhand.

The Ed Chynoweth Cup will be in the Art Hauser Centre when the puck drops for Game 5 on Friday. A Silvertips win would clinch the franchise’s first championship in its 23-year history. Should the Raiders extend the series, the series would shift back to Angel of the Winds Arena for Games 6 and 7 on Sunday and Monday, if necessary.

“Everyone’s stepping up,” DuPont said. “Whether you’re a 16-year-old, a 20-year-old, everyone’s been stepping up. … It’s been like that all season, just guys stepping up for each other, and I’m super proud of this team.”