If things stay as they are, the Everett Silvertips and Seattle Thunderbirds will meet in the first round of the WHL playoffs as the 1-8 matchup.
The teams have plenty of recent history. The T-Birds needed just nine games to eliminate the Tips the past two seasons in the Western Conference semifinals en route to back-to-back conference titles (and last year’s Memorial Cup).
Everett wins it 2-1. The controversial goal in the 2nd is the difference. Not to mention a missed icing call in the last minute that should have allowed Seattle a change, a faceoff in the Everett zone, and a tired Everett defensive group.
— Tim Pigulski (@tpigulski) February 25, 2018
Saturday’s game gave us another indication of how explosive a potential first-round matchup would be as Seattle head coach Matt O’Dette once again had some harsh words for the officiating crew after the game.
“(Everett is) a good team, obviously, but the thought that they don’t take any penalties is not true,” O’Dette said. “The little cross checks and the little slashes, the little things like that, they get away with it. They get away with it and we don’t. That’s the bottom line. Turner Ottenbreit can’t even look at a guy and not get a penalty.”
A non-call on a perceived slash irked O’Dette as Seattle’s Donovan Neuls had his stick snapped in half seconds before Everett’s Connor Dewar tied the game 1-1 at 11:35 in the second period.
“Obviously that’s a slash,” O’Dette said. “You can’t break a guy’s stick, and it led to the goal. All we ask for is a fair and even standard and we never get it against Everett. Never. Plain and (expletive) simple… It’s a stereotype that we’re this big, bad goon squad and they’re angels, and that’s not the case. That’s clearly a penalty that led to a goal, and just to rub it in our face we get a slashing call right after that. It’s just time and time again we see this. We’re used to it. It’s par for the course, I guess.”
Everett ties it up with eight and a half minutes left in the second. Right before that, there was an obvious slash that broke Neuls' stick, so Seattle was essentially playing 4-on-5. #TBirds bench livid as they throw the broken stick back to center ice during the celebration.
— Tim Pigulski (@tpigulski) February 25, 2018
Speaking of Ottenbreit – the captain had this to say afterward:
“They’re celebrating on our ice like they just won the Stanley Cup and it’s whatever. Good for them. They won a game. Sweet. I hope we get them in the playoffs. It’s a great rivalry and I know it would be fun.”
Garrett Pilon eventually scored the game-winner less than three minutes into the third with one of Everett’s prettiest goals of the season:
Garrett Pilon's game winning goal.
⚠️ Caution: electrical hazard ⚠️@gpilon41 pic.twitter.com/whuPhBVXDz
— x Everett Silvertips (@WHLsilvertips) February 25, 2018
To paraphrase Ottenbreit, it’s whatever. Tips have a game at 4 today and two more regular-season games with Seattle before it’s all said and done.
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.
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