SPOKANE — The Everett Silvertips couldn’t end their lengthy losing streak at Spokane Arena on Saturday night. However, the Tips did rally to come away with the rare point from Spokane.
Everett rallied to get the game into overtime, but lost in the extra period as the Spokane Chiefs knocked off the Tips 3-2.
The loss extended Everett’s losing streak in Spokane to 17 games, dating back to March 14, 2010. However, by getting the game into overtime the Tips earned just their second point from Spokane during that span.
Mike Aviani scored the game winner 56 seconds into overtime when he converted a backdoor feed from Mitch Holmberg off the rush. The goal was Aviani’s second of the game.
Jason Fram also scored and Reid Gow had three assists for Spokane (25-13-0-2), which has won all five of the games between the Chiefs and Tips this season. Spokane also caught Everett for second place in the WHL’s U.S. Division with 52 points.
Eric Williams earned the win in goal for Spokane with 29 saves.
Carson Stadnyk and Jujhar Khaira scored for Everett (23-12-4-1), which dropped its third straight. The Tips have lost four of five since the Christmas break, dropping all four of those by a single goal.
Austin Lotz finished with 38 saves in net for the Tips.
Everett welcomed leading scorer Joshua Winquist back to the lineup Saturday. Winquist missed the previous four games because of a concussion. The Tips also had the services of defenseman and captain Matt Pufahl, who was questionable because of a foot injury. However, he left the game in the first period with an apparent upper-body injury and did not return.
After going scoreless for two periods, Spokane brought the game to life with two power-play goals in less than a minute early in the third. Aviani was just able to stuff the puck past Lotz 1:09 into the period, and the Chiefs immediately went back on the power play as Tips defenseman Ben Betker roughed Aviani after the play. Then Fram fired a shot past Lotz at 2:01 to give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead.
Everett rallied to tie it. Stadnyk produced an immediate response when he converted a feed from Khaira at 3:38 to get the Tips back within one. Then Everett tied it with a power-play goal of its own at 15:09 when Winquist’s shot went off the post, but Khaira was there to put the rebound home.
That got Everett into overtime, but Aviani made sure the Tips’ Spokane curse continued.
Chiefs 3, Silvertips 2 (OT)
Everett 0 0 2 0—2
Spokane 0 0 2 1—3
First Period—no goals. Penalties—Pufahl, Everett (cross checking), 0:33; Winquist, Everett (cross checking-roughing), 11:45; Gow, Spokane (roughing), 11:45; Spokane bench (too many men, served by Sozanski), 13:01; Whittingham, Spokane (interference), 19:33.
Second Period—no goals. Penalties—Betker, Everett (interference), 3:57; Elynuik, Spokane (interference), 8:08; Zipp, Everett (hooking), 12:56; MacDonald, Everett (tripping), 19:33.
Third Period—1, Spokane, Aviani 28 (Gow, Fram), 1:09 (pp). 2, Spokane, Fram 5 (Gow, Aviani), 2:01 (pp). 3, Everett, Stadnyk 15 (Khaira, Leedahl), 3:38; 4, Everett, Khaira 10 (Nikolishin, Winquist), 15:09 (pp). Penalties—Betker, Everett (roughing), 1:09; Gow, Spokane (hooking-unsportsmanlike conduct), 11:59.
Overtime—5, Spokane, Aviani 29 (Holmberg, Gow), 0:56. Penalties—none.
Shots on goal—Everett 10-11-10-0—31. Spokane 19-7-12-2—40. Power-play opportunities—Everett 1 of 5. Spokane 2 of 6.
Goalies—Everett, Lotz 16-10-2-1 (41 shots, 38 saves). Spokane, Williams 22-9-0-1 (31 shots, 29 saves).
A—6.534.
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