The Silvertips clearly were not ready to deal with a cornered animal.
Up 1-0 in the game and 2-0 in the series, Everett had a chance to all but put the series away. But Prince George played with the desperation of a team that knew its season was on the brink, and the Tips just were not match, falling 5-1. For about 17 minutes between the second and third periods, during which the Cougars scored all five of their goals, the game was about as lopsided as it gets. I haven’t been able to say that often about Everett this season, at least not in the losing sense.
Here’s some observations:
– That was one heck of a display of finishing by Prince George. Four of the five goals required ultimate precision on the shot, and the fifth was a perfectly executed two-on-one. Can’t blame Everett goaltender Leland Irving much for those, though I’m sure he’d like another shot at the first two.
– I suspect we’ll be seeing Real Cyr in goal for Prince George the rest of the series. Both Cyr and Scott Bowles have gotten starts against Everett. Bowles, who started Game 1, was the No. 1 down the stretch of the regular season, while Cyr backstopped the Cougars to their first-round victory over Kamloops. But Tuesday’s performance should end the controversy. Cyr was solid, and his save on Shane Harper to prevent the Tips from taking a 2-0 first-period lead could have been the game-saving moment.
– Everett’s defense played an uncharacteristic game. I can’t remember when the Tips last gave up that many odd-man rushes.
– Perhaps there was something in the air Tuesday that lent itself to blowouts. Everett’s four-goal loss was actually the closest game played in the WHL Tuesday night as Vancouver pasted Seattle 9-2 and Calgary creamed Brandon 8-1.
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