TALKING POINTS
Tonight the Everett Silvertips found out what life is like without their stars. Leading scored Kyle Beach was out injured and second-leading scorer Zach Hamill was suspended. So do the Tips have a team that can withstand losing its top offensive players?
Well, at least against Portland, the team with the worst record in the league, they do. The Tips went into the game without a player who’d scored 10 goals, but four different Tips found the net, including Clayton Bauer’s game winner with 2:45 remaining.
Not so sure the Tips would have prevailed against anyone else, but fortunately for Everett Beach and Hamill should only miss tomorrow’s game, which also happens to be against Portland.
And as bad as the goal Leland Irving allowed to make it 3-3 — putting up his glove and missing Jacob Dietrich’s shot from the point off the rush — he made an equally good lunging kick save on Viktor Sjodin shortly after to make sure it remained tied.
TURNING POINT
This game was never secure until Bauer scored the game winner.
HIT OF THE DAY
Late in the game Everett’s Jordan Mistelbacher put a big-time check on Portland’s Jason Grecica along the boards behind the Portland net.
THREE STARS
I was in the elevator when they announced the stars, and the online scoresheet doesn’t list them like it usually does. I know Dan Gendur was named the No. 1 star, so I’ll stick with that. The other two are my own.
First star: Gendur, Everett. Played his best game in some time, and completely undressed a Portland defender on his goal, which broke a 12-game goalless drought.
Second star: Jesse Burt, Everett. Was the absolute definition of hustle and energy tonight. If I hadn’t gotten downstairs in time to see Gendur coming off the ice, he would have been my No. 1 guy.
Third star: Travis Ehrhardt, Portland. Two assists, and it appears the Winter Hawks have finally found a defenseman to start the rush.
The Herald’s honorable mention: Void.
LINEUP NOTES
For Everett, Beach was out with a concussion picked up in his fight with Tri-City’s Mitch McColm on Friday, and Hamill was serving the first game of his two-game suspension for his high hit on Tri-City’s Tyler Schmidt in the same game. That created all kinds of shuffling among the lines as no trio remained intact. Center Zack Dailey played with a full face shield after suffering a serious cheek gouge from a skate Friday night (the 11 stitches make him look a bit like an old-school street fighter). Defenseman Jeff Regier and goaltender Kent Simpson were healthy scratches. The 15-year-old Simpson will remain with the team for tomorrow’s trip to Portland.
For Portland, forwards Aaron McGill (back), Riley Boychuk (hip flexor) and Keith Voytechek (hand) and defensemen Ryan Kerr (shoulder), Brock Cornish (shoulder) and Lee Morrow (shoulder) were all out injured, meaning the Winter Hawks dressed just 17 skaters.
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