EVERETT — The Edmonton Oil Kings were chased by a “Bear” on Friday night, and there was nothing they could do but watch Everett center Carter Bear skate over them and score what was his and the Silvertips’ first hat trick this season.
The 7-2 result marked Everett’s (10-2) fourth-straight and 10th-overall win. The Silvertips have now tallied 13 goals and conceded three across two games since returning from their two-week road trip where they won six of seven games spanning Canada and Oregon.
Everett, which downed Wenatchee 6-1 on Wednesday, produced another dominant showing inside Angel of the Winds Arena last night over the Oil Kings (4-5). The Silvertips remain atop the Western Conference and U.S. Division standings and are currently tied for first with Saskatoon in the Western Hockey League.
Silvertips’ Carter Bear scores a goal during the game against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
“I think we played together, played connected. Kind of got a little sloppy in the d-zone at times,” Bear said. “(Scoring a hat trick), I guess it was pretty cool but great pass by (Miettinen). I got to give my teammates some help. It’s not all about me.”
Bear netted one goal in each period, left winger Dominik Rymon contributed two goals, right winger Jesse Heslop had one goal and two assists and left winger Julien Maze added one goal.
Silvertips’ Carter Bear celebrates with a fan after scoring during the game against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The 5,317 fans in attendance also saw 10 different Silvertips tally assists in addition to Heslop, including Eric Jamieson, Julius Miettinen, Landon DuPont, Tarin Smith, Maze, Tyler MacKenzie, Kaden Hammell, Rylan Pearce and Beau Courtney. Goalie Jesse Sanche had another solid game, saving 19 of 21 shots.
“I’m happy with my performance, happy with the team’s performance. I thought we started off maybe a tad slow. … We prevailed and had a hard-fought game,” Heslop said. “Our depth this year is unbelievable. … Everyone is just clicking.
“(Sanche) has been really great this season,” he continued. “I’ve played with him and against him growing up, so getting him this summer was a huge acquisition for our team.”
Silvertips’ Tyler MacKenzie takes a shot during the game against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett got out to a quick start when Bear, assisted by Jamieson and Miettinen, opened the scoring close to five minutes into the contest. Edmonton responded about six minutes later from Miroslav Holinka’s goal. Rymon, assisted by DuPont and Smith, made it 2-1 about two minutes later to close out the first period with a one-goal lead.
Bear, assisted by Heslop, scored three minutes into the second period, and Rymon, assisted by Maze and MacKenzie, made it 4-1 about 30 seconds later before the announcer could say the previous goal’s summary.
The Oil Kings scored their last goal of the night from Gavin Hodnett about three minutes after Rymon’s goal.
Maze, assisted by Heslop and Hammell, took a commanding 5-2 lead with about four minutes remaining in the second period.
Silvertips’ Kaden Hammell gets a shot on goal during the game against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
But, the Silvertips weren’t finished.
Bear, assisted by Miettinen and Pearce, made it 6-2 about nine minutes into the final period. And Heslop, assisted by MacKenzie and Courtney, put the nail in the coffin four minutes later.
“It was really important that we dialed in into what we wanted to do,” said coach Steve Hamilton, who spent eight seasons with Edmonton from 2010-18 and won the Memorial Cup with them as an associate coach in 2014. “I thought for the most part, we played pretty well. We did a lot of positive things.
“Carter is a big-time driver on the team. A big part of it is he works so well with the guys around, and I think you could say that about so many of our guys,” he continued. “There’s not a lot of ego involved, just make the plays.”
Silvertips’ Dominik Rymon maneuvers around an Edmonton player to try and get an open shot during the game against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Silvertips outshot Edmonton 34 to 21, but Everett, as well as the Oil Kings, saw much of the penalty box. There were 27 penalties total between both teams with 14 against the Silvertips. The overall theme? Roughing, tripping, elbowing and cross checking. The final minute of the contest included eight penalties, resulting in one Edmonton and five Everett players to serve 10-minute misconduct punishments in their next games.
“Uncharacteristically, (we were) undisciplined. We got to expect better of ourselves,” Hamilton said. “Some good things, but some teachable moments too.
“I think we’re starting to really forge our identity and figure out who we need to be to be successful night in and night out,” he continued. “That’s probably the most important part of the early start of the year is establish that foundation. As the year goes along, you’re looking to polish things up, tweak as you go.”
Silvertips’ Jesse Sanche blocks a shot during the game against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The Silvertips battle Wenatchee on Saturday before visiting Portland for the third time this season on Sunday to begin their four-game road trip.
“Everyone needs to be a little more disciplined,” Heslop said. “We just got to take care of our bodies and take care of ourselves so we can play our game.”
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