CRANBROOK, B.C. – Who were those guys?
The ones in the green jerseys who gave up a bucketful of glorious scoring chances.
The ones who repeatedly allowed the opposition to break away on odd-man rushes.
The Everett Silvertips might have begun their second-round Western Hockey League playoff series Friday night at the Cranbrook Recreation Complex, but they sure didn’t resemble the team that’s become so renowned for its defensive prowess.
The Silvertips weren’t themselves and the Kootenay Ice took advantage, downing Everett 4-2 in Game 1 before a crowd of 3,586.
“It’s not a great way to start a series, going down in a game,” said Everett center Mark Kress, who set up both Silvertip goals. “But we’re a team that battles through it, so hopefully things can turn around for us.”
Steven DaSilva scored what proved to be the game-winner 7 minutes, 14 seconds into the third period, converting Kootenay’s second goal in two minutes. The goal came on an odd-man rush – a breakway where offensive players rushing the net have a one-man advantage on the defenders.
Derek Price and Adam Cracknell also scored, and Martin Sagat added an empty netter. Jeff Glass made 23 saves in goal for Kootenay, which overcame a sluggish start.
“We hadn’t played for six days and Everett definitely came out with some intensity,” Kootenay coach Cory Clouston said. “I thought we weathered the storm and gathered some momentum halfway through the first period.”
Curtis Billsten and Ivan Baranka scored for Everett and Michael Wall made 35 saves.
After taking the lead just 1:41 into the game on Billsten’s goal, Everett struggled defensively.
In the second period the Tips gave up 19 shots on goal. Wall performed heroics to stop every one and keep the score 1-1. But there was little Wall could do in the third period on Kootenay’s odd-man rushes, which proved decisive.
“The second period is where the game fell apart a little for us,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. “We still had a chance in the third. But they’re a good team, they’re going to have their moments like that. We just can’t let it get that out of hand.”
Everett somehow survived the second period, but then defensive breakdowns proved costly in the third. First, Ryan Russell and Adam Cracknell broke away two-on-one, and although Wall saved Russell’s initial shot, Cracknell put in the rebound at 5:10, making it 2-1 with his second of the playoffs.
Everett struck back quickly. Baranka, who had hit a post on a rebound earlier in the period, got the puck at the center point after Kress won a draw. Baranka wound up and fired a bullet past Glass at 6:33, retying it at 2-2 with his second of the playoffs.
But then Everett let its guard down again. Forty-one seconds after Baranka’s equalizer, Kootenay broke free three-on-two, with Casey Lee carrying the puck into the zone on the left. Lee’s shot was saved, but he retrieved the rebound behind the net and flashed a pass out front to an onrushing DaSilva. DaSilva one-timed a shot past Wall, making it 3-2 with his third of the playoffs.
“We got caught off guard, and with that kind of speed it’s pretty tough to stop that,” Kress said. “It’s not our style to give up a lot of two-on-ones and three-on-twos, so we’re going to have to come out next game and show how we can play defensively.”
Everett was unable to create much afterwards, and Sagat found the empty net with 2:43 remaining, sealing the victory with his fourth goal of the playoffs.
Billsten opened the scoring 1:41 in, putting in his own rebound for his first of the playoffs.
Kootenay tied it with a power-play goal at 16:38 of the second period, Price shoveling a backhander past Wall for his first of the playoffs.
Slap shots: Both of Everett’s major injury doubts, defenseman Mitch Love (knee) and left wing Tyler Dietrich (ankle) were scratched for Game 1. … Kootenay star left wing Nigel Dawes, who missed the final two games of Kootenay’s first-round series against Kamloops for unspecified reasons, returned to the lineup Friday. However, defenseman Roman Polak, who missed three of the final four games against Kamloops with a shoulder injury, sat out Friday and is expected to miss more time. … DaSilva is the younger brother of Portland’s leading scorer, Dan DaSilva.
Ice 4, Silvertips 2
Everett101-2
Kootenay103-4
First Period-1, Everett, Billsten 1 (Annesley, Kress), 1:41. 2, Kootenay, Price 1 (Lee, Busto), 16:38 (pp).
Second Period-No goals.
Third Period-3, Kootenay, Cracknell 2 (Russell, DaSilva), 5:10. 4, Everett, Baranka 2 (Kress), 6:33. 5, Kootenay, DaSilva 3 (Lee, Sutter), 7:14. 6, Kootenay, Sagat 4 (Taylor), 17:17 (en).
Shots on goal-Everett 8-6-11-25. Kootenay 7-19-13-39. Power-play opportunities-Everett 0 of 4. Kootenay 1 of 4.
Goalies-Everett, Wall 4-4 (38 shots, 35 saves). Kootenay, Glass 5-2 (25 shots, 23 saves).
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