PORTLAND, Ore. – It seems Zach Hamill and Dan Gendur have figured one another out.
Both Hamill and Gendur scored hat tricks and finished with seven-point nights as the Everett Silvertips crushed the Portland Winter Hawks 9-0 Friday night.
With the victory, Everett clinched at least a tie for a playoff spot with nearly two months remaining in the season. The best Portland, in fifth place in the U.S. Division, can do is tie the Tips’ 78 points.
The Tips acquired Gendur from Prince George in November with the specific purpose of finding Hamill a right winger who could score. Friday’s performance, in which both tallied three goals and four assists, indicates just how well that was accomplished. With 12 goals and 13 assists in 23 games with Everett, Gendur’s been a steal for the 2008 sixth-round bantam draft pick the Tips had to give up to get him.
Gendur’s performance was all the more remarkable considering he was questionable for the game with a bruised foot.
All kinds of franchise records were set in the game:
* Hamill’s and Gendur’s seven points were Everett single-game records.
* It was the first time two Tips had hat tricks in the same game.
* Hamill’s three goals gave him 49 in his Everett career, tying Torrie Wheat for most in franchise history.
* The nine-goal margin of victory was the largest in franchise history.
* Leland Irving, who made 18 saves in goal, set a team record for career shutouts with 13.
Kyle Beach added a goal and three assists for Everett (38-7-0-2). Damir Alic and Moises Gutierrez also scored for the Tips.
Unsurprisingly, the game got contentious once the score got out of hand. The third period featured three fights and several instances of action after the whistle.
Portland goaltender Chris Ward had a rough night, giving up nine goals on 33 shots.
Everett came into the game with health concerns. In addition to Gendur, left wing Ondrej Fiala (flu) and defenseman Jonathan Harty (groin) were both questionable, while defensemen Graham Potuer (wrist) and Mike Alexander (concussion) and left wing Lukas Vartovnik (hip) were all out. In an effort to protect against the injuries, Everett called up 16-year-old defenseman Tyler Hlookoff, who began the season with the Tips, and 16-year-old center Jordan Mistelbacher, acquired in the trade that brought Dane Crowley from Swift Current.
However, both Fiala and Harty were able to play, and backup goaltender David Reekie dressed after missing the previous four games with a sprained ankle.
Silvertips 9, Winter Hawks 0
Everett 225-9
Portland000-0
First Period-1, Everett, Gendur 12 (Beach, Hamill), 6:34. 2, Everett, Gendur 13 (Hamill, Beach), 9:20. Penalties-Gabriel, Portland (cross-checking), 0:45; Beach, Everett (interference), 4:27.
Second Period-3, Everett, Alic 3 (Sonne, Crowley), 0:39. 4, Everett, Hamill 18 (Gendur), 11:29. Penalties-Everett bench (too many men, served by Beach), 3:00; Jordan, Portland (roughing), 9:46; Gutierrez, Everett (interference), 10:08.
Third Period-5, Everett, Hamill 19 (Gendur, Beach), 0:40. 6, Everett, Gendur 14 (Hamill, Crowley), 7:17 (pp). 7, Everett, Hamill 20 (Gendur), 12:44. 8, Everett, Gutierrez 31 (Mueller), 17:44. 9, Everett, Beach 22 (Gendur, Hamill), 18:27. Penalties-Beach, Everett (fighting), 0:40; Montgomery, Portland (fighting), 0:40; Harty, Everett (fighting), 1:48; Jordan, Portland (boarding-fighting), 1:48; Sonne, Everett (fighting), 4:17; Cepek, Portland (fighting), 4:17; Marshall, Portland (roughing), 6:34; Mueller, Everett (hooking), 7:24; Beach, Everett (roughing), 9:53; Alexiuk, Portland (roughing), 9:53; Crowley, Everett (holding), 10:14; Beach, Everett (hooking), 15:41; McLaren, Portland (roughing), 19:36.
Shots on goal-Everett 10-8-15-33. Portland 6-6-6-18. Power-play opportunities-Everett 1 of 5. Portland 0 of 6.
Goalies-Everett, Irving 23-4-0-2 (18 shots, 18 saves). Portland, Ward 0-7-0-0 (33 shots, 24 saves).
A-3,634.
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