The Game
Pretty much every wacky thing that could happen Friday did.
– Portland’s bus got delayed by an accident on I-5 that pushed the game back until 8 p.m.
– Carter Hart got pulled for the second straight game. That was rare in and of itself, but the timing was peculiar as it came right after Everett tied the game on a delayed penalty.
– The Tips allowed a season-high six goals while backup netminder Mario Petit looked about as good as you can when you allow three goals on 17 shots.
– For that matter, Portland goalie Cole Kehler looked about as good as you can when you allow five goals on 39 shots. Kehler had several “Save of the Week” candidates, including stopping Patrick Bajkov’s two-on-one (alongside Dominic Zwerger) with just more than two minutes to play.
@JesseGeleynse …..wow. He has made 2 or 3 save of the year candidates just this game
— Jonathan Mitchell (@Kam072013) February 4, 2017
– There were a host of penalties and several skirmishes. Most noteworthy was Tips forward Orrin Centazzo coming to the aid of teammate Montana Onyebuchi after Portland’s Bronson Sharp boarded Onyebuchi. The noteworthiness is that Centazzo is 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds. Onyebuchi is 6-2, 205.
– The eventual game-winner came on the rush with just three seconds to go in the second period. That gave Portland a two-goal lead heading into the final stanza.
The Game, Part Deux
The Silvertips were drawn into playing the type of game that favors the Winterhawks.
“We were kind of in a track meet with a team that likes to play like that, so getting away from our lockdown, defensive game kind of stymied us a bit I think,” said defenseman Aaron Irving. “(We had) some costly turnovers and some costly mistakes that ended up in the back of our net. I think that’s something that can’t happen every game and we were mentally checked out a few times, and that’s something that we’ll respond with (Saturday).”
Speaking of Irving, the overager had the sort of breakout performance the organization has been waiting for since it paid a steep price to acquire him from Edmonton in early January. Irving assisted Everett’s first four goals and set a career high for points in a single game.
Not that Irving took solace afterward.
“Realistically a few of those go in that don’t other nights and vice versa,” he said. “I don’t pay too much attention to that. It’s nice to get those little cookies, but at the end of the day we didn’t get any points as a team.”
I was told afterward that head coach Kevin Constantine was under the weather, so I didn’t get the chance to ask what the impetus was for pulling Hart. I got the impression it was more of the “spark the team” variety than a direct response to Hart’s performance.
“He’s an unbelievable goalie, he’s the best in the league,” Irving said. “We’re proud to have him back there, and we hung him out to dry a few too many times.”
The Tips finally snapped their 0-for-22 power-play drought when Bryce Kindopp stashed a rebound of Irving’s point shot at 3:48 in the first. Everett finished 1-for-3 on the man advantage and added a goal with six skaters while on a delayed penalty.
Everett’s top line also contributed after struggling in recent games. Zwerger scored for the first time in four games thanks to an assist from Bajkov – the second assist for Bajkov in that same span. Linemate Matt Fonteyne finished plus-two despite being held pointless for the fourth straight game.
And Irving doubled his Everett point total in one night.
“The past few games we’ve had a few moral victories, but I think at the end of the day that’s not enough,” Irving said. “This is a team that is capable of going very far this season and we’re ready to prove it.”
The Turning Point
Kehler’s save on the Bajkov-Zwerger two-on-one with two minutes to go in the third preserved the lead and ultimately led to the Portland victory.
Three Stars.
1. Portland F Skyler McKenzie: McKenzie had two goals and two assists.
2. Everett D Aaron Irving: The overager had four assists.
3. Portland F Cody Glass: The projected 2017 NHL first-rounder had one goal and three assists.
Honorable mention: Everett F Eetu Tuulola (three assists), Portland D Caleb Jones (two assists), Portland F Joachim Blichfeld (GWG), Everett D Kevin Davis (two assists).
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