The Game
The Everett Silvertips kept right on rolling in a 5-2 win over the Portland Winterhawks Saturday.
Making it more impressive? Just how many Silvertips are injured and/or hurt. Turns out one of those players was goalie Carter Hart, who was given the night off. Mario Petit found out Saturday morning he was getting the start.
“We just felt with Carter having played a lot and being a little sick it was a perfect time to put Mario in, and he responded tremendously,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine said.
Indeed he did. Petit saved 41 of 43 shots and showed no signs of rust despite not playing since Oct. 19 when he replaced Hart in a 4-3 overtime loss at Kelowna.
It’s not an easy task backing up the returning WHL and CHL Goaltender of the Year, but Petit doesn’t let that bother him.
“It’s just a regular thing and I expect it now,” Petit said. “I know I’m not going to be playing as much as Hartsy because of how good he is. So yeah, I just always make sure I’m ready for games and do my thing.”
Everett played without Mackenzie Dwyer, Bryce Kindopp, Graham Millar, Lucas Skrumeda and Brett Kemp Saturday. Yet once again the Tips had players step up and that’s quickly becoming the theme of this season so far.
“We’re a really good team with adversity,” Petit said. “We just have to battle through it and be successful in those situations.”
Eight different Tips players recorded points in the victory. Riley Sutter and Dominic Zwerger each had a goal and an assist as they each tallied empty-netters in the final minute. Patrick Bajkov also had a goal and an assist.
The Turning Point
Everett killed a brief 5-on-3 penalty that morphed into normal penalty early in the third period to keep the score 3-1. That kill proved important when Keegan Iverson scored at 6:51 to cut the lead to 3-2.
Three Stars
1. Everett G Mario Petit: The Manitoban had 41 saves in his first start since mid-October.
2. Everett D Kevin Davis: The blueliner scored Everett’s first goal with a rocket from the point and finished plus-two.
3. Everett D Noah Juulsen: The captain gave Everett its first lead with yet another rocket from the point.
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