TALKING POINTS
Well, obviously there was one moment that stood out above all tonight. The game was tied 0-0 early in the second period, Everett wasn’t playing particularly well, but the Tips were on the power play. The puck was cleared down the ice, Everett goaltender Kent Simpson went into the corner to play it, he tried to pass to teammate Rasmus Rissanen on the other side of the net, but he pass went astray and wound up in his own net. Seattle went on to win handily from there.
There are several things worth mentioning about this incident:
– A canvas of the people in the press area found that no one had ever seen a goalie score directly into his own net before. They’d seen defensemen accidentally score past their own goaltender and fluky bounces result in own goals, but nothing like this.
– Simpson had actually played well to that point and was probably the only reason why the game was scoreless.
– Seattle’s Prab Rai seems to find himself involved in unusual plays like this. He was the closest Seattle player to Simpson on the play (probably around 25 feet and veering away from the play), and he was the closest player on a similar play during the 2007 playoffs when a Tri-City defender trying to wrap the puck around the boards ended up scoring on his own goaltender.
– I have to give Simpson credit for coming out to talk to me after the game. Not sure how many 17-year-olds would have been willing to come out of the locker room and talk to the press after a moment like that.
The Tips skated around in a daze for the next 10 minutes, during which Seattle scored twice more on the power play. But while that first goal may have been the turning point for the T-birds, it wasn’t for the Tips as they weren’t playing well before and didn’t play well after. Seattle outworked Everett throughout, the Tips took bad penalties for the second straight night, and the T-birds were deserving of the win.
TURNING POINT
See above.
RADKO GUDAS HIT OF THE DAY
Yep, he was at it again. Late in the second period Rai started streaking into the Everett zone when Gudas dipped low and upended Rai with a hip check, sending Rai flipping specdtacularly head over heels through the air.
THREE STARS
First star: Rai. Actually ended up with no points as the first goal was changed from Rai to Brendan Rouse, but he was the most dangerous player on the ice.
Second star: Calvin Pickard, Seattle. 29 saves for the shutout, but wasn’t overly challenged.
Third star: Gudas. Probably got this simply for his hit.
The Herald’s honorable mention: Sena Acolatse, Seattle. A goal and an assist, his shot from the point on the power play is a frightening weapon.
BOX SCORE
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