PORTLAND, Ore. – For a change it was Portland that received the decisive bounce.
In a series that’s seen just about every bounce go the Everett Silvertips’ way, the Winter Hawks finally got theirs Friday night. Brian Woolger scored on a rebound with less than three minutes remaining, giving Portland a 3-2 victory over Everett in Game 5 of their first-round Western Hockey League playoff series.
“They found a way to score,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. “They got some bounces that went their way and they finished it off at the end. They did a good job tonight.”
Everett’s lead in the best-of-7 series fell to 3-2. The Silvertips will try again to close out the series tonight at home.
“It would have been nice to win it tonight,” Everett center Torrie Wheat said. “But we knew they’d come out and play their best game of the series. It doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t change our game plan. We just got to go out there totally re-focused.”
Brandon Dubinsky and Nick Hotson also scored and Blake Grenier made 25 saves for the Winter Hawks, who felt they hadn’t been rewarded for the quality of their play earlier in the series.
“No matter how great we played, it seemed the bounces would go their way,” said Grenier, who made a big save on Zach Hamill just before the final horn to preserve the victory. “Winning a close one like this is pretty big.”
Ivan Baranka and Brady Calla scored goals and Michael Wall made 22 saves for the Tips.
Everett played with Portland throughout – which hadn’t always been the case, despite the Silvertips’ two-game advantage – and for the first time in the series the Tips outshot the Winter Hawks, 26-25.
But it all came for naught thanks to Woolger’s second goal of the playoffs. With 2:31 remaining, Dubinsky took the puck behind the net and fed it out front to Braydon Coburn. Coburn’s powerful one-timer was saved by Wall, but the rebound flew right out to Woolger in the right slot, and Woolger fired it behind a stranded Wall.
“It was funny, I was actually going around the net, thinking about getting an early change,” Woolger said. “But then I saw Coburn shoot it, so I thought I’d stick around the net, the puck came right to me and the goalie was down and out.”
Everett played from behind the entire game, with Portland stamping its mark on the game just 1:18 in. On the power play, Coburn carried the puck into the zone and although Everett defenseman Shaun Heshka tipped the puck away from Coburn, it went right to Dubinsky, who rifled a shot into the corner, giving the Winter Hawks an early 1-0 lead with his fourth goal of the playoffs.
Everett tied the game with a power-play goal of its own 34 seconds into the second period. Baranka, who had just hammered the post with a one-timer, pinched in from the center point, took a nice feed from Alex Leavitt and swept a shot in off the crossbar, making it 1-1 with his first of the playoffs.
Portland restored its lead at 6:47. Garrett Festerling won a faceoff to Hotson, who had his first shot from the left slot saved, but Hotson then put in the rebound to make it 2-1 with his first of the playoffs.
Everett tied the game exactly one minute later. Calla intercepted an attempted clear at the blue line, cut inside and slid a shot under Grenier, with the aid of a screen from Michael Wuchterl.
The goal was Calla’s first of the playoffs.
Slap shots: Everett captain Mitch Love and left wing Tyler Dietrich each missed their second straight game. Love is recovering from a knee injury suffered in Game 2, Dietrich is still feeling soreness after returning in Game 3 from a fractured ankle. … Fifteen-year-old Everett forward Matt Meropoulis, who was on the playoff roster for the first four games of the playoffs but did not dress, has returned home to Edmonton, Alberta. … Tickets for tonight’s Game 6 go on sale via telephone at 866-332-8499 beginning at 7 a.m. today, or can be purchased in person at the Everett Events Center beginning at 10 a.m. Tickets also may be purchased online at www.everettsilvertips.com.
Winter Hawks 3, Silvertips 2
Everett020-2
Portland111-3
First Period-1, Portland, Dubinsky 4 (Coburn, Mikkelson), 1:18 (pp).
Second Period-2, Everett, Baranka 1 (Leavitt, Heshka), 0:34 (pp). 3, Portland, Hotson 1 (Festerling), 6:47. 4, Everett, Calla 1, 7:47.
Third Period-5, Portland, Woolger 2 (Coburn, Dubinsky), 17:29.
Shots on goal-Everett 7-12-7-26. Portland 9-10-6-25. Power-play opportunities-Everett 1 of 6. Portland 1 of 5.
Goalies-Everett, Wall 3-2 (25 shots, 22 saves). Portland, Grenier 1-3 (26 shots, 24 saves).
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