PORTLAND — Noah Juulsen decided the Everett Silvertips weren’t ready to concede the U.S. Division title just yet.
Juulsen’s wrister from the left circle gave Everett the 3-2 win over the Portland Winterhawks at 1:12 in overtime before 8,034 fans at Veterans Memorial Arena.
It was Everett’s first win over the Winterhawks at the Coliseum since December 2013. It also means the Tips drew a 5-5 split with Portland in the regular season series.
More importantly the Tips (38-23-4-3, 83 points) moved within four points of first-place Seattle to keep their thin hopes of defending their division title from last season alive. Portland slipped to 34-30-4-0 and has 73 points.
The Silvertips led 2-0 through two periods, but the Winterhawks tied it with a pair of third-period goals in quick succession.
Rodrigo Abols took advantage of a turnover and beat Everett goalie Mario Petit at 8:32. Less than two minutes later, Caleb Jones fed Tips killer Rihards Bukarts with a cross-ice pass and Bukarts stuck it inside the post to tie it 2-2 at 10:32.
The Tips dressed only 17 skaters as Dawson Leedahl and Tristen Pfeifer were each scratched. Leedahl missed his second straight game while Pfeifer missed after playing Saturday at Tri-City.
Top-line forward Carson Stadnyk went down with an apparent lower body injury about nine minutes into the second period. Stadnyk was helped off the ice and to the dressing room. He did not return.
Everett forward Brian King scored the all-important first goal when he corralled a bouncing puck along the right boards and fired a wrister from the right circle past Adin Hill at 11:11 in the opening period.
Yan Khomenko made it 2-0 at 3:10 in the second period when he crashed in from the right wing and snuck the puck past Hill.
Kevin Davis had assists on Everett’s first two goals.
Petit earned the win with 23 saves on 25 shots. Everett out-shot Portland 27-25.
The Tips return to action Wednesday when they play host to Spokane.
Everett 1 1 0 1 — 3
Portland 0 0 2 0 — 2
1st Period—1, Everett, King 4 (Davis), 11:11. Penalties—MacDonald Evt (tripping), 2:23.
2nd Period—2, Everett, Khomenko 5 (Skrumeda, Davis), 3:10. Penalties—Weinger Por (holding), 8:08; Overhardt Por (tripping), 11:41; Khomenko Evt (embellishment), 18:20; Abols Por (roughing), 18:20; Heinrich Por (hooking), 18:20.
3rd Period—3, Portland, Abols 20 8:32. 4, Portland, Bukarts 29 (Jones, Schoenborn), 10:05. Penalties—Abols Por (roughing), 11:08.
OT Period-5, Everett, Juulsen 7 (Fonteyne), 1:12. Penalties—No Penalties
Shots on Goal—Everett 10-8-8-1-27. Portland 9-3-13-0-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Everett 0/4; Portland 0/1.
Goalies—Everett, Petit 3-1-3-0 (25 shots-23 saves). Portland, Hill 32-27-4-0 (27 shots-24 saves).
A—8,034
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