EVERETT — On Friday night the Everett Silvertips held fan appreciation night in their home finale of the 2022-23 WHL season. However, the Tips were unable to give a sellout crowd of 8,249 at Angel of the Winds Arena a victory to appreciate.
Everett fell two goals behind the Victoria Royals just two minutes into the game, and the Tips never fully recovered as they fell 6-4.
Everett played a severely-depleted lineup because of injuries — the Tips were two forwards short of a full lineup, and two of those who did dress were call-ups — and the result was meaningless for Everett, which was already locked into sixth place in the Western Conference and a first-round playoff series against. No. 3 Portland.
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But that was no excuse for the train wreck of a performance Everett produced in the first period. The Tips came out sluggish and disorganized as they constantly turned the puck over and got beat in races. Everett was behind 3-0 less than 10 minutes into the game against a Victoria team that had long been eliminated from playoff contention.
“We were sloppy,” Everett coach Dennis Williams said. “We weren’t very good from the goalie on out. One line kind of showed up for us, I thought the rest of our team was very average. We can’t afford to be average or below average, especially with the number of bodies out. We can’t just keep relaying on (Jackson) Berezowski to do all the lifting. Guys have to start pitching in, pulling their weight and bringing something to the table instead of relying on the same handful of guys.”
Teague Patton had two goals and an assist from the blue line to lead the Royals (17-43-6-1).
The one thing the home fans were able to express their full appreciation for was a hat trick of power-play goals from Berezowski, Everett’s overage captain. His third goal, which came with just 8.5 seconds remaining, gave him 47 this season, tying Joshua Winquist’s single-season franchise record set in 2013-14. Berezowski, who broke Everett’s career goal-scoring record earlier this season, has a chance to make the single-season record his own when the Tips complete the regular season Saturday with a rematch in Victoria.
“It was special,” Berezowski said about scoring a hat trick in his final regular season home game, as well as the tributes during the season-end awards ceremony following the game. “I’m not an emotional guy, but emotions were definitely flowing at the end of the game. I think it just shows what this city and what this team means to me. It took me in as a kid, and I’ll be leaving an adult.”
Raphael Pelletier added a goal and three assists for Everett (32-32-2-1), while Jesse Heslop chipped in three assists.
Everett found itself behind 2-0 before some members of the crowd had even settled into their seats. Victoria opened the scoring just 1:05 into the contest when Nate Misskey’s shot from the right point found its way through bodies and under Everett goaltender Tyler Palmer. Then just another 1:05 later the Royals scored again, Teydon Trembecky getting the better of a defender at the blue line to skate in free on goal, then firing into the top corner.
Victoria made it 3-0 at 9:32 thanks to a perfectly-executed two-on-one, Marcus Almquist setting up Tanner Scott for the tap-in, sending Palmer to the bench in favor of Tim Metzger.
Silvertips’ Hunter Campbell (18) and Royals’ Justin Kipkie (3) fight for the puck during a game between the Everett Silvertips and Victoria Royals at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett on Friday. The Silvertips fell to the Royals, 6-4. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett clawed its way back into it in the second period thanks to special teams play. First, on a four-on-three power play at 2:25, Berezowski tapped the puck in after Pelletier’s one-timer clanged off the post and off the back of Victoria goaltender Braden Holt before hanging up on the goal line. Then at 11:55 when skating four-on-four, Pelletier blew a one-time from the left circle past Holt following a cross-ice pass from Dexter Whittle.
But Victoria got one back at 13:58 when Patton was given space to attack from the center point, then stepped into a slap shot that he blasted past Metzger’s glove to make it 4-2.
Patton then went to work again 4:38 into the third, slicing through the defense and getting his shot past Metzger despite being hooked down to the ice, and there was no way back for Everett from there.
Slap shots
Among the many injury scratches for Everett were leading scorer Austin Roest (upper body) and third-leading scorer Ben Hemmerling (upper body). Both players, who are crucial offensive contributors, are listed as week-to-week, putting their availability for the start of the playoffs in question. … The two call-up forwards who dressed for Everett were 16-year-old Carter Bear and 15-year-old Lukas Kaplan. Another 15-year-old call-up forward, Julien Maze, was in attendance but did not dress. … After the game was over all the Everett players hugged Holt, who tended goal for Everett for three-plus seasons.
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