Silvertips can’t turn strong play into a victory

EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips got the working aspect of their game back Tuesday night.

The results part is still lagging behind.

An Everett team that’s been criticized for its effort level in recent days put in a workmanlike performance Tuesday. However, it wasn’t quite enough as the Tips fell to the Portland Winterhawks 4-3 in overtime at Comcast Arena.

Nino Niederreiter scored his second goal of the game 2 minutes, 14 seconds into overtime to win it for Portland.

And the Tips, though they earned a point, were consigned to their fourth straight defeat, despite outshooting the Winterhawks 47-28.

“It was a lot better,” was Everett coach Craig Hartsburg’s evaluation. “I thought we had lots of chances, did lots of things well. But to get out of a slump, or whatever you want to call it, you have to play like this consistently to get yourself out of it. When you’re losing you have to play probably three or four games like that before you get rewarded for it. It’s a lesson for young players that you don’t ever come off the gas pedal.”

The score was tied 3-3 throughout the third period, and the Tips put some heavy pressure on the Portland goal in overtime. However, that pressure came back to bite Everett as it allowed to Winterhawks to break two-on-one. Brad Ross made a spinning pass to set up Niederreiter, and Neiderreiter cut around Everett goaltender Kent Simpson and scored to end the game.

Riley Boychuk and Ryan Johansen scored the other goals for Portland (20-12-0-1). Ian Curtis had a solid game in net for the Winterhawks, making 44 saves.

Byron Froese, Tyler Maxwell and Kellan Tochkin scored for Everett (16-11-2-0). Kent Simpson stopped 24 shots in net for the Tips.

“I thought we played a pretty strong game,” Hartsburg said. “I thought their goalie was really good. We had a chance to put it away, then they kind of scored a couple funny goals and got themselves back in the hockey game.

“We won some games and started to get sloppy, now we have to work to get it back,” Hartsburg added. “I thought we worked hard tonight, we worked fairly hard in Seattle (a 3-2 loss Saturday), so we have to get ready to work hard Friday (at home against Prince George).”

Effort level has been one issue during Everett’s current losing streak, the team’s longest of the season. The other issue that’s dogged the Tips of late is penalties. On Saturday the Tips took the game’s first six penalties. Tuesday it was Everett that received the first four power plays, scoring once with the advantage and once just as a power play expired to take a 2-0 lead early in the second period.

The Tips nearly made it 3-0 moments after the second goal, but Curtis made a great kick save to deny Zack Dailey on a rebound. That was the signal for the Winterhawks to find the net with every shot. The Winterhawks scored three times in the following eight minutes to turn the tide and give Portland a 3-2 lead. Everett tied it again later in the second period, but no longer had control of the game.

“It was really a weird game,” Portland coach Mike Johnston said. “I didn’t think we played very well in the first period. When we took some penalties that rattled us a little bit and we lost our composure. But I thought the guys regrouped. I give them a lot of credit for the way they played the rest of the game.”

Portland’s three second-period goals came one on top of the other. Niederreiter made it 2-1 at 2:25 when he sniped a shot past Simpson straight from the draw. Boychuk tied it up at 7:35 when the puck came to him behind the Everett defense just as he was leaving the bench, and he fired a shot past Simpson’s stick side. The Winterhawks took the lead at 9:36 when, given a full two minutes of five-on-three, former Tip Eric Doyle set up Johansen off the rush.

It was a dramatic turn of events, but the Tips stopped the bleeding by making it 3-3 at 12:23, Tochkin poking a rebound under Curtis.

Slap shots

Portland’s Taylor Jordan was slapped with a game misconduct late in the first period under unusual circumstances. Referee Andy Thiessen called a Portland penalty right in front of the Winterhawks bench. Jordan, incensed by the call, squirted a water bottle toward Thiessen, earning the boot. … Doyle, Everett’s first-round pick in the 2004 bantam draft, was playing his first game at Comcast Arena as a Winterhawk. He was traded from Swift Current to Portland two weeks ago. … Portland lost key forward Luke Walker late in the game when he took a puck to the face. Johnston described the resulting cut as “very bad, one of the worst I’ve seen.”

Winterhawks 4, Silvertips 3 (OT)

Portland0301—4

Everett1200—3

First Period—1, Everett, Froese 10 (Murray, Harper), 16:28 (pp). Penalties—Rutkowski, Portland (holding), 1:19; Boychuk, Portland (fighting), 5:12; Sohor, Everett (fighting), 5:12; Rutkowski, Portland (slashing), 15:46; Ponich, Portland (delay of game), 16:11; Ross, Portland (roughing), 19:12; Boychuk, Portland (roughing), 19:12; Jordan, Portland (game misconduct), 19:12; Tochkin, Everett (high sticking), 19:12.

Second Period—2, Everett, Maxwell 20 (Harper), 1:15. 3, Portland, Niederreiter 18 (Johansen), 2:25. 4, Portland, Boychuk 10 (Francis), 7:35. 5, Portland, Johansen 10 (Doyle, Rattie), 9:36 (pp). 6, Everett, Tochkin 7 (Froese, Maxwell), 12:23. Penalties—Ross, Portland (cross checking), 4:15; de la Lande, Everett (hooking), 8:30; Langkow, Everett (hooking), 8:30; Schneider, Portland (high sticking), 14:08; Aronson, Portland (roughing), 17:52.

Third Period—No goals. Penalties—Langkow, Everett (tripping), 0:46; Dailey, Everett (checking from behind), 6:22; Johnston, Portland (slashing), 12:33; Aronson, Portland (holding), 14:51; Gudas, Everett (interference), 15:24; Theriau, Everett (holding), 16:58.

Overtime—7, Portland, Niederreiter 19 (Ross), 2:14. Penalties—none.

Shots on goal—Portland 3-9-15-1—28. Everett 12-20-13-2—47. Power-play opportunities—Portland 1 of 6. Everett 1 of 9.

Goalies—Portland, Curtis 9-4-0-1 (?? shots, ?? saves). Everett, Simpson 7-5-0-0 (?? shots, ?? saves).

A—3,806.

Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog