EVERETT – The streak lives on.
The Everett Silvertips had their streak of making the playoffs in every season of the franchise’s nine-year history extended Sunday night as the Seattle Thunderbirds lost 8-2 to the Portland Winterhawks in the final game of the WHL regular season.
Everett was no longer in control of its own fate as its season was over. Seattle had a chance to tie Everett for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. Had the T-birds beaten the Winterhawks on Sunday, it would have forced a one-game playoff for the conference’s final playoff berth.
However, there was little drama Sunday as the Winterhawks controlled the game against Seattle.
Portland’s victory meant the Tips earned the eighth spot outright. The Tips will face top-seeded Tri-City in the first round. The series begins Friday in Kennewick. Everett will host Games 3 and 4 on Mar. 27-28.
At the start of the new year it seemed inconceivable that Everett would make the playoffs for the ninth straight year. The Tips had just six wins and were 10 points off the bottom of the conference standings.
However, Everett rallied in the season’s final two months, winning 12 of its final 23 games. Saturday’s 6-4 victory at Seattle, Everett’s season finale in which the Tips would have been eliminated had they lost, proved the difference.
Playoff ticket packages go on sale Monday morning when the Silvertips office opens at 8:30 a.m. Single-game tickets go on sale Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling 435-252-5100, or online at www.everettsilvertips.com.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
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