Silvertips cough up late lead, fall to Chiefs in OT

EVERETT — Friday night’s game between the Everett Silvertips and Spokane Chiefs was a far cry from the team’s last meeting.

Goaltending ruled Friday’s performance as Spokane prevailed 2-1 in overtime before 4,863 fans at Angel of the Winds Arena.

“We weren’t quite as sharp (tonight),” Everett head coach Dennis Williams said. “Pucks seemed to be rolling up on us a bit, but it goes both ways too.”

It was the second straight game between the two U.S. Division rival to go into overtime. But two weeks ago Everett won 6-5 in a Sunday slugfest.

This time Kailer Yamamoto tucked the game-winner between Carter Hart’s legs at 2:58 in overtime for the come-from-behind win.

Yamamoto’s game-winner came after a Hart deflection bounced off the end boards and onto Yamamoto’s stick.

“It hit the stanchion and I don’t think anybody else saw it,” Yamamoto said. “I just turned back real quick. I tried to hit the first one, missed it and got the next one.”

Everett (34-17-2-2, 72 points) had won two straight. The Tips remain atop the division standings despite the loss.

Yamamoto, the first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in last June’s NHL draft, has 10 goals in Spokane’s last dozen games.

The Chiefs (29-19-3-2, 63 points) have points in nine straight games and are now in sole possession of third place in the U.S. Division standings.

“We’re a down-low team and we play off the goal line, and I think we’re starting to buy in,” Yamamoto said. “I know we have times, periods where we’re not the sharpest and we don’t play our game plan, and I think that’s where we get caught by teams a lot and where teams start to come back on us. I think what’s clicking is that we’re just playing our game plan and people are starting to buy in.”

Spokane trailed the entire game until pulling goalie Dawson Weatherill f0r an extra skater with 2:29 to play. Jaret Anderson-Dolan then beat Hart from the slot at 18:11 to draw the Chiefs even and force overtime.

Hart finished with 30 saves on 32 shots, but Weatherill matched his counterpart save for save. The Spokane netminder finished with 38 saves as Everett outshot Spokane 39-32 for the game.

“(Weatherill) played unbelievable,” Yamamoto said. “I give a lot of credit to him. That’s easily one of the best games I’ve seen him play. We wouldn’t be in that game if he wasn’t sound, so I give a lot of props. We need him to play like that every game.”

Williams also lauded Weatherill’s performance while bemoaning Everett’s inability to get traffic in front of the Spokane netminder.

“I didn’t think we did as good a job getting over top of him,” Williams said. “A lot of (shots) hit him right in the logo. We expect more bodies over top. So that’s something we have to learn from.”

Anderson-Dolan finished with a goal and an assist while Ty Smith added two assists to lead Spokane.

The Tips led 1-0 after one period and it remained that way for the entirety of the second.

Everett had numerous chances in the second, but Weatherill stood tall in net and he turned aside all 17 Tips shots in the frame.

The Chiefs had a goal waved off due to a high stick at 4:43. Spokane also had a potential two-on-one whistled dead when Everett’s Sean Richards dropped gloves with Spokane’s Tyson Helgesen. That allowed the Tips took their 1-0 lead into the third.

Spokane controlled the pace from the beginning of the first period. The Chiefs took advantage of an early power play and recorded the game’s first eight shots.

“I thought we came out a little flat,” Williams said. “We didn’t bury our chances. We had opportunities to create some separation there, and not from a lack of trying or lack of effort. It just didn’t go in.”

Garrett Pilon finished off the rush on a feed from Sutter at 10:17 for a 1-0 Everett lead on just the team’s second shot. Connor Dewar had the other assist.

It turned out that was the only chance Everett buried.

Everett came up empty on four power-play chances while Spokane was 0-for-1.

The Tips play host to Vancouver tonight at 7:05 p.m. before traveling east for a rematch at Spokane Sunday evening.

Chiefs 2, Silvertips 1, OT

Spokane 0 0 1 1 —2

Everett 1 0 0 0 – 1

1st Period—1, Everett, Pilon 26 (Sutter, Dewar), 10:17. Penalties—Bajkov Evt (holding), 2:47; Kral Spo (tripping), 4:56; Bajkov Evt (embellishment), 4:56; Kral Spo (hooking), 11:57; Leduc Spo (interference), 14:57.

2nd Period—No Scoring. Penalties—Hamaliuk Spo (hooking), 8:30; Helgesen Spo (major-fighting), 11:03; Richards Evt (major-fighting), 11:03.

3rd Period—2, Spokane, Anderson-Dolan 29 (Elynuik, Smith), 18:11. Penalties—Elynuik Spo (holding), 11:59.

OT Period—3, Spokane, Yamamoto 11 (Smith, Anderson-Dolan), 2:58. Penalties—No Penalties

Shots on Goal—Spokane 13-7-10-2-32. Everett 10-17-11-1-39.

Power Play Opportunities—Spokane 0 / 1; Everett 0 / 4.

Goalies—Spokane, Weatherill 17-9-3-2 (39 shots-38 saves). Everett, Hart 21-4-1-2 (32 shots-30 saves).

A—4,863