The Silvertips dropped a disappointing 7-4 decision Friday night to visiting Portland. You can read our game story here and check out the box score here. There is also this photo gallery from the Tips.
The score was both an accurate and misleading representation of how the game went. The Winterhawks led 4-1 entering the third period, but the Tips rallied with goals from Matt Fonteyne and Carson Stadnyk to pull within one.
Newcomer Brandon Ralph appeared to tie the game with about 10 minutes to play, but the puck was ruled not to have crossed the line. Portland scored immediately on the other end to steal back the momentum and turn a potential 4-4 tie into a 5-3 advantage.
Did it cross the line? Personally I couldn’t tell from the press box. Ralph told Tips broadcaster Mike Benton afterward that the puck “rolled behind the goal line.” However, in the press box a Silvertips staffer who saw the replay said the goal judge made the right call. At any rate that turnaround essentially sealed the game for the Winterhawks.
“We’re really up for a couple seconds, then they go right down and score,” Fonteyne said. “That’s something we’ll work on again.”
Ralph did score a goal later, but it was too little too late for the Tips, who struggled early before turning it on in the third.
“After we get going we play really good,” Fonteyne said. ‘We get our systems going and work hard. We just kind of shoot ourselves in the foot for the first half (of games).”
Skyler McKenzie scored twice and had an assist for Portland. McKenzie did it against Silvertips goaltender Carter Hart, a fellow Sherwood Park, Alberta, native. Per this story the duo played together during the 2012-13 season for the Sherwood Park Bantam AAA Flyers.
The good news is that it’s still the preseason. The Tips get another chance tomorrow as they play host to Victoria in the preseason finale.
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