EVERETT – A win’s a win, no matter how ugly it may be, and even good teams need a little help from lady fortune now and then.
But they don’t come much uglier than it did for the Everett Silvertips on Saturday night. Everett needed help from a pair of lucky bounces to survive a game in which they looked out of sorts, but nevertheless the Silvertips remained perfect to start the season after a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers.
In a game that at times was painful to watch, Everett received goals from Damir Alic, Moises Gutierrez, Jesse Smyke and Brady Calla to improve its record to 4-0. However, the Silvertips looked far from a team with Memorial Cup aspirations.
“It wasn’t the prettiest game, but it’s another two points,” said Gutierrez, who was thrilled to score against his former team. “We were sloppy. We grinded it out and got the two points, but it was definitely not our prettiest effort.”
This one was ugly on many different levels. The game dragged along and had little flow – 23 penalties in the first period will do that. The two goals that gave Everett control of the game in the second period both resembled something from a recreation league game. Even the normally boisterous Everett Events Center crowd was subdued.
As far as Everett’s play was concerned, the Tips were particularly ineffective on the power play. Everett went 0-for-13 with the advantage and managed to squander approximately five minutes worth of five-on-threes in the first period.
But Everett still gave coach Kevin Constantine a victorious return. Constantine was behind the bench for the first time this season after spending the first three games suspended.
“I was a little nervous that I might be the one to cause our first loss,” Constantine said. “It’s silly to have that thought, but you do anyhow. We’re 3-0, maybe I should just stay where I am.
“The whole game I thought was dictated by their physical play, which made the whole game a scramble,” Constantine added. “If we had scored on some of the five-on-threes early it would have given a rhythm to the game. But because we didn’t they were always in the game. Fortunately we got a couple lucky goals and that was the difference.”
Leland Irving finished with 16 saves to earn the win in goal for Everett.
Terrance Delaronde had a goal and an assist and former Silvertip Brady Mason also scored for Kamloops (1-2). Michael Maniago made 11 saves on 14 shots in the Kamloops goal before being lifted in the second period. Dalyn Flette saved all eight shots he saw in relief.
“I thought we deserved a better fate the way we worked real hard,” Kamloops captain Reid Jorgensen said. “We started off a little slow, but as the game went on we got more comfortable. That game could as easily been ours as theirs.”
The game also had a nasty element. Late in the first period Everett star-in-waiting/agitator Kyle Beach was jumped by Kamloops enforcer Matt Kassian, setting off a fracas, and then in the third period Beach was slammed into the boards by Jorgensen and had to be helped from the ice. Beach didn’t return, but was seen up and about after the game.
“I thought (Beach) was specifically targeted for things like that,” Constantine said. “I was really bothered by what Kassian did. To take a player, throw him down and slam his head into the ice, I don’t know where that fits in hockey. It looked like he had one thing in mind and that was attempting to injure a player.”
The game was tied 1-1 when Everett grabbed control with two goals in two minutes midway through the second period, both of which the Tips had little to do with. First, at 11:25, Gutierrez tried to throw the puck out front from behind the net, only for it to ricochet off traffic and trickle between Maniago’s legs to give Everett the lead.
Then 1:34 later with Kamloops on the power play, Smyke sent a seemingly harmless shot toward goal from the blue line, only for it to deflect off Maniago;s glove and into the net to make it 3-1. Smyke’s goal sent Maniago to the bench.
Mason beat Irving with a shot from the right circle 3:13 into the third period, and the Tips had to hang on until Calla scored into an empty net with 11.5 seconds remaining.
Slap shots: The Silvertips debuted their new alternate jerseys, which featured the bear claw logo and different lettering. … Everett made one lineup change as defenseman Mike Alexander made his season debut in place of Eric Doyle, who suffered a cut to his forehead in Friday’s 4-1 victory over Kelowna. … Kamloops’ one injury doubt, defenseman Victor Bartley who was dealing with a hip injury, was able to play. … There was a scoring change from Friday’s game as Zach Hamill was credited with Everett’s first goal instead of Moises Gutierrez.
Kamloops 101-2
Everett121-4
First Period-1, Everett, Alic 1 (Sonne), 7:42. 2, Kamloops, Delaronde 1 (Macias, Bartley), 15:08 (pp). Penalties-Kassian, Everett (interference), 2:12; Bender, Kamloops (roughing), 3:02; Beach, Everett (goaltender interference), 3:02; Ellerby, Kamloops (fighting), 5:01; Harty, Everett (fighting), 5:01; Dailey, Everett (holding), 5:12; Ellington, Everett (delay of game), 6:13; Dunstall, Kamloops (hooking), 7:01; Bender, Kamloops (cross-checking), 8:35; Jorgensen, Kamloops (cross-checking), 9:10; Bartley, Kamloops (cross-checking), 10:25; Sonne, Everett (hooking), 13:07; Ellington, Everett (holding), 14:49; Kassian, Kamloops (roughing-roughing-10-minute misconduct), 15:14; Stretch, Kamloops (10-minute misconduct), 15:14; Bender, Kamloops (fighting), 15:14; Dunstall, Kamloops (10-minute misconduct), 15:14; Thoring, Everett (10-minute misconduct), 15:14; Gutierrez, Everett (fighting), 15:14; Fransoo, Everett (10-minute misconduct), 15:14; Bartley, Kamloops (boarding), 16:01.
Second Period-3, Everett, Gutierrez 1, 11:25. 4, Everett, Smyke 2, 12:59 (sh). Penalties-Alic, Everett (interference), 0:45; Puustinen, Kamloops (high sticking), 1:18; Smyke, Everett (hold stick), 5:21; Stretch, Kamloops (roughing), 7:30; Fransoo, Everett (checking from behind), 12:46; Bender, Kamloops (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:35, Gutierrez, Everett (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:35; Bartley, Kamloops (interference), 19:44.
Third Period-5, Kamloops, Mason 1 (Delaronde), 3:13. 6, Everett, Calla 1, 19:48 (sh-en). Penalties-Bartley, Kamloops (interference), 8:03; Jorgensen, Kamloops (roughing), 8:21; Gutierrez, Everett (hooking), 18:15. Shots on goal-Kamloops 4-8-6-18. Everett 10-5-8-23. Power-play opportunities-Kamloops 1 of 8. Everett 0 of 13.
Goalies-Kamloops, Maniago 1-2-0-0 (14 shots, 11 saves), Flette (8 shots, 8 saves). Everett, Irving 4-0-0-0 (18 shots, 16 saves). A-5,588
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