EVERETT — Kevin Constantine believes in his players, but the Everett Silvertips head coach is also a realist.
So even he had to use the word “incredible” when talking about Everett’s four-game winning streak that continued with Saturday’s 3-2 win over archrival Seattle before 7,678 fans at Everett’s “Pink the Rink” game.
“If you made me go bet in Vegas I wouldn’t bet on us winning four playing four in five nights,” Constantine said. “So it’s an incredible compliment to how much they hung in there.”
The win over the defending Western Conference champions boosted U.S. Division-leading Everett’s record to 8-1-1-0, the team’s best start since the 2006-07 season, a campaign in which the Tips won the Scotty Munro Trophy for the WHL’s best regular-season record.
The manner in which the Tips won the last four games is also noteworthy. The first two victories came Tuesday and Wednesday at previously unbeaten Prince George, continued with an overtime win at Spokane on Friday and concluded with Saturday’s triumph.
“A lot of that has to do with keeping our bodies in shape and making sure we get the right amount of rest,” said goalie Carter Hart, who finished with 23 saves in the victory.
“The guys down at (Engineered Sports Therapy) do a really good job of keeping us in good shape and making sure we get our recoveries after games. Having that plan and program in place helps us to take that on the road and continue that on the road.”
Hart’s billet roommate, Riley Sutter, recorded his second two-goal game in Everett’s last three outings. The 1999-born Sutter now has four goals on the season after recording just four total points as a rookie last year.
“I think it’s just playing with the linemates and getting used to playing with the guys,” said Sutter, who notched both of his goals Saturday via the power play. “They’re really helping me and making it a lot easier.”
Three of Sutter’s four goals this year have come on the man advantage. That’s a role the Tips coaching staff envisioned Sutter taking.
“We didn’t see him doing that as a 16-year-old but we always saw him as a very good shot and we always saw really good vision and stick skills,” Constantine said. “So we saw him as a power-play guy.”
The Tips scored the game’s first three goals and led 3-1 after one period. The score stayed that way until 18:26 in the third, when the Thunderbirds cut the lead to 3-2 with Turner Ottenbreit’s one-timer from the slot after pulling goalie Rylan Toth.
Then it became hang-on time as Hart and the Tips withstood a final barrage and a late penalty kill situation after Patrick Bajkov was sent to the box with five seconds to play.
“They had some big guys in there who were crashing the net,” Hart said, “but I just have to work around them and battle as hard as I can to find the puck and do my job as best I can to stop that puck.”
Hart made several impressive saves on a Seattle power play that came after Sean Richards was whistled for hooking earlier in the third. Hart stoned Ryan Gropp’s shot from the slot, and later stopped Scott Eansor on a drive to the net. That sequence proved critical when Ottenbreit eventually pulled Seattle within one.
Everett’s Bryce Kindopp opened the scoring goal when he poked a rebound past Toth’s left blocker at 4:14 in the first.
Sutter pushed it to 2-0 on tic-tac-toe passes from Dominic Zwerger and Connor Dewar at 10:00.
Sutter found the net again on the man advantage at 11:55 when his tough-angle shot from outside the left snuck by Toth for a 3-0 lead.
“(Constantine) lets guys know what their roles are and he gave me a big chance putting me out there and knowing what I have to do.” Sutter said. “I’ve been able to do that because my linemates are a big help.”
The Thunderbirds got one back on a power play of their own when Sam Moilanen roofed a wrister from the slot to beat Carter Hart and make it 3-1 at 14:09.
“It’s hard to play four in five nights, it’s hard to do it when you travel the distance we did and it’s hard to do it when you’ve got some very important guys out of the lineup,” he said. “Getting a lead was really important because I don’t think we would have had the energy to mount a comeback.”
Ottenbreit had a goal and an assist as Seattle fell to 2-4-0-1.
The Tips are back in action at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday when they play at Spokane.
Silvertips 3, Thunderbirds 2
Seattle 1 0 1 — 2
Everett 3 0 0 — 3
1st Period—1, Everett, Kindopp 2 (Richards, Kemp), 4:14. 2, Everett, Sutter 3 (Dewar, Zwerger), 10:00 (PP). 3, Everett, Sutter 4 (Davis, Juulsen), 11:55 (PP). 4, Seattle, Moilanen 2 (Ottenbreit, Allbee), 14:09 (PP). Penalties—Kindopp Evt (tripping), 1:48; Eansor Sea (hooking), 8:03; Brown Sea (roughing), 10:16; Onyebuchi Evt (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 10:16; Bear Sea (tripping), 10:29; Wylie Evt (hooking), 12:20; Eansor Sea (slashing), 16:08.
2nd Period—No Scoring. Penalties—served by Kemp Evt (too many men), 0:30; Hamaliuk Sea (inter. on goaltender), 11:32; Bajkov Evt (tripping), 12:19; Juulsen Evt (interference), 16:05; Gropp Sea (high sticking), 17:14; served by Sutter Evt (too many men), 18:12.
3rd Period—5, Seattle, Ottenbreit 1 (Bear, Brown), 18:26. Penalties—Richards Evt (hooking), 4:47; Bajkov Evt (holding), 19:54.
Shots on Goal—Seattle 6-11-8-25. Everett 11-5-7-23.
Power Play Opportunities—Seattle 1 / 8; Everett 2 / 5.
Goalies—Seattle, Toth 1-4-0-0 (23 shots-20 saves). Everett, Hart 5-1-1-0 (25 shots-23 saves).
A—7,678
For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.
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