KENNEWICK — The Everett Silvertips ended up on the wrong end of the result against the Tri-City Americans on Friday night. However, the way the game went, the Tips were happy to get a point.
Everett rallied from a three-goal deficit to get the game to a shootout, but then lost the shootout and fell 5-4 to the Americans. Tri-City won the shootout 2-1 in four rounds.
The Tips seemed all but buried when they fell behind 4-1 midway through the second period. But Everett got right back into the game with two goals in less than two minutes after falling behind by three, then tied it in the third to secure its point.
Parker Bowles and Beau McCue each had a goal and an assist to lead Tri-City (7-4-0-0), which moved a point ahead of Everett for first place in the U.S. Division standings. Dylan Coghlan and Lucas Nickles also scored for the Americans, while goaltender Eric Comrie made 21 saves.
Graham Millar, Patrick Bajkov, Cole MacDonald and Kohl Bauml scored for Everett (5-0-2-1), which still hasn’t lost in regulation this season. Austin Lotz finished with 25 saves in net for the Tips.
It all went Tri-City’s way during the first half of the game. The Americans opened the scoring just 3 minutes, 22 seconds into the contest on Coghlan’s first-career Western Hockey League goal, as his shot took a deflection past Lotz. Then Nickles scored while the Americans were short-handed at 14:53 as he lost control while on a breakaway, but the puck still slid past a wrong-footed Lotz.
Everett got on the board on the power play 39 seconds into the second period on Millar’s tip in front. But Tri-City scored twice more to seemingly give the Americans control. Bowles intercepted a pass behind the Everett net, and his pass out front banked past Lotz at 9:58. Then Tri-City scored on the power play on McCue’s rebound goal at 11:05 to make it 4-1.
But Everett responded immediately, scoring twice within the next two minutes to get back within one. Bajkov put a shot into the top corner at 12:11 after taking a feed from Nikita Scherbak in transition. Then 30 seconds later MacDonald, who was celebrating his 19th birthday, flipped a harmless-looking shot from the point that eluded Comrie, making it 4-3.
The Tips fought all the way back 4:20 into the third. Noah Juulsen found Bajkov with a back-door pass, and although Bajkov fanned on his attempt, Bauml was able to clean it up to knot it at 4-4 and send the game to the shootout.
Americans 5, Silvertips 4 (SO)
Everett0310—4
Tri-City2200—5
Americans won shootout 2-1
First Period—1, Tri-City, Coghlan 1 (McCue, Lukin), 3:22. 2, Tri-City, Nickles 4, 14:53 (sh). Penalties—Playfair, Tri-City (hooking), 9:45; Hillis, Tri-City (roughing), 14:53.
Second Period—3, Everett, Millar 5 (Betker, Nikolishin), 0:39 (pp). 4, Tri-City, Bowles 5, 9:58. 5, Tri-City, McCue 4 (Bowles), 11:05 (pp). 6, Everett, Bajkov 2 (Scherbak, Juulsen), 12:11. 7, Everett, MacDonald 3, 12:41. Penalties—Bowles, Tri-City (high sticking), 0:17; Thrower, Tri-City (interference), 0:47; Sandhu, Everett (interference), 2:14; Lukin, Tri-City (boarding), 7:23; MacDonald, Everett (holding), 10:43.
Third Period—8, Everett, Bauml 4 (Bajkov, Juulsen), 4:20. Penalties—Scherbak, Everett (interference), 0:26; Lukin, Tri-City (high sticking), 15:38.
Overtime—no goals. Penalties—none.
Shootout—Tri-City 2 (Bowles NG, Williams NG, Wotherspoon G, Lukin G); Everett 1 (Nikolishin G, Bajkov NG, Scherbak NG, Stadnyk NG).
Shots on goal—Everett 8-10-7-0—25. Tri-City 7-9-12-1—29. Power-play opportunities—Everett 1 of 6. Tri-City 1 of 3.
Goalies—Everett, Lotz 4-0-1-1 (29 shots, 25 saves). Tri-City, Comrie 5-3-0-0 (25 shots, 21 saves).
A—3,403.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
