CHILLIWACK, B.C. — The Everett Silvertips lost the battle Saturday night, but they won the war.
Everett dropped a 3-0 decision to the Chilliwack Bruins on Saturday, but other results around the league meant the Tips clinched a playoff berth.
Seattle’s 5-4 loss to Portland assured Everett’s playoff streak remained alive for another year. The Tips have made the playoffs in all eight seasons of the franchise’s existence.
Because Prince George beat Kamloops 5-1, Everett is locked into the eighth seed. That means the Tips will face Portland, which clinched the conference championship Saturday, in the first round. Everett won just one of 10 meetings against the Winterhawks this season, though all the games were close.
The first two games of the series take place next Saturday and Sunday in Portland. The dates for Games 3 and 4 in Everett are yet to be determined. Tickets for Everett’s home games go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday.
Everett couldn’t get anything past Chilliwack goaltender Lucas Gore on Saturday. Gore, who stopped an amazing 77 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss at Spokane on Wednesday, turned away all 37 shots he faced Saturday to earn the shutout in goal.
Kevin Sundher scored twice and Roman Horak also scored for Chilliwack (33-31-4-4), which now must wait to hear its playoff fate. The Bruins, who completed their regular season, are currently in fifth in the conference, but could fall to sixth if Vancouver beats Everett tonight.
Luke Siemens stopped 28 shots in net for Everett (28-32-7-4), which is limping into the playoffs. The Tips have lost nine of their past 10.
Both teams had multiple chances on the power play in the first period, but neither was able to find the net as it remained scoreless through one.
Chilliwack then grabbed the lead early in the second. Everett’s Parker Stanfield took a goaltender-interference penalty at the first-period buzzer, and the Bruins scored on the resulting power play 39 seconds into the second, Horak one-timing Sundher’s back-door feed past Siemens to make it 1-0.
The Bruins then clinched it when Sundher scored twice in four minutes in the third. First, Sundher converted a short-handed breakaway at 5:51 to make it a two-goal game. Then he wristed a shot past Siemens when the Tips couldn’t clear the zone at 9:05, sealing Everett’s fate.
Bruins 3, Silvertips 0
Everett 0 0 0 — 0
Chilliwack 0 1 2 — 3
First Period–no goals. Penalties–Zgraggen, Chilliwack (cross checking), 2:20; Hayer, Everett (slashing), 6:01; Soudek, Chilliwack (charging), 10:47; Hayer, Everett (holding), 12:26; Murray, Everett (roughing), 15:16; Cratsenberg, Chilliwack (high sticking), 15:16; Fowlie, Everett (slashing), 16:40; Stanfield, Everett (goaltender interference), 20:00.
Second Period–1, Chilliwack, Horak 26 (Sundher), 0:39 (pp). Penalties–Sundher, Chilliwack (slashing), 2:58; Elynuik, Everett (unsportsmanlike conduct), 6:21; Cratsenberg, Chilliwack (unsportsmanlike conduct), 6:21; Harrison, Everett (checking from behind), 13:49.
Third Period–2, Chilliwack, Sundher 23, 5:51 (sh). 3, Chilliwack, Sundher 24 (Habscheid), 9:05. Penalties–Stanfield, Everett (holding), 2:57; Magee, Chilliwack (tripping), 5:13; Cratsenberg, Chilliwack (hooking), 11:40.
Shots on goal–Everett 11-12-14–37. Chilliwack 10-11-10–31. Power-play opportunities–Everett 0 of 5. Chilliwack 1 of 6.
Goalies–Everett, Siemens 7-12-2-0 (31 shots, 28 saves). Chilliwack, Gore 31-23-3-4 (37 shots, 37 saves).
A–3,867.
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