Silvertips power past Victoria with red-hot top line

EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips and their top line of Shea Busch, Julius Miettinen and Matias Vanhanen are scoring so many goals, coach Steve Hamilton hasn’t been able to keep track.

When Busch completed a hat trick at 12:19 of the third period against the Victoria Royals at Angel of the Winds Arena on Saturday, Hamilton did not know it happened at first. In his defense, Busch’s third tally put the cap on a 9-4 win in which the top line contributed five goals at even-strength as well as one on the power play. With the unit so productive across the board, it was easy for the specifics to get lost in the shuffle.

“I didn’t realize he had two already, so the hats (thrown onto the ice) were the indication that gave it away for me,” Hamilton said, deadpanning. “That line’s been really good, obviously. Really connected. Just feed off of one another and I think balance each other (out). Shea’s got an absolute rip for a shot, and you know, those other guys are pretty crafty as well, so it’s been a really good line.”

Busch led with three goals and two assists, while Miettinen, Vanhanen and defenseman Tarin Smith each scored one goal and two assists. The offensive onslaught came just one day after Everett (4-0-1-0) defeated Tri-City 7-1, and Miettinen was the one to record the hat trick, tallying three goals and one assist. Across the weekend, the three forwards combined for 10 goals and 11 assists in just two games.

The line has meshed so well, Miettinen and Vanhanen — both Finns — have adopted the North Vancouver native Busch as an honorary countryman. Or at least Busch claims as much.

“We like to call it the ‘Three Finn’ line,” Busch said. “I pretend I’m a Finnish guy, and we just go out there and play hockey.”

In addition to potting nine goals in the offensive end, the Silvertips held Victoria to just 14 shots on goal. The Royals still managed to get four past goalie Finn Werner, who made his WHL debut, but a few came off mistakes from the players in front of him, which left him out to dry with some odd-man rushes.

The first came off a turnover from forward Nolan Caffey at Everett’s blue line that went directly to Victoria defenseman Timofei Runtso, who cruised in and beat Werner to cut it to 2-1 at 7:23 of the first period. The second came off an offensive zone turnover that led to a breakaway, which turned into a 2-on-1 after defenseman Landon DuPont caught up to the play. It still wound up in the back of the net after Ashton Brown set up Heath Nelson with an easy shot in front to cut it to 4-2 at 17:28 of the first.

“There was a couple of odd-man rushes I didn’t care for,” Hamilton said. “That’s not what you want to see your young goalie have to face, but we got a little bit of breathing room there offensively, and the first one’s always going to be a little nervy. I would have liked us to be better in front of him in those circumstances, but all in all, he only got a win in his first start, so that’s real positive.”

A turnover from Smith led to Victoria’s fourth goal at 5:09 in the third period, with Hayden Moore’s breakaway cutting the score to 6-3, but Smith felt the game was well in-control despite the slip-up.

“After the first period, I felt like they didn’t have much,” Smith said. “We had a good F3 (forward supporting the defense) the whole time. We just made them put it in behind us, and then we broke the puck out really well today. We didn’t really give them a ton of O-zone time.”

Victoria cut the deficit down to one in two instances, with Runtso’s goal in the first as well as a power-play goal from Roan Woodward, who scored just nine seconds into the man advantage with a snipe from the left circle 2:29 into the second period to cut it to 4-3. Each time, the Silvertips responded with two more goals to cushion the lead.

Vanhanen followed up Woodward’s goal less than two minutes later, punching in a rebound with his backhand at 4:20 before Busch pushed it to 6-3 by skating in and roofing the puck at the doorstep at 7:56. Busch scored his second of the night with a power-play one-timer from the right point at 7:12 of the third to make it 7-4 before completing the hat trick with a snipe from the right circle at 12:19.

“It was nice to get a power play, finally,” Busch said. “I mean, the refs kind of were giving them to Victoria a lot (1-for-3), so just putting one in, and when your power play is always working, it (means) the team’s always working.”

Jesse Heslop and Smith opened things up in the first period, scoring on back-to-back shots on goal at 3:25 and 4:06, respectively. Jaxsin Vaughan pushed it to 3-1 at 12:00 of the first period, set up by a timely poke check from defenseman Jakub Seidl to create a rush at the other end.

At a time where everything seems to be clicking from top to bottom — and that’s without Carter Bear, last year’s top scorer whose reassignment to Everett from the Detroit Red Wings officially processed on Friday — the Silvertips hope to take their strong start in stride. However, they’re keeping in mind the marathon of a season that lies ahead.

“The boys are excited,” said Smith, who was named the 26th captain in team history on Friday. “Obviously proud of all those guys, they’re all happy right now, but I think we’re going to do a good job of keeping it even (keeled) and not riding the high too high.”