Silvertips top Royals 3-2 in OT, take 3-2 series lead

EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips are on the brink.

That would be the brink of advancing to the second round of the WHL playoffs as Eetu Tuulola fired a wrister over Griffen Outhouse’s shoulder at 7:02 in overtime and the Tips won 3-2 over Victoria before 3,833 fans Friday at Xfinity Arena.

“We just believed we can win this game,” said Tuulola, who tallied his second goal of the series. “We know we’re a good team so we can create chances and if we create enough chances we definitely can score a goal. I was the lucky one to get it tonight.”

The final goal was not without a modicum of controversy as some believed the play was offside. However, the play was ruled onside and the goal was allowed. Offside is not reviewable by video in the WHL.

The win gives Everett a 3-2 series lead. The teams were guaranteed to return to Victoria for Game 6 regardless of Friday’s outcome. The puck drops at 2:05 p.m. at Save-On-Foods Centre Sunday on Vancouver Island.

“We’ll enjoy this one tonight,” said Everett forward Patrick Bajkov, who continued his torrid series with a goal and an assist. “It takes four to win so we’ll go into tomorrow, travel over there and hopefully get the same result.”

The Tips led 2-1 heading into the third period and maintained the lead until 14:20. Matthew Phillips collected a turnover at the left circle and found Jared Dmytriw at the top of the crease. Carter Hart saved the initial shot, but Dmytriw was able to stash the rebound to tie the game 2-2.

It was the second time Victoria had come from behind to tie the game.

“It’s tough,” head coach Kevin Constantine said. “It’s demoralizing because you feel like ‘Oh my god, we were this close – we blew it.’ That’s the feeling you have.”

It was then that Everett’s final trip to Portland, a contest in which the Tips blew a 3-1 lead with six minutes to go, finally came to fruition as a teachable moment.

“I think when we gave up the lead down there was good for us at that time during the season because it just taught us to move on,” Constantine said. “And so those little lessons you learn along the way, dating back to a late-season Portland game are lessons you can lean on a little bit.”

Everett previously took the lead in the final minute of the second period after Victoria’s Chaz Reddekopp tripped Tuulola to give Everett its third power play.

As time dwindled down, Bajkov walked in and fired a shot that bounced off Outhouse. Bajkov crashed the net and poked his own rebound past Outhouse for the 2-1 lead as time expired in the stanza.

After a brief video review to ensure Bajkov beat the clock, the goal call was upheld to give Everett the 2-1 lead heading into the third.

Everett opened the scoring earlier in the second period when a turnover in the Victoria zone made its way to Everett’s Dominic Zwerger at the left circle. Zwerger found Bajkov at the right circle and Matt Fonteyne redirected Bajkov’s tic-tac-toe pass in the slot past Outhouse for a 1-0 lead at 5:14 in the second period.

However, the Royals answered less than a minute later when Reddekopp put a shot on net from the left point and Carter Folk got a stick on the puck. It trickled between Hart’s legs and over the line to tie the game 1-1 at 6:02.

The Tips controlled the puck for much of the first period. While they didn’t find the net they out-shot the Royals 11-5 in a scoreless opening frame.

Everett received an offensive boost when center Riley Sutter returned to the lineup for his first action in this series.

“He’s a big part of our team,” Bajkov said. “He’s a big body, he’s got a lot of skill. He’s big to get back in our lineup.”

Fonteyne had a goal and an assist while Zwerger and Davis each had two helpers.

The Tips finished with a 32-18 shot advantage in regulation. They hit the post twice during regulation.

Outhouse finished with 30 saves on 33 shots. Hart saved 17 of 19. Everett finished 1-for-3 on the power play while Victoria was 0-for-1.

Silvertips 3, Royals 2 (OT)

Victoria 0 1 1 0 — 2

Everett 0 2 0 1 — 3

1st Period—No Scoring. Penalties—Florchuk Vic (tripping), 1:49; Bobylev Vic (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 15:08; Dewar Evt (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 15:08; Bajkov Evt (high sticking), 19:00.

2nd Period—1, Everett, Fonteyne 2 (Bajkov, Zwerger), 5:14. 2, Victoria, Folk 1 (Reddekopp, Gagnon), 6:02. 3, Everett, Bajkov 5 (Zwerger, Davis), 19:59 (PP). Penalties—Gagnon Vic (tripping), 15:32; Reddekopp Vic (tripping), 19:02.

3rd Period—4, Victoria, Dmytriw 1 (Phillips), 14:20. Penalties—No Penalties.

OT Period—5, Everett, Tuulola 2 (Fonteyne, Davis), 7:02. Penalties—No Penalties.

Shots on Goal—Victoria 5-6-7-1-19. Everett 11-13-8-4-36.

Power Play Opportunities—Victoria 0 / 1; Everett 1 / 3.

Goalies—Victoria, Outhouse (36 shots-33 saves). Everett, Hart (19 shots-17 saves).

A—3,833