Silvertips’ wild win tempered by loss of co-captain

The Everett Silvertips’ wildest victory of the season was marred by the loss of one of their co-captains.

The celebrations for Everett’s crazy 8-7 road victory over the Vancouver Giants on Saturday night were tempered because of the injury suffered by center Austin Roest.

Just how crazy was Saturday’s game? The 15 combined goals were the most in an Everett game since the same two teams combined for 17 goals in an 11-6 Vancouver victory during the 2022 playoffs. Ten of the 15 goals came on the power play, five by each team, as the teams combined to go 10-for-12 with the advantage. A two-goal Everett lead late in the third period was erased in less than a minute, but the Tips responded by scoring the winner with 1 minutes, 26 seconds remaining.

As for the power-play goals, three of Everett’s power-play markers came as a direct result from the hit that injured Roest. At 17:37 of the second period, with Vancouver leading 4-3, Roest stumbled to his knees as he pursued the puck along the left boards. Giants defenseman Wyatt Wilson followed through with his hit and slammed Roest’s head into the boards. Roest, Everett’s leading goal scorer, stayed down before being aided to the locker room. Roest did not return to the game, and Wilson was assessed a five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for a check to the head.

Everett used the five-minute power play to go ahead 6-4 courtesy of goals from Dominik Rymon, Ben Hemmerling and Julius Miettinen. It was 7-5 late in the third when Vancouver’s Tyler Thorpe and Cameron Schmidt scored less than a minute apart to tie it. But Hemmerling won it with 1:26 remaining when his shot from a tight angle sneaked under Giants goaltender Brett Mirwald.

Saturday’s game was the middle of a three-in-three weekend. Everett’s weekend began with a 4-1 victory at home Friday against Vancouver, then concluded with a 6-3 loss at home Sunday against Portland in a game where Roest did not feature. The 2-1 week puts the Tips at 19-12-1-1 and in second place in the U.S. Division, three points behind Wenatchee.

Three stars of the week

Third star: Julien Maze. The 16-year-old rookie forward has largely been a support player this season. However, the number of missing bodies up front Sunday against Portland pushed Maze up in the lineup, and he responded with a goal and an assist. The goal came just 27 seconds into the game.

Second star: Hemmerling. The 19-year-old winger and Everett’s other co-captain had a huge weekend, racking up four goals and five assists across the three games. He had multi-point nights in each of the three contests.

First star: Rymon. The 19-year-old winger played in just two of the weekend’s three games because he departed to take part in Czechia’s camp for the World Junior Hockey Championships. Yet he still managed to pile up three goals and five assists, including a career-high five-point night in Saturday’s victory at Vancouver. He also scored the goal that sent the teddy bears flying during Everett’s Teddy Bear Toss on Friday. He was honored as the WHL Player of the Week.

The week ahead

This week marks the end of the first half of the WHL season, as following Everett’s three games the team breaks for 12 days for the holidays.

The week begins Wednesday when the Tips host Prince George. The Cougars (22-8-0-0) have the league’s best record, and two weeks ago the teams split a spirited two-game set in Prince George. Eighteen-year-old forward Riley Heidt (15 goals, 40 assists) and 20-year-old forward Zac Funk (32 goals, 22 assists) rank 1-2 in the league in scoring.

Everett then welcomes Seattle to town Saturday. The Thunderbirds (11-13-1-0) have won just four of their past 17 games and have scored the fewest goals in the league. Seattle is led by 18-year-old forward Gracyn Sawchyn (five goals, 13 assists in 13 games) and 20-year-old defenseman Jeremy Hanzel (eight goals, 15 assists).

The first half concludes with a game Sunday at Wenatchee. The Wild (20-9-3-0) could be without star 19-year-old forwards Connor Geekie (20 goals, 29 assists) and Matthew Savoie (11 goals, 13 assists in 11 games), who are trying out for Canada’s team for World Juniors. The Wild still have weapons in 20-year-old defenseman Graham Sward (six goals, 36 assists) and 19-year-old forward Kenta Isogai (15 goals, 26 assists).