Silvertips win!

EVERETT — It was as if time had slowed to a crawl. As the crowd of 3,982 at the Everett Events Center stood in unison, everyone holding their breath as the final seconds agonizingly ticked off, a mob of white and blue jerseys stood in front of the Everett goal, all furiously poking at a puck that was floating like a feather back down to the ice.

The puck bounced and crossed the goal line as the horn sounded. As both teams raised their sticks in celebration, the officials consulted. And as the referee waived his hand to signal no goal, the Everett Silvertips were finally able to erupt in ultimate jubilation, having earned the first win in franchise history.

Everett rode the goaltending of Jeff Harvey and survived that last-second scare to defeat the Seattle Thunderbirds 2-1 Wednesday night for their first ever Western Hockey League victory.

"It’s been frustrating because we couldn’t get a win," said Harvey, who made 41 saves. "We’ve had better efforts this season, but we got the win tonight. Now that we’ve got the first one out of the way, hopefully we’ll come back and get a couple in a row."

Riley Armstrong and Torrie Wheat scored goals for Everett (1-4-1), which won despite being outshot 42-12. The Silvertips have earned all three of their points against the defending U.S. Division champion Thunderbirds (0-3-3), who are now the league’s only winless team.

"These guys have been such good guys to work with and so fun to work with that I said to Jay (Varady, an assistant coach), ‘I really want to win this thing for them,’ " Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "They deserved to be rewarded for their efforts. They’ve been working so hard for the last six weeks that it’s nice for them to know that the work is paying off."

But the victory was almost lost at the game’s final moments. Seattle had one final faceoff in Everett’s zone with six seconds remaining. The T-Birds forced the puck into the crease, where a mad scramble resulted in the puck bouncing in the air past Harvey. When the goal was waived off, the Seattle players trailed the referee in protest while the entire Silvertip bench mobbed Harvey at the Everett goal.

"It was crazy," Harvey said of the final play. "There’s no way to describe it. The shot got through, I’m not sure how. That was the longest last minute of my life out there."

"It was tough to tell,” Seattle coach Dean Chynoweth said of the final play. ”I thought the puck crossed in the air, but (the referee) said it landed and hadn’t crossed the line. Either way they’re not going to take it back."

It would have been a disservice to deny Harvey the win. The 20-year-old goalie, who was benched in favor of Michael Wall for Everett’s home opener Saturday, was spectacular. Harvey turned away every Seattle shot until 3 minutes, 39 seconds remained in the game, when Seattle’s Yashar Famanara scored to cut Everett’s lead to 2-1.

"It was definitely in the back of my mind," Harvey said about not playing Saturday. "I wasn’t very happy about not playing Saturday night. But that’s the breaks you’re dealt and it’s how you come back in your next performance. Tonight I went out there to show the coaching staff I should have played Saturday night.

"I thought the defense in front of me played unbelievable," Harvey added. "They were blocking shots right down to the last minute of the game and most of the shots were from the outside, which for me makes it a lot easier."

Everett took its first lead of the season at 4:20 of the second period. Barry Horman carried the puck down the right side and sent a pass into the crease. Armstrong, charging down the middle, met the pass and forced it in for his first goal of the season, giving the Silvertips a 1-0 lead.

The game changed complexion from there as Seattle stepped up the pressure and Everett was left scrambling defensively. Seattle ended up outshooting Everett 31-5 in the final two periods

However, the Thunderbirds were unable to beat Harvey and Everett scored again at 11:13 of the third period. With the Silvertips on the power play, Wheat found himself open on the left side and wristed a shot past Seattle goaltender Brandon Heatherington for a 2-0 lead. It was Wheat’s first goal of the season.

The Silvertips seemed set to cruise to victory until Famanara scored to set up the final frantic minutes.

Slap shots: Zach Hamill, the Silvertips’ first-round pick in the 2003 Bantam Draft, was in the lineup Wednesday. The 15-year-old forward from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, is allowed to play in five games this season as an underage player. Hamill currently has four goals and five assists for his Junior B team, the Port Coquitlam Buckeroos of the Pacific International Hockey League. … Forward John Dahl and defenseman Devin Wilson, both listed as day-to-day because of concussions, sat out again for Everett.

Silvertips 2, Thunderbirds 1