EVERETT — The surging Everett Silvertips wanted to make sure they didn’t look past this weekend’s home-and-home series with Vancouver to the week-long WHL holiday hiatus that begins today.
However, maintaining their momentum in the midst of their longest winning streak of the year proved difficult Saturday as the Tips lost a 2-1 decision before 6,201 fans — and 8,426 teddy bears — in the Silvertips’ first Teddy Bear Toss in more than a decade Saturday night at Xfinity Arena.
Tyler Benson scored off a feed from Chase Lang at 13:46 in the third period to break the 1-1 tie and the Giants (12-20-3-2, 29 points) snapped Everett’s four-game winning streak.
“They’ve had some success recently as a team,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine said of the Giants. “Their win-loss record in the last 10 games is pretty good. They have very talented guys, a tremendous group of forwards, and they showed that tonight.”
Everett (19-11-0-2, 40 points) suffered its first loss to the Giants in four tries this season. The Tips knocked off Vancouver 3-2 in overtime on the road Friday.
Connor Dewar ensured the fans wouldn’t have to wait long as his power-play goal at 2:47 in the first period sent the bears flying onto the ice.
“It was pretty neat and it was pretty loud here,” said the 16-year-old Dewar. “There were lots of fans here again. It’s just exciting goal to score, I guess.”
Everett appeared poised to cruise after a first period in which it out-shot Vancouver 17-7.
“I thought started great,” Constantine said. “We managed to get a goal in that four-minute power play and significantly out-chanced and outshot them in the first period. We had a good start.”
But the final 40 minutes were a departure from the first period as the Giants out-shot Everett 20-10 the rest of the way.
“I think when you have won four in a row, when you’ve beaten a particular team and when you have what seems like — in your mind — a fairly easy first period, you change a little when you have that kind of success,” Constantine said. “I think we went into the locker room and changed after the first period, and I think Vancouver was a way better team than us the rest of the game.”
Chase Lang scored the equalizer on Vancouver’s first power play opportunity at 10:23 in the second. Benson and Trevor Cox assisted as the Giants needed just 13 power play seconds to tie the game at 1-1.
Everett had no answer for Benson’s go-ahead goal that gave the Giants their seventh victory in their last 11 contests. Everett fell one point behind Seattle for the lead in the U.S. Division standings.
“Our team has worked unbelievably hard and we’ve competed pretty hard,” Constantine said. “We’ve been pretty consistent as a team throughout this stretch. We don’t have enormous highs, we don’t go dominate games, but we don’t have many really off moments either. That’s a testament to how much mental energy the guys are putting into what they’re doing.”
Everett goaltender Carter Hart finished with 25 saves while Vancouver counterpart Ryan Kubic turned aside 26. Lang and Benson each finished with a goal and an assist.
The Tips return to the ice Sunday, Dec. 27 at Vancouver in a 2 p.m. start at Pacific Coliseum.
Giants 2, Silvertips 1
Vancouver 0 1 1 — 2
Everett 1 0 0 — 1
1st Period—1, Everett, Dewar 4 (Martin), 2:47 (PP). Penalties—Odgers Van (instigator, unnecessary r’ghness, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 0:44; Leedahl Evt (major-fighting), 0:44; Osipov Van (boarding), 5:26; Cox Van (slashing), 20:00.
2nd Period—2, Vancouver, Lang 12 (Benson, Cox), 10:23 (PP). Penalties—Pfeifer Evt (hooking), 10:10.
3rd Period—3, Vancouver, Benson 8 (Lang, Menell), 13:46. Penalties—Leedahl Evt (tripping), 2:53; Barberis Van (tripping), 10:05.
Shots on Goal—Vancouver 7-14-6-27. Everett 17-3-7-27.
Power Play Opportunities—Vancouver 1 / 2; Everett 1 / 5.
Goalies—Vancouver, Kubic 7-9-2-0 (27 shots-26 saves). Everett, Hart 19-10-0-2 (27 shots-25 saves).
A—6,201
Follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse for the latest Silvertips news.
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