TALKING POINTS
Now that’s a bloodbath.
I’ve attend something approaching 300 Silvertip games since I began covering this team in 2003. This was probably the worst performance I’ve ever seen from the Tips. It’s not just the final score, which happened to be the worst defeat in franchise history. This was an absolutely dismal effort. I’ve never seen this team look so unfocused and so disorganized. Everything was bad tonight. Bad offense, bad defense, bad goaltending, bad special teams, you name it.
Spokane managed to pull off a rarity. Nine different Chiefs scored tonight. Think about that. That means exactly half of Spokane’s skaters scored a goal. Given that Spokane’s fourth line didn’t play a whole lot until it was 9-1, it means if you’re a Chief you were more likely to score than not score. That’s astounding.
This ended Everett’s roughest part of the schedule this season, when the Tips faced the Western Conference’s top three teams five times in the span of eight days. Everett finished 0-4-1-0 in those five games, getting outscored 29-6. Gotta think the Tips are thanking God this stretch is over.
TURNING POINT
The moment when the Tips lost it tonight is crystal clear. Everett actually didn’t play a bad first period, trailing 1-0. But 35 seconds into the second period Spokane’s Tyler Johnson intercepted Taylor Ellington’s outlet pass and fed Mitch Wahl out front for a goal. Ellington decided to take out his frustrations by going after a celebrating Wahl. following the melee both of Everett’s overage defensemen, Ellington and Graham Potuer, found themselves in the penalty box. The Tips were a zoo after that.
HIT OF THE DAY
I didn’t actually see the hit Everett’s Jesse Burt put on Brady Calla, but Burt must have really caught Calla for Calla to immediately get up and make a beeline to Burt to instigate a fight.
THREE STARS
Johnson was the first star, Wahl the second and Jared Cowen the third. But you really could have thrown darts at Spokane’s lineup tonight and come up with an acceptable trio. With nine different goal scorers and eight players with multiple points, I think the Chiefs deserve a collective honor tonight.
LINEUP NOTES
Everett welcomed left wing Tyler Maxwell back to the lineup, Maxwell sat out Sunday’s 4-3 overtime loss at Tri-City with a knee injury. However, defenseman Chris de la Lande, who’s close to returning from his groin strain, was not in the lineup. Center Paul Van de Velde is not eligible to return from his concussion until Friday, and left wing Daniel Bartek remains a long-term casualty because of his foot fracture. Defenseman Paul Sohor was a healthy scratch.
Spokane had key defenseman Mike Reddington back in the lineup after he missed time with a thigh injury. Forwards Justin McCrae (foot) and Ryan Letts (shoulder) are injured. Forward Blake Gal was finishing up his three-game suspension for the hit that gave Van de Velde his concussion last Wednesday. Defenseman Brenden Kichton was a healthy scratch.
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