EVERETT—The Everett Silvertips blitzed the Seattle Thunderbirds, 6-1, at Angel of the Winds Arena on Saturday on Teddy Bear Toss night.
Here are the three takeaways:
Kindopp elevating play
Byrce Kindopp entered the Christmas Break on a torrid pace, potting seven goals over his last seven games and six over his last four.
“He’s going to the same places,” Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams said. “He’s hounding pucks, he’s in the blue paint. You can see where he’s scoring those goals from is in the tough areas, and that’s where he likes to hang out. It’s amazing what happens when you go there and you stay there.
Kindopp has been a quintessential piece to Everett’s first half success, especially with his offensive contributions. After scoring 24 goals last season, Kindopp has already potted 17 this season.
“You want everyone to get better every year,” Williams said. “You never put goal sets on how many goals or assists some guys get, but he was a 25-goal scorer from last year and we expected him coming back to be a top six. And he’s playing like a top-six forward out there and earning everything he gets out there. He’s playing a lot of minutes for us because of his hard work and compete.”
Picking up where he left off
After missing three games with an upper-body injury after a tough open ice hit against Spokane on Dec. 5, Fasko-Rudas was a key player in his second game back, scoring a goal and chipping in an assist.
Fasko-Rudas’ heavy style and tenacious skating was sorely missed from Everett’s lineup.
“We’ve said all along he’s a good, hard-nosed player. A lot like Bryce Kindopp,” Williams said. “He goes out, does his business. Works, competes, goes up along the wall.
“He’s got a lot of speed and tenacity. He played really well. Played a lot of minutes for us these past couple games and he’s someone we’re going to lean on these next couple games.”
Khaira caps solid first half
Silvertips overage defenseman Sahvan Khaira hasn’t earned much public attention, but Saturday was a terrific end to what was a extremely steady first half for former Swift Current Bronco.
Khaira chipped in two assists while playing a sound defensive game against the win against the Thunderbirds. More than anything, the 6-foot-4 D-man has provided a physical presence that Everett was lacking on its roster.
Three Stars
1. Riley Sutter: The 19-year-old center scored a pair of goals, including a beatiful wraparound backhander for his second tally.
2. Fasko-Rudas: The 18-year-old import forward was all over the ice and secured the highly-sought after Teddy Bear toss goal in the first period.
3. Gage Goncalves: The Rookie didn’t record a point, but played a solid game by handling the puck well in dangerous situation and centering Everett’s third line.
Injury report
Akash Bains missed Saturday’s game with an injury. He’s been sidelined a couple of different times with a lower-body injury this season.
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