VANCOUVER, B.C. – How quickly the tide can turn.
The Everett Silvertips were on the ropes, being battered mercilessly about the head by the Vancouver Giants.
And then like Rocky Balboa, the Silvertips counterpunched and the floodgates opened.
Everett erupted for four goals in 11 minutes to turn the game on its head, defeating the Vancouver Giants 6-2 Friday night in Game 5 of their Western Hockey League playoff series.
Everett took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and moved one win away from the Western Conference finals. Game 6 with Vancouver is Sunday at the Everett Events Center.
“We just had to stay focused,” said Everett right wing Barry Horman, who scored what proved to be the game-winning goal.
“You can’t get too high or too low. We came in after the first and were a little too low and you can’t let yourself get that way. So we just went out and said we have to play a whole game for 60 minutes. We have to pick it up and start playing physical.”
Everett’s hopes of winning Friday’s game seemed slim during the first 30 minutes. The Giants flew around the ice and bullied the Silvertips with their physical play, but managed just a 2-1 lead despite their dominating play.
Then Everett’s Riley Armstrong scored his second goal of the game at 10:56 of the second period. The goal did more than just tie the score 2-2, it completely changed the complexion of the contest.
Everett proceeded to score on virtually every shot the remainder of the period, Horman, Torrie Wheat and Marc Desloges also tallied as the Silvertips took advantage of a Vancouver defense in disarray.
“(In the first period) I thought they were such a better team,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. “In the second, I didn’t think there was a real dramatic change. It evened out a little bit, though I still think they were the better team in the second.
“So the whole first 30 minutes I thought they were a much better team. Then when Armey scored to make it 2-2 we just kind of had a spurt of pucks going in. I don’t think we were playing a lot better, I think a couple pucks went in and we had a spurt of energy from that and got a couple goals.”
It all began with Desloges skating clear around the Vancouver net and slipping a pass to Armstrong, who was open in front. Armstrong picked out the right corner to tie it at 2-2 with his third goal of the playoffs.
But if Armstrong’s goal was deflating, Horman’s go-ahead goal was back-breaking.
Horman kept a puck alive in the neutral zone, then sped unsupported into the Vancouver zone. Surrounded by three defenders, Horman nonetheless got a shot off that found a way through Vancouver goalie Aaron Sorochan’s legs and trickled across the line to give the Silvertips a 3-2 lead at 12:07. The goal was Horman’s third of the playoffs and the first really soft goal of the series.
Everett’s third goal of the period came when Wheat and Curtis Billsten were allowed to play catch behind the Vancouver net. Billsten eventually drifted right and whipped a pass across the crease to Wheat, who had slipped in front. Wheat one-timed it in at 17:07 to make it 4-2 with his second of the playoffs.
The Silvertips polished off the period with a goal with 58.6 seconds remaining. Armstrong and Desloges broke away on a two-on-one, and Desloges finished off a pass from Armstrong to make it 5-2 at 19:02. It was Desloges’ team-leading sixth goal of the postseason.
Everett’s second period completely nullified Vancouver’s first period, in which the Giants outshot the Silvertips 14-3.
“We had some very good opportunities to score goals and for whatever reasons didn’t score – bearing down in those areas, not catching bounces, whatever,” Vancouver coach Dean Evason lamented.
“But they did a lot of right things to weather the push that we had. It was the same as (Game 4, in which Everett dominated early in a 4-0 victory) with the shots, basically, after the first period and we didn’t get on top like they did last night.”
Mark Kress added an insurance goal at 12:52 of the third period and Jeff Harvey made 28 saves in goal for Everett.
Darren Lynch and Gilbert Brule scored power-play goals in the first period for Vancouver, which recovered to take the lead after Armstrong put Everett on the board first with a power-play goal for Everett.
Slap shots: Everett left wing Jeff Schmidt made a surprise return to the lineup Friday night. Schmidt, who suffered a shoulder injury in Game 1 of Everett’s first-round series against Spokane, was originally expected to miss the remainder of the season. Schmidt played on the fourth line and also served as a penalty killer. However, fellow left wing Tyler Dietrich was scratched for the third straight game. Dietrich is still recovering from the effects from a hit to the head in Game 2. … The Everett Events Center ticket office will be open today and at 11 a.m. Sunday for tickets to Sunday’s Game 6.
At Vancouver B.C.
First Period-1, Everett, Armstrong 2 (Baranka, Dahl), 6:30 (pp). 2, Vancouver, Lynch 5, 10:06 (pp). 3, Vancouver, Brule 3 (Bartley), 15:47 (pp). Second Period-4, Everett, Armstrong 3 (Desloges), 10:56. 5, Everett, Horman 3 (Bassen), 12:07. 6, Everett, Wheat 2 (Billsten), 17:07. 7, Everett, Desloges 6 (Armstrong, Hamill), 19:02. Third Period-8, Everett, Kress 2 (Billsten, Wheat), 12:52. Shots on goal-Everett 3-9-8-20. Vancouver 14-11-5-30. Power-play opportunities-Everett 1 of 8. Vancouver 2 of 5. Goalies-Everett, Harvey 7-2 (30 shots, 28 saves). Vancouver, Sorochan 6-4 (20 shots, 14 saves |
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.