PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — The WHL’s Western Conference race has reached the final straight, and the Everett Silvertips have caught the frontrunners.
The Silvertips routed the struggling Prince George Cougars 7-2 Saturday night, moving into a tie with the Tri-City Americans for first place in the conference with just eight days remaining in the season.
With Saturday’s victory, Everett, which trailed Tri-City by double digits two months ago, pulled even with Tri-City, which lost to Portland 6-3, for first place in both the U.S. Division and the conference. Both teams have four games remaining.
Clayton Cumiskey scored twice to lead Everett (44-19-3-2), which has won four straight and earned points in its past 11. Kellan Tochkin, Tyler Maxwell and Byron Froese each added a goal and two assists, Scott MacDonald and Chris Langkow also scored, and Thomas Heemskerk made 26 saves in goal.
The Tips, who swept their two games in Prince George this weekend, also clinched home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
Parker Stanfield and Carter Rigby scored for Prince George (11-52-1-2), which lost its 12th straight. Goaltender Hudson Stremmel was pulled after allowing two goals on five shots. Alex Wright stopped 28 of 33 in relief.
Everett fell behind 2-0 in the first five minutes of Friday’s game against the Cougars. But the Tips turned the tables Saturday.
Everett opened the scoring just 1 minute, 57 seconds into the game when MacDonald reached out from behind the net to score past Stremmel. Langkow then scored at 8:13 to make it 2-0, beating Stremmel with a shot to the near post and sending Stremmel to the bench in favor of Wright. The Tips then beat Wright at 15:40, Cumiskey redirecting a feed from MacDonald to make it 3-0.
Everett turned it into a rout with two more in the second. Cumiskey scored his second of the game at 10:21, winning a faceoff forward to create a breakaway and putting a shot under Wright. Then Tochkin made it 5-0 at 15:20, scoring on the second rebound.
The Cougars prevented the shutout by scoring at 17:05, Stanfield scoring on a scrum in front to make it 5-1.
But Everett turned it into a laugher in the third, Maxwell and Froese scoring before the 15-year-old Rigby scored a late consolation power-play goal for the Cougars.
Silvertips 7, Cougars 2
Everett322—7
Prince George011—2
First Period—1, Everett, MacDonald 8, 1:57. 2, Everett, Langkow 20 (Harper, de la Lande), 8:13. 3, Everett, Cumiskey 7 (MacDonald, Iwanski), 15:40. Penalties—Froese, Everett (tripping), 8:52; Asuchak, Prince George (hooking), 9:21; Gudas, Everett (fighting), 9:35; Thiessen, Prince George (instigator-fighting-10-minute misconduct), 9:35; Harper, Everett (holding), 16:05; Tochkin, Everett (fighting), 18:39; Smith, Prince George (fighting), 18:39.
Second Period—4, Everett, Cumiskey 8, 10:21. 5, Everett, Tochkin 26 (Maxwell, Froese), 15:20. 6, Prince George, Stanfield 12 (Dumais), 17:05. Penalties—Breitkreuz, Prince George (cross checking), 1:25; Murray, Everett (tripping), 5:29; Asuchak, Prince George (goaltender interference), 5:39; Murray, Everett (interference), 7:47; Murray, Everett (fighting), 11:38; Vlach, Prince George (fighting), 11:38; Bidlevskii, Prince George (holding), 18:43.
Third Period—7, Everett, Maxwell 32 (Froese, Tochkin), 3:51 (pp). 8, Everett, Froese 29 (Tochkin, Maxwell), 11:16. 9, Prince George, Rigby 1 (Smith, Dumais), 18:17 (pp). Penalties—Thiessen, Prince George (slashing-unsportsmanlike conduct), 0:58; Hirsche, Prince George (closing hand on puck), 2:07; McCrea, Everett (fighting), 11:28; Orser, Prince George (fighting), 11:28; Murray, Everett (cross checking), 18:00.
Shots on goal—Everett 11-16-11—38. Prince George 10-10-8—28. Power-play opportunities—Everett 1 of 8. Prince George 1 of 5.
Goalies—Everett, Heemskerk 23-10-2-2 (28 shots, 26 saves). Prince George, Stremmel (5 shots, 3 saves), Wright 3-10-0-1 (33 shots, 28 saves).
A—1,852.
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