Tips on fire early, top Chiefs

SPOKANE – The Everett Silvertips wasted little time grabbing control of their game against the Spokane Chiefs on Friday night.

Everett scored three goals in the first six minutes of the game, and the Silvertips went on to defeat the Chiefs 4-1.

Eric Doyle, Mark Kress and John Lammers all scored goals in the first 5 minutes, 9 seconds, staking Everett to an early 3-0 lead the Tips wouldn’t relenquish.

Peter Mueller added an empty-net goal and Leland Irving made 27 saves in goal for Everett (19-14-1-0), which won in Spokane for the second time in its past two games. The Tips won 2-0 in Spokane last Saturday.

Chris Bruton scored the lone goal for Spokane (15-16-1-0). Chiefs starting goaltender Thomas Stehr was yanked after Everett’s third goal having made just two saves. Jim Watt, who started each of Spokane’s first five games against Everett this season, stopped all 27 shots he faced in relief.

Everett came out like a house on fire and used that energy to build an early lead.

First, 1:42 in, Shane Harper made a great pass to feed Jesse Smyke, and Smyke dropped a pass back to Doyle, who buried his shot for his first WHL goal.

At 3:57 with Everett short-handed, Torrie Wheat’s hard work presented a chance to Kress, and Kress roofed his shot to make it 2-0.

Finally, at 5:09, Lammers skated free into the zone thanks to a big hit in the neutral zone by Brady Calla, and fired a shot past Stehr, increasing the lead to three and chasing Stehr.

Spokane finally woke up and got a goal back at 9:18. A Chiefs power play had just expired when Derek Ryan’s good work freed up Bruton for a rebound goal, making it 3-1. The Chiefs actually finished the first period outshooting Everett 15-13.

The goalies made sure the score remained 3-1 through the second period as Watt made good stops to deny Brennan Zasitko on rebounds, and Irving made a point-blank save on Myles Stoesz late in the final minute.

Everett continued to keep the Chiefs at bay, and Mueller scored into an empty net with 1:08 remaining.

Everett welcomed two key components back to the lineup Friday in Wheat and center Zach Dailey. Wheat missed the previous two games because of a concussion, Dailey sat out the past four with a shoulder injury. However, forwards Zach Hamill (mononucleosis) and Jonathan Milhouse (concussion) and defenseman Jonathan Harty (groin) remained sidelined because of their maladies.

Spokane played without its captain, left wing Jeff Lynch, who sat out with a knee sprain.

At Spokane Arena

Everett301-4

Spokane100-1

First Period-1, Everett, Doyle 1 (Harper, Smyke), 1:42. 2, Everett, Kress 3 (Wheat), 3:57 (sh). 3, Everett, Lammers 15, 5:09. 4, Spokane, Bruton 8 (Ryan, Klassen), 9:18. Penalties-Zasitko, Everett (hooking), 2:08; Calla, Everett (slashing), 7:17; Ja. Lynch, Spokane (cross-checking), 11:59; Schulz, Spokane (roughing), 16:01.

Second Period-No goals. Penalties-Thoring, Everett (hooking), 4:31; Hobson, Spokane (hooking), 5:23; Zimmerman, Spokane (holding), 10:49; Sawka, Everett (hooking), 17:35.

Third Period-5, Everett, Mueller 14 (Heshka, Ellington), 18:52 (en). Penalties-Ellington, Everett (slashing), 0:30; Stoesz, Spokane (checking from behind), 13:12; Thoring, Everett (tripping), 16:25.

Shots on goal-Everett 13-11-9-33. Spokane 15-6-7-28. Power-play opportunities-Everett 0 of 5. Spokane 0 of 6.

Goalies-Everett, Irving 18-13 (28 shots, 27 saves). Spokane, Stehr 5-3 (5 shots, 2 saves), Watt (27 shots, 27 saves).