EVERETT – Graham Potuer was the last member of the Everett Silvertips’ season-opening roster to finally see the ice.
But what a debut it turned out to be.
Potuer had a memorable first game in the Western Hockey League, punctuating it with a goal in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds at the Everett Events Center.
“It was exciting, for sure,” Potuer said about his WHL debut. “I was a little nervous at the start, but I guess I kind of calmed down after my first shift and luck was kind of going my way, too, so it worked out.”
Potuer, a rookie defenseman from Red Deer, Alberta, is one of three 16-year-old defensemen the team is carrying this season. The original plan was to rotate those three – Potuer, Jonathon Harty and Taylor Ellington – through the lineup. But with Harty turning in impressive performances early in the season, Potuer had to wait until Everett’s 10th game to see his name in the lineup.
“I wanted to be out there since Game 1, but it just didn’t work out that way,” Potuer said. “It was really exciting when I walked into the dressing room and I was on the roster.”
Potuer didn’t look like a player making his WHL debut. Although seeing limited ice time, he was solid defensively in his own end, essentially playing mistake-free.
And then came the magic moment.
Everett was clinging to a 1-0 lead early in the third period when Torrie Wheat released Barry Horman into the zone. Seattle goalie Bryan Bridges was forced to leave his net and dive to poke the puck away from Horman. The puck came to Potuer at the blue line, and with no hesitation Potuer sniped it through traffic and into the unguarded net.
“I saw the goalie dive out of the net and poke check the puck away from Barry and right onto my stick,” Potuer said. “I didn’t even look at the net, I just shot it and it ended up going in.”
Said Everett coach Kevin Constantine: “It’s always nice when a player gets a goal in his first game. Not too many people can claim that in their junior careers, so it’s nice for him.”
First bagel: Potuer wasn’t the only Everett youngster to achieve a personal first Saturday. Rookie goaltender Leland Irving recorded his first career shutout in the game, in what was just his third career start.
“It’s feeling really good right now,” Irving said after the game. “It’s nice to get that, this early in the season especially. It maybe gives the coaches some faith in me and the fans, too. Now maybe they know it wasn’t all just luck on my side in the previous two games.”
With his team playing so well in front of him, Irving barely worked up a sweat in earning the shutout. The 16-year-old faced just 19 shots.
“He made a huge save on the rebound in the third period, but other than that he wasn’t overly tested,” Constantine said. “Sometimes those games are harder to play in than when you’re facing 30 or 40 shots because you never get into the rhythm of the game. I thought he fought the puck a lot, but he found a way to make four or five big saves and get himself a shutout.”
Auction: The Silvertips are giving their fans a chance to own a piece of franchise history.
The team is holding an online auction of last season’s game-worn home jerseys. Each jersey, unless indicated, will be autographed by the player who wore it. A certificate of authenticity signed by Everett general manager Doug Soetaert will also be included.
The bidding is currently taking place on the Silvertips’ Web site at www.everettsilvertips.com. All proceeds from the auction benefit the Everett Silvertips Scholarship Fund.
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