Tips rally to defeat Chilliwack Bruins, 4-3

EVERETT – The Everett Silvertips have a lot of things this season.

They have skilled forwards capable of producing sublime offensive displays; they have a rugged defense capable of smothering even the most dangerous of opponents; they have perhaps the league’s best goaltending tandem; they have the best record in the WHL, and they have the top ranking in the entire Canadian Hockey League.

But all that pales in comparison to perhaps their most important possession:

The Silvertips have belief.

Everett believes it’s going to win, no matter what the situation. And Sunday night the Tips converted a few more believers, staging a dramatic comeback to defeat the Chilliwack Bruins 4-3 in overtime at the Everett Events Center.

Dan Gendur scored the game-winning goal 1 minute, 9 seconds into overtime as Everett (40-7-0-2) overcame a three-goal deficit in the game’s final 22 minutes.

“Oh yeah, there’s a lot of belief,” Gendur said. “We believe in ourselves, and we believe we want to stay No. 1 in the country all the way through the year.”

Kyle Beach, Peter Mueller and Zach Hamill scored goals – the final one coming with 2:29 remaining and goaltender Leland Irving pulled for an extra attacker – to enable Gendur’s game winner and prevent the expansion Bruins (15-33-3-2) from pulling off the shock upset of the season.

It was the second time Everett’s come back from a three-goal deficit this season. The Tips trailed Seattle 3-0 in the third period on Dec. 9 before coming back to win 4-3 in a shootout.

“If you’re going to put up a good record, you’ve got to find a lot of different ways to win, and that breeds some confidence,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. “So they do believe we’re always in the game, no matter what the environment we’re in.”

Former Silvertip goaltender Matt Esposito, playing at the EEC for the first time since being traded in December, turned in an inspired performance, making 43 saves. However, it wasn’t quite enough to overcome Everett’s force of will.

“It was kind of heartbreaking, but my team played unbelievable in front of me,” said Esposito, who received a rousing ovation during introductions. “Our guys gave it their all, but they came hard at us in the third period.”

Everett beat Chilliwack by a combined score of 14-2 in the teams’ previous two meetings. But the Tips appeared to take the Bruins lightly early in the game, and Chilliwack took advantage of a couple power plays to take a 3-0 lead in the game’s opening 17 minutes, goals coming from Colby Kulhanek, Oscar Moller and Kevin Boutiller.

It seemed a lost cause for Everett until Chilliwack defenseman Nick Holden took a major cross-checking penalty late in the second period to give the Tips a full five-minute power play. Everett hammered away for four minutes before Beach finally found the breakthrough goal at 18:56, redirecting in a pass from Ondrej Fiala.

From there Everett pulled out all the stops going for the win. Everett’s offensive standouts must have spent about 15 of the game’s final 20 minutes on the ice, and Irving, who finished with 27 saves, was pulled for an extra attacker with more than five minutes remaining in regulation.

But the machinations paid off. Mueller fired in a shot from the point on the power play at 8:28 to cut the lead to one. Then with Irving pulled, Hamill tipped a Dane Crowley shot past Esposito with 2:29 remaining to force overtime.

“It was kind of hard to breathe after we scored that last one,” said Mueller, who was seemingly on the ice the entire third period.

“We played these guys earlier and had the favor the last two games,” Mueller added, agreeing that Everett took Chilliwack lightly. “Every game you see them they get a little bit stronger.”

In overtime, Hamill pulled the puck out from a scrum along the boards and feathered a pass into Gendur’s path. Gendur cut around a defender and fired a wrist shot from the right circle that slipped under Esposito’s blocker arm to end the game.

Slap shots: Everett was again without defensemen Graham Potuer (wrist) and Mike Alexander (concussion) and left wing Lukas Vartovnik (hip) because of injuries. … Chilliwack was without its top penalty killer, former Silvertip prospect Matt Meropoulis, who was resting some bumps and bruises. … Because of the American Hockey League all-star break, there were several VIPs in attendance, including former Everett standouts Mitch Love, Riley Armstrong and John Lammers, as well as ex-Portland star Brandon Dubinsky (courtesy of fellow Alaskan Moises Gutierrez). Also at the game was Moose Jaw left wing Garrett Robinson, a former teammate of the Silvertips’ Jesse Zetariuk. Robinson is recovering from severe head injuries suffered in a car accident earlier this season.

Silvertips 4, Bruins 3 (OT)

Chilliwack3000-3

Everett0121-4

First Period-1, chilliwack, Kulhanek 2 (Chapman, Glennie), 12:23. 2, Chilliwack, Moller 24 (Santorelli), 16:12 (pp). 3, Chilliwack, Boutiller 2 (Smuk, Petkau), 16:54 (pp) Penalties-Holden, Chilliwack (interference), 1:35; Hlookoff, Everett (tripping), 10:14; Ellington, Everett (roughing), 14:43; Alic, Everett (high sticking), 15:49.

Second Period-4, Everett, Beach 25 (Fiala, Mueller), 18:56 (pp). Penalties-McCue, Chilliwack (charging), 6:54; Beach, Everett (roughing), 6:54; McCue, Chilliwack (holding), 13:12; Holden, Chilliwack (major-cross-checking-game misconduct), 14:53.

Third Period-5, Everett, Mueller 13 (Hamill, Gutierrez), 8:28 (pp). 6, Everett, Hamill 21 (Crowley, Fransoo), 17:31. Penalties-Harty, Everett (interference), 1:41; Santorelli, Chilliwack (hooking), 3:24; McCue, Chilliwack (holding), 5:36; Hobbs, Chilliwack (tripping), 7:13; Petkau, Chilliwack (boarding), 9:19; Sonne, Everett (roughing), 9:19; Gendur, Everett (hold stick), 9:24; Smuk, Chilliwack (roughing), 12:19.

Overtime-7, Everett, Gendur 15 (Hamill, Fransoo), 1:09. Penalties-None.

Shots on goal-Chilliwack 16-8-5-1-30. Everett 14-17-15-1-47. Power-play opportunities-Chilliwack 2 of 5. Everett 2 of 7.

Goalies-Chilliwack, Esposito 6-9-1-1 (47 shots, 43 saves). Everett, Irving 25-4-0-2 (30 shots, 27 saves).

A-7,759.