It took 12 games for the Everett Silvertips to lose their first game in regulation this season, and it was a decisive one. Still, the Silvertips sandwiched the 7-0 loss to Penticton on Saturday with a couple of wins on Friday and Sunday to improve to 11-1-1-0 (23 points).
Everett holds first place in the Western Conference over Victoria (7-3-2-1) by six points, and they still have the best record across the entire WHL by two points over Medicine Hat (10-4-1-0).
Everett 3, Saskatoon 2
The Silvertips built a 3-0 lead in the first period and held off a comeback attempt from the Blades, which scored twice in the second period.
Clarke Schaefer struck first at 12:28 of the first period, bouncing a shot off goaltender Evan Gardner’s back from the right corner after retrieving the puck on a failed clearance, and Tarin Smith doubled the lead at 13:09 with a shot behind the left circle off a faceoff win.
Shea Busch pushed it to 3-0 at 17:42 on the power play, firing home a one-timer in front after three of his teammates worked to win the puck along the end boards.
Hunter Laing scored twice for Saskatoon in the second period, but Everett allowed just four shots on goal in the third period (16 total) to hang on for the win.
Penticton 7, Everett 0
A four-goal performance from Vees forward Ryden Evers highlighted what became an emphatic end to the Silvertips’ season-opening point streak of 11 games. Penticton had built up a 4-0 lead by the time Evers scored his second of the night to push it to 5-0 at 17:41 of the second period, and he chipped in two more to complete the effort down the stretch.
The Vees went 3-for-6 on the power play, while Everett got blanked on four opportunities. Goalie Anders Miller allowed four goals on 11 shots in the first period, and Raiden LeGall took over for the remaining two periods, where he allowed three goals on 20 shots.
Only six Silvertips skaters finished the night with an even plus/minus rating in a brutal day all-around, while forward Cole Temple finished with a team-worst minus-four.
Everett 5, Spokane 2
Temple and the Silvertips rebounded on the road on Sunday, with the forward earning First Star of the Game with two assists.
Everett scored twice in the first 2:41 to take the early advantage. Jaxsin Vaughan poked in a loose puck sitting in the crease to cash in on a power play at 1:34 of the first period, and a strong forechecking effort from Hunter Rudolph and Schaefer set up Lukas Kaplan with a forehand-to-backhand goal off the rush at 2:41.
Nolan Saunderson cut it to 2-1 for the Chiefs at 2:09 of the second period, but Carter Bear restored the two-goal lead just 1:09 later after Temple kept an offensive zone possession alive at the blue line and dished it behind the left circle to Zackary Shantz, who found Bear for a backdoor tap-in at 3:18.
Cameron Dillard pushed it to 4-1 just 52 seconds after that, finishing off a nice passing sequence for his first career WHL goal, and Shea Busch scored his 11th of the season at 9:57 on the power play before Spokane’s Rhett Sather rounded out the scoring with a power-play goal of his own at 13:53.
Three Stars of the Week
First Star: Julius Miettinen. The 19-year-old forward had three primary assists across Everett’s two wins this weekend, including two in the win against Saskatoon on Friday. He was also one of the few skaters without a negative rating in the loss to Penticton. Miettinen continues his offensive tear to open the season, where his 20 points are tied for sixth across the entire WHL.
Second Star: Shea Busch. The 18-year-old forward scored a goal in each of the two wins, and put seven shots on goal in Saturday’s loss while sporting an even rating. His 11 goals so far this season are tied for second in the WHL.
Third Star: Matias Vanhanen. The 18-year-old forward also chipped in three assists this weekend, all of them secondary helpers, which boosted his season total to a WHL-leading 19 assists. The rookie leads Everett with 21 points in 13 games this season.
The week ahead
It’s a quick turnaround for the Silvertips, who travel to Kamloops on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game before heading back to Spokane for a rematch on Saturday at 6:05 p.m.
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