Tips Week in Review: Everett wins one, loses one

The Everett Silvertips entered last Friday on a six-game win streak. They had just beaten Wenatchee twice and also downed Portland for the third time this season.

The Silvertips had two matchups scheduled for this past weekend: Wenatchee on Friday and Tri-City on Sunday. Entering the games, Everett (13-3) was first in the Western Conference, U.S. Division and Western Hockey League (WHL) standings. And that still is the case after the Silvertips topped Wenatchee on Nov. 1 but suffered their third loss of the season to Tri-City on Nov. 3.

Everett 5, Wenatchee 2

The Silvertips skated past the Wild in the third meeting between both teams. The first two outings ended 6-1 and 5-4, respectively, in favor of Everett. And the third contest wasn’t much different, except that it was at Wenatchee’s rink. The Silvertips scored in the first two minutes from left winger Julien Maze’s goal, assisted by defenseman Brek Liske and left winger Dominik Rymon. The Wild tied it 1-1 with about six minutes remaining in the first period. Right winger Jesse Heslop, assisted by centers Julius Miettinen and Carter Bear, netted Everett’s second goal nine minutes into the second period, which was followed by Bear’s goal six minutes later, assisted by center Tyler MacKenzie and Rymon. MacKenzie netted a goal of his own just less than 13 minutes into the third period, assisted by Rymon. Wenatchee netted its second goal 36 seconds later. But it wasn’t enough, especially since defenseman Eric Jamieson, assisted by Miettinen and Bear, scored the team’s fifth goal with about four minutes left in the game. Everett had 30 shots on goal, 10 per period, and goalie Jesse Sanche saved the Wild’s 26 of 28 shots.

Tri-City 6, Everett 5

The Silvertips traveled to Kennewick for their first meeting against the Americans this season, but they came out with their third loss. Tri-City scored first just over nine minutes into the first period, but the Silvertips responded by netting two goals less than three minutes apart. Right winger Caden Brown, assisted by Maze and MacKenzie, and Miettinen, assisted by Bear and defenseman Tarin Smith, charted the period’s scoring stats. The Americans fired back with two goals in the second period less than two minutes apart, forcing Bear, assisted by Heslop, to score in the last five minutes to tie it 3-3. Tri-City then took the one-goal advantage heading into the final period when it netted a goal in the last 45 seconds. The teeter-totter tilted in Everett’s favor momentarily when Smith, assisted by Miettinen and Bear, tied it 4-4 in the first five minutes of the third period. And center Cain Wilke, assisted by center Lukas Kaplan and defenseman Kaden Hammell, gave the Silvertips the 5-4 lead at the 11:46 mark. But then the Americans tied it 10 seconds later to force overtime, in which they scored the game-winning goal in the first five minutes. Everett produced 59 shots on goal, and Sanche saved Tri-City’s 30 of 36 shots.

Three stars of the week

First star: Carter Bear. The 18-year-old center recorded two goals and four assists this past weekend. He scored a goal in the game against Tri-City to tie it 3-3 and assisted the Silvertips’ fourth goal to even it 4-4.

Second star(s): Julius Miettinen and Tyler MacKenzie. The 18-year-old center registered one goal and three assists, and the 20-year-old left winger had one goal and two assists as the pair combined for two goals and five assists this past weekend.

Third star: Dominik Rymon. The 20-year-old left winger earned a hat trick of assists in the game against Wenatchee.

The week ahead

Everett has three games scheduled. The Silvertips look to get revenge when they face Tri-City again in Kennewick on Nov. 8 before heading back to Angel of the Winds Arena for two games: Calgary on Nov. 9 and Red Deer on Nov. 11.

Bonus news:

The WHL announced on Oct. 31 that Sanche was named WHL Goaltender of the Month and defenseman Landon DuPont WHL Rookie of the Month for September and October.

“The 18-year-old went 9-2-0-0 to kick off the season with an impressive 1.71 goals-against average, a. 932 save percentage and one shutout to help the Silvertips sit atop the WHL standings,” the press release stated about Sanche, who the Silvertips acquired in an offseason trade from the Kamloops Blazers. “Sanche leads all qualified goaltenders in wins, goals-against average and save percentage.” He also picked up WHL Player of the Week honors on Oct. 28 after picking up a fifth-straight win.

“The 6-foot-1, 183-pound netminder has allowed two goals or fewer in nine of 12 appearances, highlighted by his first career shutout in a 26-save, 3-0 victory over the U.S. Division-rival Portland Winterhawks on Oct. 19. Sanche also stopped 30 shots in a 4-1 road win against the Brandon Wheat Kings to earn first-star honors.”

As for the 15-year-old DuPont, he tallied four goals and 12 assists to compile 16 points and a +15 rating in his first 14 games, which leads all WHL rookies. Like Sanche, DuPont also received a weekly honor back on Sept. 30 when he was WHL Rookie of the Week for charting three assists and a +4 rating through two games.

“As the first defenseman granted exceptional status to play in the WHL full-time as a 15-year-old, DuPont registered an assist in his debut match against the Vancouver Giants on Sept. 21. He’s since put up four multi-point games and has only been held pointless three times,” the press release stated. “The 5-foot-11, 179-pound blueliner tallied his first two-goal game in a 4-1 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Oct. 8 and followed it up with a one-goal, two-assist performance the following night in a 5-1 victory against the Regina Pats. DuPont was named first star with three points- including the primary assist on the game-winning goal- and a +4 rating.

“Everett selected DuPont with the first overall pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft. He’s just the second skater to receive exceptional status to play in the league behind star forward and former WHL Player of the Year Connor Bedard.”