Christopher Mast

WHL recap: Everett blindsides Tri-City 6-5

Everett 6 Tri-City 5

With Seattle Seahawks hall-of-fame offensive tackle Walter Jones bearing witness, the Everett Silvertips (28-16-1-1) showed off their high-powered offense, the expense of the visiting Tri-City Americans(22-16-5-0). The game, which went back and forth and featured six goals in just one period, was the type of free-flowing offense that Jones would appreciate from his days of protecting Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck’s blindside and opening up running lanes for running back Shaun Alexander.

 

Everett was led by an incredible five assist night from center Matt Fonteyne and two goals and an assist from Connor Dewar. The win was Everett’s fifth in-a-row.

Tri-City had one line provide most of their offense with Isaac Johnson potting a goal and adding two assists.

The Silvertips were all over the Americans in the first and went up 2-0. Defenseman Wyatte Wylie circled the Tri-City net and found Connor Dewar in front. Dewar took his time and lifted a backhand shot top shelf for his 20th goal of the year. Then Patrick Bajkov got to work on setting up a second goal for Everett. He drove the Tri-City net and got both goalie Beck Warm and defenseman Mitchell Brown to go down, before passing the puck from in tight on the right post to the crease where Sean Richards was waiting. Richards backhanded the puck home for his 17th on the season.

Before the second period was three minutes old, Tri-City tied the game up though. Jordan Topping got the Americans on the board just 20 seconds in. Riley Sawchuk took the puck in behind the net and got Everett goalie Dustin Wolf leaning to the right. He then passed to Topping off to Wolf’s right and the overage sniper lifted the puck up to the top of the net from in tight.

Tri-City then tied the game just over two minutes later. Parker AuCoin drove around the Everett net and found Isaac Johnson in the slot. Aquick shot form Johnson in on Wolfe created a rebound that Nolan Yaremko poked in for his first of the game and 14th on the season.

The Silvertips got another goal from Dewar to take a 3-2 lead halfway through the game. Former Kamloops Blazer Garrett Pilon took the puck in the neutral zone and found Fonteyne driving the zone. Fonteyne then found Dewar droving the left wing and speedy winger drove a shot by Warm.

Tri-City then tied the game again in this back and forth affair. The line that created their last goal went to work again with Yaremko potting his second of the game. AuCoin slowed up as he entered the zone and fired a pass over to Johnson on the left wing. Johnson then found Yaremko driving the far post and he tipped it home.

Before the second was over though, the two teams would each score one more goal for a total of six markers overall in the frame.

First Bajkov netted his 22nd goal of the year as, while on the Ams added another marker. AuCoin once again was the catalyst as he drove the Everett zone, drew the defense and dished to Johnson. Johnson then buried a shot by Warm. The line created three goals for Tri-City in just one period but the score was still tied at four entering the final frame.

With 3:17 left in the third period, Everett went back on top. While on the power play, Fonteyne wired a pass cross-ice to Pilon at the edge of the left face off circle. Pilon one-timed the puck by Warm, giving Everett the 5-4 lead.

Riley Sutter then added an empty netter to give the ‘Tips a 6-4 lead. That goal would prove to be the difference as Dylan Coghlan added a power play marker with 16 seconds left to give us the 6-5 final.

Everett takes sole command of the U.S. Division with the win, two points up on the Portland Winterhawks. Everett does have three games in hand on Portland though. This was the fourth straight loss for Tri-City, who got Morgan Geekie back in the lineup, but still is without Juuso Vålimåki and Michael Rasmussen.

Everett got 35 stops on 40 shots from Dustin Wolfe, while Tri-City had Beck Warm turn away 39 of 44.

Everett is next in action Saturday when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings. Tri-City plays host to the Swift Current Broncos on Friday.