(Spokane, WA) Despite out shooting the Spokane Chiefs in each of the first three games of their best-of-seven second round series, the Everett Silvertips always seemed to be playing from behind.
Oh the wonders of getting an early lead.
On Friday night, with their backs against the wall, Everett scored twice in the first period and put away the Spokane Chiefs 4-1 to cut their series lead to 3-1.
Connor Dewar had two goals and an assist and Bryce Kindopp had two assists to lead the way.
It seems fitting that they were finally able to get into the win column against the Chiefs behind their two leading regular season scorers. Both had failed to find the score sheet in the first three games of the series.
Game 5 goes Saturday night in Spokane. This series was done in the 2-3-2 format as a prior event had the Angel of the Winds Arena booked.
That means that Spokane gets another chance to close out Everett at home, instead of having to head back there for Game 5 now.
Everett opened the scoring for the first time in the series in Game 4.
Robbie Holmes picked off a long outlet pass by Ty Smith – a rare mistake by the Chiefs blue liner – skated in two-on-one and beat Bailey Brkin blocker side.
They built off that 9:47 into the game. Dewar hit Kindopp on a power play rush and Kindopp drove wide, pulling defenseman Filip Kral with him. He then deftly flicked a pass to Zack Andrusiak in front. The overage winger put home his sixth of the playoffs.
The Chiefs clawed back to within one late in the first. It came on yet another power-play goal for Spokane.
Adam Beckman came off the half boards, found some room and wired it low blocker side on a screened Dustin Wolf.
That would be the lone goal Wolf would give up in his best played game in the series.
He turned away 27-of-28.
The Chiefs had some chances to tie tie the game on another power play midway through the second but could not quite get one by Wolf. Luc Smith was alone in front on one sequence but Wolf gave him nowhere to put the puck.
Instead it was Everett scoring and going up 3-1.
Riley Sutter won a battle behind the net and Gage Goncalves put a pass right on Dewar’s tape in the slot. The Minnesota Wild signed prospect then drilled a shot by Bailey Brkin for his first of the series.
The Chiefs came out pressing in the third, but Everett is not an easy team to come back on.
After pulling the goalie with just over three minutes left, the Chiefs did get a goal to get within one at 3-2 though.
Unfortunately for them, the goal was waived off as Luc Smith collided with Wolf in front and the goalie could not reset prior to Riley Woods sniping a shot by him.
Spokane head coach Dan Lambert was incensed by the decision and gave the referees more than an earful. Ultimately it went on long enough that he was assessed a bench minor late in the game.
Kral was also handed a game misconduct from the bench with 32 seconds left.
Dewar would add a late empty netter.
All in all, Everett hd five power play, scoring on one of them.
Spokane was 1-for-3 and is now 10-of-20 or 50 percent in the playoffs.
Game Notes:
-Dewar had six shots, leading Everett, while Jake McGrew had five for Spokane.
-Sutter went 1-for-23 at the faceoff dot, while Max Patterson was 5-of-18 and Reece Vitelli went 4-for-7.
-For Spokane, Jack Finley was 10-for-20, Woods went 9-for-12 and Jaret Anderson-Dolan was 8-for-9.
-Brkin turned away 23-of-26.
