(Everett, WA) The Everett Silvertips just could not keep up with the Spokane Chiefs in the first game of their best-of-seven second round series. It was the road team dictating play, bringing the checks and never trailing as they took a 1-0 series lead with a 6-3 victory in front of 5,402 fans at the Angel of the Winds Arena in downtown Everett.
Early goals were the key to the win for the Chiefs as in each period they jumped out to a one-goal lead with a marker within the first 2:01 of each frame.
Playing from behind for much of the game was a tough task for Everett, as they twice tied Spokane, but could never get the lead.
“I thought we did a lot of good things. But if you look at it, they scored two minutes into the first, a minute something into the second and 39 seconds into the third. The room has to be ready to compete for a full 60 minutes. They came out and jumped on some of our mistakes and some miscommunication on our end. Tonight their better players were better than our better players,” Silvertips head coach Dennis Williams told everettsilvertips.com.
Leading the way for Spokane offensively, in a team effort were Ethan McIndoe with two goals and an assist and Eli Zummack with a goal and two assists. For both of them this was a playoff career high.
McIndoe opened the scoring 2:01 into the game for the Chiefs. His linemate, Jack Finley got to the puck behind the Everett net and slipped a pass in front to an open McIndoe. The marker was his third of the playoffs.
While Spokane had the run of play in the first, Everett took advantage of a Ty Smith penalty to tie the game up. Wyatte Wylie took a point shot that Spokane goalie Bailey Brkin kicked out with his right pad. Right there for the rebound though, was Zack Andrusiak. The 38 regular season goal man buried it for his fifth in six postseason games.
Andrusiak netted another marker shortly thereafter but had it called off due to redirecting the puck in with a high stick.
That would be key as 1:41 into the second period Spokane defenseman Noah King spied Eli Zummack in behind the defense and set him up with a breakaway. Zummack went glove side on Dustin Wolf for the 2-1 Chiefs lead.
Late in the middle frame, the Silvertips tied the game back up. Gianni Fairbrother picked a perfect time to pinch and got the puck to the back post for Gage Goncalves who flipped it in front for Jackson Berezowski. The 16-year-old forward then poked a shot by Brkin for his first career playoff goal.
The tying goal came with 25.9 seconds left in the period.
The Chiefs scored 2:01 into the first and 1:49 into the second. In the third, they scored even faster.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Zummack won a puck battle among the side boards and Zummack poked the puck to a charging Luke Toporowski. The Bettendorf, Iowa native then buried a shot by Wolf’s glove for his fifth of the playoffs and a 3-2 Chiefs lead.
Midway through the frame and just eight seconds after Wylie took a slashing penalty, Spokane took the first two-goal lead of the series.
A shot by Zummack on the power play was blocked and it ended up right on the tape of Riley Woods. Spokane’s leading point-getter in their first round series win, buried his fifth of the playoffs by Wolf for a 4-2 lead.
The Silvertips dug into that lead with 6:53 left as a rare turnover by Ty Smith led to another goal by Berezowski. Martin Fasko-Rudas pounced on the puck in the Spokane zone and fed Berezowski in the slot. His first attempt was turned away by Brkin but the rookie found the rebound and netted a big goal for Everett, cutting the deficit back down to one.
“He went hard to the net like he normally does. When we hang out in those areas.. Our older guys can learn from him tonight,” Williams said of his youngest player on the ice.
He played a really honest, hard working game and was rewarded with a lot of ice time,” Williams added.
“It’s big, confidence-wise, but the big thing is we didn’t get the (win). I’d rather get (that) than the two goals,” Berezowski said.
Then with 3:34 left, the player that got the scoring started for Spokane, put the Silvertips away. Luc Smith threw a big hit behind the Everett net on Connor Dewar and McIndoe scooped up the puck, putting a wraparound attempt between Wolf’s pads.
Luc Smith then added an empty netter off some hard work by McIndoe to give this game a 6-3 finish.
Brkin stopped 29-of-32 in the win, while Wolf turned away 17-of-22.
Game 2 goes tomorrow at 4:05 PDT in Everett.
Game Notes:
-With about three minutes left in the second period, Lucas Cullen got tangled up with Smith and as the New Jersey Devils first round pick got up, his skate appeared to catch Cullen in the face.
-Spokane was 1-for-1 on the power play and is now 7-of-12 in the playoffs for 58.3 percent – first in the WHL.
-Everett went 1-of-3 and is now 7-for-27 in the postseason, fifth in the WHL.
-Toporowski led the Chiefs with four shots, while Andrusiak led the Silvertips with five.
-Both teams won 32 faceoffs. Woods was 10-for-22, Anderson-Dolan went 5-for-16 and Luc Smith was 9-of-14. For Everett, Dewar was 15-for-27, Max Patterson was 13-of-23 and Reece Vitelli went 4-of-11.
-Ty Smith and Noah King were out there against the Connor Dewar line for as much of the game as Spokane head coach Dan Lambert was able to swing. They did a solid job of stifling the Silvertips captain and Bryce Kindopp. Dewar was minus-three with three shots and Kindopp was minus-four with four shots. Neither of them had a point
