The Portland Winterhawks lost 7-0 to the Everett Silvertips on Tuesday night. With the loss, the series now stands at 3-0 in Everett’s favor. Portland dropped Game One in Everett by a score of 8-1 on Friday, March 27th. Then on March 28th, the Silvertips defeated Portland by a score of 4-1. This was also only the second game this season where the Winterhawks had been shut out. The first game was back on October 11th, where Medicine Hat defeated Portland 5-0.
Despite a high-energy first period, it was Everett who would strike first with 6:53 left on the clock. After the Winterhawks won the battle for the loose puck, Nathan Free would drop a pass back and across for Niko Tsakumis. Unfortunately for Portland, Tsakumis would trip on his skates and set up a fast break for Everett. Matias Vanhanen would gain possession for the Silvertips, but Free would lean on him, and both players would fall just beyond center ice. Carter Bear had the momentum to skate around both bodies and get to the loose puck just before the blue line. From there, Bear slid a pass across for Julius Miettinen, who was racing into the middle of the zone. Once Miettinen possessed it, he was all alone on Portland goaltender Ondrej Štěbeták. Miettinen would make a stick move and shoulder fake, then cut over to his right for a backhand shot. Miettinen’s shot would beat Štěbeták five-hole, putting the Silvertips up 1-0.
Miettinen’s goal would be the lone marker until an early goal in the second period. Just 48 seconds into the second frame, Tarin Smith would make a slick deke across the offensive blue line for Everett. The move set the Silvertips up for a short two-on-one, with Smith gliding down the slot. Just as Smith looked like he would fire a wrist shot on net, he instead sent a pass across the ice for Matias Vanhanen. Vanhanen would reach out and loft a shot just inside the far post. The puck would fly just past the glove of Štěbeták, and the Silvertips would take a 2-0 lead.
Everett outshot Portland 18-2 in the second period, and they would be rewarded for their efforts. After a dump-in with 3:26 left in the period, Shea Busch would ring the puck around the boards and back to the point for the Silvertips. Mattias Uyeda would be there to then rip a shot back towards the net. Štěbeták would make a save, but the rebound would spring free into the slot. Skating down was Rhys Jamieson, who would jab the puck out into open space. Now drifting to his right, Jamieson would flick the puck with his backhand towards the front of the net. Portland’s Niko Tsakumis would bat at the puck, but wouldn’t get enough of it to impede its progress. The puck would flutter down to the stick of Mirco Dufour, who would make no mistake, burying his shot behind the right leg of Štěbeták. Dufour’s first goal of the postseason would extend Everett’s lead to 3-0, which would hold as the last goal of the period.
In the third period, Everett began to pull away. With 14:37 on the clock, the Silvertips dumped and chased the puck around the boards again. Štěbeták would come out to play the puck, but with pressure quickly approaching, he would quickly send the puck towards the opposite corner. Before it reached the boards, Shea Busch would intercept the puck just above the goal line extended. While Štěbeták was retreating back to the net, Busch would send the puck back on goal. Busch’s shot would hit Štěbeták’s side and trickle into the back of the net. Busch’s goal would make the score 4-0 Silvertips with 14:37 remaining in regulation.
After Busch’s goal, the floodgates opened for Everett. With 11:43 remaining, Jaxsin Vaughan would get the puck for Everett in the neutral zone. Quickly, Vaughan would shift a pass to his left for Jesse Heslop just before the offensive blue line. From there, Heslop would skate into the offensive zone and cut towards the middle. Just as Heslop looked like he would make a toe-drag wrist shot, he instead slipped a pass to his left. Rotating around Heslop to receive the pass was Vaughan, who then fired a shot on goal. Vaughan’s shot would whip past the blocker of Štěbeták and stay inside the near post to give Everett a 5-0 lead.
Shortly after Vaughan’s goal, the Silvertips found the back of the net again. This time, with 10:45 left in regulation, Julius Miettinen would skate around the right wing boards in the offensive zone for Everett. Once Miettinen was below the goal line extended, he would send a pass to the top of the crease. The puck would kick out high off the skates of Portland’s defenseman, Max Pšenička. Dropping down into the was Landon DuPont, who would get to the loose puck before Pšenička’s stick. Immediately, DuPont would fire a high shot on goal. The puck went over Štěbeták’s right shoulder and under the crossbar to make the lead 6-0 for the Silvertips.
Everett wasn’t done finding the net in the third period either. With 9:51 left, Zackary Shantz would set up Everett by racing out of the right wing boards into the neutral zone. From there, Shantz would look to the middle and spot Jesse Heslop racing up the ice. Finding a seam, Schantz would split defenders with a pass and spring Heslop on a breakaway. With speed, Heslop made one move and wristed a shot past the blocker of Štěbeták. With Heslop’s first goal of the postseason, the Silvertips would jump out to a 7-0 lead.
After the game, when asked about how important it was to look ahead to Wednesday’s game, head coach Kyle Gustafson said they just have to look ahead.
“You have to erase this one,” Gustafson said. “You have to get it out of your memory bank quick. You have to just move on to the next one.”
He said it’s going to take a lot of guts, effort and character.
“But again, we’ve been in this position for a couple of weeks now where our backs have been against the wall, and it has been about that next game and erasing that mindset,” Gustafson said. “Whether you win or lose, just getting ready for the next one.”
He said they feel conditioned, but that they know it’s going to be a tall challenge for sure.
“We have a lot of belief in our group, that we’re going to be able to get one,” Gustafson said. “You never know how the series can change. You just need one spark, one piece of momentum, one win, and then you can ride that momentum.”
Game four will be played at 7 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland on Wednesday.
Northwest Sports Desk 