The Everett Silvertips returned to Angel of the Winds Arena for the first time last Wednesday after spending the past seven games in Canada and Oregon during a two-week stretch.
On Oct. 23, Everett battled Wenatchee for the first time this season and dominated the Wild 6-1. The Silvertips faced Edmonton on Friday and skated past the Oil Kings 7-2. Wenatchee gave Everett a tester on Saturday, but the Silvertips prevailed 5-4. And Everett traveled to Oregon on Sunday and downed Portland 4-2 in the third matchup between both teams.
Entering last week, the Silvertips were first in the Western Conference and U.S. Division standings but second behind Saskatoon in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Everett (12-2) scored 22 goals and conceded nine this past week, which helped keep the Silvertips atop the Western Conference and U.S. Division, and the results also moved them into first place in the league, one game ahead of the Blades.
Everett 6, Wenatchee 1
The Silvertips comfortably handled the Wild in what was the first meeting between both teams this season. Everett netted four goals in the first period and one in the second and third. Center Carter Bear scored two goals and assisted one, center Caine Wilke notched two goals and center Tyler MacKenzie and right winger Jesse Heslop each added one. Center Julius Miettinen and defensemen Tarin Smith, Landon DuPont and Brek Liske each tallied two assists. Forwards Nolan Chastko and Lukas Kaplan and left winger Dominik Rymon also earned one assist each. Goalie Jesse Sanche saved 29 of 30 shots.
Everett 7, Edmonton 2
The Silvertips skated past the Oil Kings in what was also the first meeting between both teams. Bear tallied his and Everett’s first hat trick this season. Rymon contributed two goals and Heslop and left winger Julien Maze each added one. In addition to Heslop, there were 10 players who tallied assists, including Miettinen, DuPont, Smith, Maze, MacKenzie, center Beau Courtney and defensemen Eric Jamieson, Kaden Hammell and Rylan Pearce. Sanche had another solid game, saving 19 of 21 shots. Click here for the game recap.
Everett 5, Wenatchee 4
The Silvertips trailed 4-1 to the Wild but scored four unanswered goals in the second and third periods to get the victory. MacKenzie, assisted by Maze and Rymon, put Everett on the scoreboard about four minutes into the second period and 35 seconds after Wenatchee had made it 3-0. Maze, assisted by Rymon and MacKenzie, notched the Silvertips’ second goal about two minutes before the end of the second period. And Smith, unassisted, netted Everett’s third goal in the final minute. Jamieson, assisted by MacKenzie and Maze, scored three minutes into the third period, and MacKenzie, unassisted, put away the game-winning goal with less than three minutes remaining in the contest. Sanche and goalie Alex Garrett split time: Sanche saved nine shots and Garrett 13 of 17.
Everett 4, Portland 2
After the third meeting this season, the Silvertips still have the Winterhawks’ number. Everett conceded the first goal of the game about 10 minutes into the first period, but Smith, assisted by Maze, and MacKenzie quickly netted two goals within two minutes of each other for the lead. Portland tied it 2-2 in the first minute of the second period. Heslop, assisted by Miettinen, scored the third goal just over 13 minutes into the second period. And Courtney, assisted by Kaplan and Wilke, put the nail in the coffin with the Silvertips’ fourth goal about three minutes into the third period. Sanche saved 19 of 21 shots.
Three stars of the week
First star: Carter Bear. The 18-year-old scored five goals and assisted one this past week. In the game against Edmonton, he scored his and the team’s first hat trick of the season.
Second star(s): Dominik Rymon and Tyler MacKenzie. The 20-year-olds combined for six goals and six assists spanning the past four games.
Third star: Jesse Sanche. The 18-year-old saved 76 shots and conceded only five goals to help keep the Silvertips at the top of the league.
The week ahead
Everett goes on another road trip this week with two games scheduled. The Silvertips face Wenatchee again on Nov. 1 before battling Tri-City in Kennewick on Nov. 3. Everett will play Tri-City again the following week on Nov. 8 before coming back to Angel of the Winds Arena to face Calgary on Nov. 9.
Bonus news
On Oct. 22, the WHL announced 10 players representing nine clubs who will participate in the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge Nov. 26-27 in London and Oshawa, Ontario. And Bear was the Silvertip chosen for the 22-player roster.
“The CHL USA Prospects Challenge will see the top first-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL faceoff against USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (NTDP) Under-18 Team,” according to the press release. “The 10 WHL players named to Team CHL include six forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender.
“The 22 players on Team CHL were selected from a list of the top 2025 NHL Draft prospects as generated by a survey conducted with all 32 NHL Clubs. Using that list of players, the CHL coaching staff comprised of head coach Kris Mallette (Kelowna Rockets), assistant coaches Gordie Dwyer (Acadie-Bathurst Titan, QMJHL) and Ryan Oulahen (North Bay Battalion, OHL) along with general manager Dave Brown (Erie Otters, OHL) worked to identify the final 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goaltenders.”
Click here to purchase tickets for the first game at Canada Life Place in London and here for the second game at Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa.
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