Tips undefeated in Rose Garden

[Tipped Off]

Can we move all the game swe play against the Winterhawks to the Garden?

Everett Undefeated in the Rose Garden
Silvertips Down Winterhawks 5-2
Everett Silvertips Press Release

Portland, OR - The Everett Silvertips snapped a two game losing streak to come out ahead of the Portland Winterhawks by a final score of 5-2 at the Rose Garden in Portland, OR. This was the sixth meeting of twelve between these two hockey clubs and the Silvertips are driving the series 5-1. Everett gains two points, up to 63, while resting in the top spot in the US Division with a 30-19-2-1 win/loss history. Portland, fourth in the US Division, has 47 points and a 21-25-3-2 record.

The Silvertips jumped out in front on two power play goals in the first period. The first came at 6:15 when Shane Harper beat Luke Shier down low. Credit was given to Damir Alic when he backhanded the puck into the net for the second tally at 17:37. Everett closed the first ahead 2-0.

Seventeen seconds into the second Nicholas Hotson put the puck on net and caught Leland Irving unawares, decreasing Everett's lead by one. Again, early in the third period, Portland struck tying the game at 2-2. This goal came from veteran Brian Woolger.

Not the least bit rattled, the Silvertips jumped right back on the bus and pulled away from their competitors. Both Ondrej Fiala and John Lammers, scoring at 3:26 and 13:30 respectively, fired wrist shots from the high slot to cushion Everett's lead by two more. Then to seal the deal, Brennan Sonne found an empty net at 19:42 and ended the game at 5-2. Tallying assists tonight for the Silvertips was Assistant Captain Cody Thoring with three and both Jonathan Harty and Mark Kress with one a piece.

In goal Leland Irving turned away 23 of 25 shots and puts one in the win column to make his record 27-17-1-1. This is his 36th win with the club and he breaks the old record for most franchise wins by a goaltender, previously held by both Jeff Harvey and Michael Wall with 35 wins a piece. Luke Shier, stopping 15 of 19 shots, drops his record to 4-8-1-0. On the power play Everett converted on half of their six attempts while Portland scored only once on five. The Winterhawks out shot the Silvertips 25-20.

The Everett Silvertips finish their four game road trip on Wednesday, February 8th, at the Key Arena. The Thunderbirds and Silvertips begin their battle at 7:05pm.

Silvertips Box Scores

Shane Harper (5) 1 G
Damir Alic (3) 1 G
Ondrej Fiala (11) 1 G
John Lammers (27) 1 G
Brennan Sonne (2) 1 G
Cody Thoring 3 A
Jonathan Harty 1 A
Mark Kress 1 A
Leland Irving (27-17-1-1): 23/25 saves
Shots on Goal: Everett 20, Portland 25
Power Play: Everett 3/6, Portland 1/5
Attendance: 8,466

3 Stars of the Game

1. Cody Thoring (EVT)
2. Damir Alic (EVT)
3. Jannik Hansen (POR)

[Tipped Off]

Silvertips get past Winter Hawks
A pair of easy goals in the third period propel Everett to a 5-2 victory over Portland Saturday.

Herald staff

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Everett Silvertips were the beneficiaries of a little help Saturday night.

Everett took advantage of a pair of soft goals in the third period, and the Silvertips defeated the Portland Winter Hawks 5-2.

Ondrej Fiala and John Lammers both saw speculative shots from a distance find a way through Portland goaltender Luke Shier's defense, helping Everett break a 2-2 tie.

Shane Harper and Damir Alic also scored, Brennan Sonne added an empty-net goal and Cody Thoring had three assists for Everett (30-19-2-1), which bounced back from being shut out in its previous two games.

Everett's power play also returned to form, converting three of five chances after going 0-for-15 the previous two games. It was Everett's No. 2 power-play unit that did most of the damage, with Harper and Alic each netting power-play tallies.

Leland Irving made 23 saves in goal for Everett to earn his 36th career win, setting a new franchise record for wins by a goalie.

Nick Hotson and Brian Woolger scored for Portland (21-25-3-2), which lost its eighth straight. Shier finished with 15 saves.

Everett appeared to be on the ropes early in the third period when Woolger scored a power-play goal 1 minute, 14 seconds in to tie it at 2-2, then Everett coach Kevin Constantine was given an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty immediately after to put the Winter Hawks back on the power play.

However, the Tips killed off the penalty and seconds later, Fiala beat a defender at the blue line and fired a shot that Shier missed, restoring Everett's lead at 3:26.

It was a similar goal that gave Everett some breathing room at 13:30. The Tips were going for a line change while on the power play, with Lammers just throwing the puck toward net. However the shot got through Shier and into the net to make it 4-2.

Those two goals canceled out Portland's first goal, on which Hotson scored on a shot that Irving should have saved.

Everett captain Torrie Wheat, who struggled through Friday's 2-0 loss at Tri-City, sat out Saturday with his bruised foot.

Silvertips 5, Winter Hawks 2

Everett 2 0 3 - 5

Portland 0 1 1 - 2

First Period-1, Everett, Harper 5 (Harty, Thoring), 6:15 (pp). 2, Everett, Alic 3 (Kress, Thoring), 17:37 (pp). Penalties-Bailey, Portland (major-kneeing-game misconduct), 3:45; Gordichuk, Portland (high sticking), 4:42; Alic, Everett (diving), 5:18, Heshka, Everett (holding), 11:41; Gordichuk, Portland (holding), 15:38.

Second Period-3, Portland, Hotson 7 (Sauer, Funk), 0:17. Penalties-Fransoo, Everett (slashing), 4:27; Balan, Portland (roughing), 15:06.

Third Period-4, Portland, Woolger 22 (Sauer, Hansen), 1:14 (pp). 5, Everett, Fiala 11, 3:26. 6, Everett, Lammers 27 (Thoring), 13:30 (pp). 7, Everett, Sonne 2, 19:42 (en). Penalties-Lammers, Everett (diving), 0:12; Everett bench (unsportsmanlike conduct, served by Milhouse), 1:14; McLaren, Portland (cross-checking), 12:17, Dailey, Everett (playing without helmet), 16:04; Gazdik, Portland (elbowing), 20:00.

Shots on goal-Everett 9-4-7-20. Portland 6-14-5-25. Power-play opportunities-Everett 3 of 5. Portland 1 of 5.

Goalies-Everett, Irving 27-17-1-1 (25 shots, 23 saves). Portland, Shier 4-8-1-0 (19 shots, 15 saves).

[Tipped Off]

Everett 5, Portland 2

Sunday, February 05, 2006

MOLLY BLUE

The Portland Winter Hawks, in a losing streak that engulfed their seven-game trip, were looking for a fresh start at home when they played host to U.S. Division leader Everett.

Instead, after the Hawks showed some energy and hustle through 42 minutes, they went stale midway through the third period, losing to the Silvertips 5-2 before 8,466 fans at the Rose Garden on Saturday, their eighth loss in a row.

"We can play some unbelievable hockey and then shoot ourselves in the foot," Portland coach Mike Williamson said. "Tonight, it was penalties."

The first one came less than four minutes after the opening faceoff, when center Kyle Bailey was sent off following a knee-on-knee collision with Everett's Zack Dailey . He was assessed a five-minute major for kneeing, and a game misconduct.

Out of the game went Portland's fourth-leading scorer who takes the bulk of the team's faceoffs, and the Silvertips promptly scored the first of three power-play goals, when 16-year-old right wing Shane Harper beat Hawks goaltender Luke Shier at 6:15.

Hawks defenseman Max Gordichuk went to the penalty box at 15:38 for holding, and Everett right wing Damir Alic scored with one second left on the power play.

Portland (21-25-3-2, 47 points) rallied from the two-goal deficit with a goal from Nick Hotson 17 seconds into the second period, then on a power-play goal by left wing Brian Woolger, who found a seam in the Silvertips' defense and converted a pass from defenseman Michael Sauer at 1 minute, 14 seconds of the third.

The momentum seemed to be swinging the Hawks' way because Everett (30-19-2-1, 63) got a bench minor after the tying goal, giving Portland a man advantage for another two minutes.

But Portland squandered that opportunity, and gave up two goals -- both on wrist shots from the blue line -- about 10 minutes apart, from Everett left wings Ondrej Fiala and John Lammers, who scored on a power play. The Silvertips' final goal came with 18 seconds left, when left wing Brennan Sonne scored into an empty net.

"We put ourselves in a position for those calls to happen," Williamson said. "Our special teams hurt us."

The Hawks are mired in their longest losing streak since a 12-game slide in 1999-2000.

Notes:

Ken Hodge, president and general manager of the Hawks, said the league's Board of Governors won't be considering the potential sale of the team to an undisclosed group when they meet Monday. The proposal was taken off the agenda, Hodge said, because the league hasn't had enough time to complete its due diligence on the group negotiating to buy the team. "They feel they haven't done a complete job in that area," Hodge said, adding that he expects the board to take up the issue again "within the next 30 days. We're on their timetable, now." . . . Goaltender Dustin Butler was scratched from the lineup Saturday, out with a knee injury. He was hurt during the third period of the Hawks' 5-4 loss at Spokane on Friday. As he was making a save with his right leg, he said his left leg buckled.

Molly Blue: 503-294-7608; mollyblue@news.oregonian.com