Congrats

[Beaner]

On clinching a playoff spot tonight, even though you lost the shoot-out.

what is that now 3-3?

[Kristi]

On clinching a playoff spot tonight, even though you los the shoot-out.

what is that now 3-3?

Gee thanks!!!!!!!! No seriously............it's great to be going to the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row. I know there will be a year where we won't so I will take a 3rd year of playoff hockey!

Heck maybe we'll even get to play you guys!!

[Beaner]

Maybe who knows.

[Tipped Off]

Silvertips fall in shootout
Everett loses second straight as Portland wins 2-1

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer


EVERETT - The Everett Silvertips played with fire Saturday night, and in the end they got burned.

Everett rode its one-goal lead far too long, and the Silvertips fell 2-1 in a shootout to the Portland Winter Hawks. Portland won the shootout 2-1 at the Everett Events Center.

By earning one point Everett (34-21-2-3) did manage to clinch a playoff spot. However, based on the way Everett kept the puck in the Portland zone much of the game, the second point was there for the taking if only the Tips had reached out and grabbed it.

"Today we came out to show the coaches we can play with energy, and getting just that one goal was hard to take," said Jesse Smyke, who scored Everett's lone goal. "You work so hard and you only get one out of it. We tried to hold onto it at the end, it just didn't go our way."

Portland's Michael Funk scored the tying goal with less than five minutes remaining in regulation, then Brandon Dubinsky and Jannik Hansen scored for the Winter Hawks (25-29-3-4) in the shootout. It was the third straight game between Everett and Portland decided by a shootout, with Portland winning twice.

Zach Hamill scored in the shootout for Everett, but Portland goaltender Kurtis Mucha denied Peter Mueller and Karel Hromas.

"I though we were a little tentative to start, I thought Everett really took it to us early on," Portland coach Mike Williamson said. "After we got that goal we seemed to really pick it up and play with a little more confidence. Our goalie Kurtis Mucha had a tremendous game for us, he kept us in the game until we got the break that we needed."

Mucha finished with 26 saves. Leland Irving made 24 saves in goal for Everett.

Everett played with greater intensity than in Friday's 2-1 loss at Seattle, and Smyke staked Everett to a 1-0 lead just 5:42 into the game. Smyke one-timed a rebound from the right slot past Mucha after Taylor Ellington's shot from the point caromed off Mucha.

Everett continued to control play through the second period and much of the third, but was unable to pad its lead. That came back to haunt the Tips as Portland regained the initiative midway through the third period and tied the score with 4:13 remaining. Everett was unable to clear the zone and the puck came loose to Funk drifting in from the left point. Funk wound up and fired a shot into the top-corner to make it 1-1 and force overtime.

"I think it's just human nature to sit a little on the lead," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "I don't think there was any dramatic shift ever in the game. I thought the game was pretty evenly played throughout."

Portland nearly won it in overtime when Hansen's shot beat Irving. However, the shot rang off the post and the game went to a shootout.

Portland has now won three straight and is 3-0-0-2 in five games since Dubinsky returned from a knee injury. The Winter Hawks won just once in a month with Dubinsky out.

"I thought we played pretty good, better than Friday night," Constantine said. "They played hard and they're a better team with Dubinsky, obviously. They can't win without him and he comes back and they haven't lost in regulation in a long time."

Slap shots: Everett left wing Ondrej Fiala was back in the lineup Saturday. He missed Friday's 2-1 loss at Seattle with a sore shoulder. However, the Tips were without right wing Brady Calla, who was under the weather and is also nursing a sore knee. ... Portland continues to be without goaltender Dustin Butler because of a knee injury. With Luke Shier recovering from a concussion, Mucha, nominally Portland's No. 3 goalie, received his seventh straight start.

Winter Hawks 2, Silvertips 1 (SO)

Portland 0 0 1 0 - 2

Everett 1 0 0 0 - 1

Portland won shootout 2-1

First Period-1, Everett, Smyke 4 (Ellington), 5:42. Penalties-Kress, Everett (holding), 6:22; Hansen, Portland (hold stick), 7:25; Woolger, Portland (goaltender interference), 8:24; Lammers, Everett (tripping), 8:24; Heshka, Everett (slashing), 9:33.

Second Period-No goals. Penalties-Thoring, Everett (roughing), 1:05; Sauer, Portland (hooking), 5:38; Potuer, Everett (roughing), 10:19; Sauer, Portland (hooking), 18:08.

Third Period-2, Portland, Funk 10 (Bailey), 15:47. Penalties-None.

Overtime-No goals. Penalties-None.

Shootout-Portland 2 (Sceviour NG, Dubinsky G, Hansen G); Everett 1 (Mueller NG, Hamill G, Hromas NG).

Shots on goal-Portland 6-6-10-3-25. Everett 12-10-3-2-27. Power-play opportunities-Portland 0 of 4. Everett 0 of 3.

Goalies-Portland, Mucha 7-8-1-2 (27 shots, 26 saves). Everett, Irving 31-19-1-3 (25 shots, 24 saves).

[Tipped Off]

Silvertips lose shootout, but gain playoffs
By JIM RILEY

Special to The Seattle Times

EVERETT — Shootouts have been kind to the Everett Silvertips this season, but that wasn't the case against the Portland Winter Hawks on Saturday night.

The Silvertips dropped to 7-3 in tiebreakers this season with a 2-1 loss to the Winter Hawks.

Even with the shootout loss, the Silvertips (34-21-2-3) clinched a spot in the Western Hockey League playoffs by earning a point, while the two points moved Portland (25-29-3-4) much closer to making it.

In the tiebreaker, Brandon Dubinsky and Jannik Hansen scored for the Winter Hawks, and only Zach Hamill was able to answer for the Silvertips.

The Silvertips led for most of the game. Jesse Smyke put Everett on top at 5:42 of the first period, a lead the Silvertips held until Michael Funk tied it with only 4:13 left in regulation.

The Silvertips had to hold on to get the game to overtime and then again in the extra period before the shootout.

"Shootouts can go either way," Smyke said after scoring his fourth goal of the season. "It's sad to lose that way, but that's the way it goes sometimes. We played really hard, but the bounces just didn't go our way."

Tonight

Everett @ Tri-City Americans, 5:05 p.m.
The win gives Portland a 4-1-0-2 record since ending an 11-game losing streak, and the outcome between the teams has come down to a shootout in each of the last three games.

The teams also met in the playoffs last season, with Everett winning the first-round series in seven games.

"Our goal is to make and then do well in the playoffs," Portland coach Mike Williamson said. "That losing streak was something that needed to end. We're not happy with our season and we want to continue for it to get better."

Everett coach Kevin Constantine, who was not suspended after taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a game misconduct in Seattle on Friday, picked Mueller to lead off the shootout and the rookie lost control of the puck just before getting ready to fire a shot on Portland goaltender Kurtis Mucha.

After Brandon Dubinsky ended an 0-for-6 streak in shootouts by lifting a shot over Leland Irving, Zach Hamill evened the score for Everett before Jannik Hansen scored the game-winner and Karel Hromas misfired to end the game.

Even with the shootout loss, Everett is 6-1-0-2 against Portland this season.

Constantine said the games are always close with Portland and his team may have tried too hard to protect its one-goal lead in the third period.

"It's human nature to sit a little bit on a lead, but the game was very evenly played throughout," Constantine said. "They had chances, we had chances and it was just a good hockey game and they pulled it out in a shootout."

WINTER HAWKS 2, SILVERTIPS 1 (SO)

Portland 0 0 1 1 — 2
Everett 1 0 0 1 — 1
Portland won shootout 2-0
First — 1. Everett Smyke 4 (Ellington) 5:42. Second — No scoring. Third — 2. Portland Funk 10 (Bailey) 15:47. Overtime — No scoring. Shootout — Portland, Sceviouer (no goal), Dubinsky (goal), Hansen (goal). Everett, Mueller (no goal), Hamill (goal), Hromas (no goal). Shots on goal by: Portland 6-6-10-3 — 25, Everett 12-10-3-2 — 27. Power plays (goals, chances) — Portland 0-4, Everett 0-3. Goaltenders — Portland, Mucha (6-8). Everett, Irving (31-19). A — 8,052.

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company