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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • Everett Silvertips (External Link) • Schedule (External Link)   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, March 2, 2008 Silvertips win is 'disgusting' Everett plays poorly, but beats Portland 4-3 Saturday night. By Nick Patterson Herald Writer EVERETT -- Well, the Everett Silvertips got their two points. That's about the only positive thing one could say about Saturday night's game, at least from an Everett perspective. Dan Gendur scored with 6.5 seconds remaining in overtime, and the Silvertips managed to bungle their way to a 4-3 victory over the Portland Winter Hawks. "Disgusting," was Everett coach John Becanic's summation of his team's performance. "There's no other words. "We had no energy, no poise, nothing. We brought nothing to the table. We didn't deserve this win." On paper this game was more tilted than a pinball machine. Everett came in as one of the hottest teams in the league, having won seven of its previous eight with the only loss coming in a shootout. Meanwhile, Portland finds itself at the bottom of the league standings and came in riding an 18-game losing streak. And Everett had plenty of motivation to polish this one off, as the Tips need every point they can get if they want to earn home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Tips looked more like they belonged on some frozen pond playing pick-up hockey, rather than before a sellout crowd of 8,321 at Comcast Arena. Everett was listless throughout and treated the puck the way a barehanded chef treats a hot potato, bobbling and juggling it until it falls flat on the floor. If not for some inspired goaltending -- in the second period by Shayne Barrie and in the first period by the posts, which prevented three Portland goals -- Everett would have been forced to dig itself out of a big hole. Even when Everett threatened to win despite its poor performance, leading 3-1 late in the third period, the Tips managed to allow the Winter Hawks to score twice in the final 1:04 of regulation to force overtime. It had all the classic elements of a team looking past its opponent, except for the loss. "We didn't plan on it, but I think things worked out that way," Gendur said when if asked if the Tips took the Winter Hawks lightly. "We're going to have to be a lot better playing Tri-City (on Tuesday)." Fortunately for the Tips Gendur was able to rescue the victory, firing a slap shot from the point that took a deflection and slipped under Portland goaltender Jordan White, his second goal of the game. Jordan Mistelbacher and Zach Hamill also scored for Everett (37-25-0-3), which leapfrogged Kelowna into fifth place in the Western Conference. The Tips kept pace with fourth-place Seattle, remaining two points back. Barrie finished with 28 saves. "We prepared for the game today the same way we did yesterday (a solid 2-0 victory over Seattle)," Becanic said. "It certainly wasn't for a lack of acknowledgment that they're a hungry team trying to break out of a slump, and that's how they played. They were very good." For Portland (9-52-2-1) it just another frustrating moment in a frustrating season. Playing with a full complement of 20 players for the first time on more than a month, and with a full week of preparation coming in, the Winter Hawks looked nothing like a team mired in an 18-game losing streak. But just when Portland got close enough to victory to smell it, it was snatched away. Chris Francis, Tristan King and Keith Voytechek scored for the Winter Hawks, while White made 34 saves. "It's very frustrating," Portland coach Rich Kromm said. "If you look at the goal, I thought we lined up pretty good and each guy had his man, but somehow (Gendur) found a way to get the puck to the net." Portland seems to find inspiration whenever it plays in Everett. The last time the Winter Hawks earned a point was the last time they visited Comcast Arena, a 2-1 overtime loss on Jan. 18. "Maybe the guys enjoy playing here," Kromm speculated. "They play with lots of energy every time we've been here. It's a fun building to play in, there's always lots of excitement. And I think we match up with them maybe a little better than some of the teams in our division as well." Everett sleepwalked through the game's first 46 minutes before Francis scored at 6:53 of the third period to tie it at 1-1. That served as an alarm buzzer for the Tips, who woke up and scored twice in the next five mintues -- Gendur and Hamill getting the goals -- to go ahead 3-1. It seemed like the Tips were going to escape, but the Winter Hawks scored twice with White pulled for an extra attacker. First, with 1:04 remaining, King skated in an poked in a loose puck in the crease to make it 3-2. Then with 40.6 seconds remaining, Voytechek potted a rebound after Tyler Swystun's dash up the left and shot. Slap shots: Everett was again without injured defensemen Taylor Ellington (foot), Mike Alexander (shoulder) and Chris de la Lande (leg), meaning another appearance for call-up defenseman Paul Sohor. ... Portland's lengthy injury list shortened a bit as left wing Keith Voytechek (hand) and defenseman Bo Montgomery (head) returned to the lineup. Silvertips 4, Winter Hawks 3 (OT) Portland 0 0 3 0 -- 3 @5. NHL box :Everett 1 0 2 1 -- 4 First Period--1, Everett, Mistelbacher 10 (Beach, Crowley), 8:00 (pp). Penalties--Montgomery, Portland (tripping), 6:20; Crowley, Everett (boarding), 9:34; Hamill, Everett (hooking), 11:48; Voytechek, Portland (tripping), 15:09. Second Period--No goals. Penalties--Bauer, Everett (tripping), 12:19; Voytechek, Portland (roughing), 18:04; Potuer, Everett (slashing), 18:04. Third Period--2, Portland, Francis 10, 6:53. 3, Everett, Gendur 27 (Harty), 7:39. 4, Everett, Hamill 26 (Harty, Gendur), 11:58. 5, Portland, King 8 (Francis, Bobbee), 18:56. 6, Portland, Voytechek 8 (Swystun, Montgomery), 19:19. Penalties--Mistelbacher, Everett (high sticking), 2:04; Karamnov, Everett (roughing), 13:50; Crowley, Everett (hooking), 14:11; Ehrhardt, Portland (boarding), 15:13. Overtime--7, Everett, Gendur 28 (Beach, Harper), 4:53. Penalties--None. Shots on goal--Portland 8-10-11-2--31. Everett 12-8-15-3--38. Power-play opportunities--Portland 0 of 6. Everett 1 of 3. Goalies--Portland, White 1-17-1-0 (38 shots, 34 saves). Everett, Barrie 11-4-0-0 (31 shots, 28 saves). A--8,321. Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog: http:??www.heraldnet.com?silvertipsblog

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