Published: Thursday, January 1, 2009
Froese's hat trick leads Everett over Red Deer
The 6-3 victory is the Tips' first over a Central Division foe this season.
By Nick Patterson Herald Writer
EVERETT -- The Everett Silvertips got the New Year's Eve fireworks going a little early Wednesday night.
Everett lit the lamp with five goals during an 11-minute span of the second period, and the Silvertips routed the Red Deer Rebels 6-3 at Comcast Arena.
Byron Froese scored a natural hat trick and Kellan Tochkin had five points as Everett (17-14-5-0) earned its first victory against a Central Division team this season. The Tips were 0-4 against the Central previously.
Tyler Parker added his first career WHL goal for Everett while Shayne Barrie made 33 saves in goal for the Tips, who used the second-period outburst to build a 6-1 lead.
Cody Esposito, Joel Kot and Willie Coetzee scored for Red Deer (15-20-0-5). Darcy Kuemper had 17 saves in goal for the Rebels, with Morgan Clark giving up goals on both shots he saw during a second-period cameo.
The game was tied 1-1 early in the second period and the Tips, who were receiving power play after power play, were unable to get anything going with the advantage. At one point Everett had more power plays (six) than shots on goal (five).
All it took was a little even-strength play to finally get the Tips going.
The second-period barrage began at 6:58 on a great hustle play by Parker. In on the forecheck, Parker first knocked the puck away from a defender, then batted it in out of mid-air, giving the Tips the lead.
Just 16 seconds later Froese began his natural hat trick. He got his first by taking advantage of a bad rebound given up by Kuemper, putting the puck in after Tochkin's long shot off the rush. The second came at 13:43 when he blocked an attempted Kuemper clearance and scored past the stranded goaltender, sending Kuemper to the bench in favor of Clark. Froese then claimed his hat trick at 15:38 on the power play, finishing off a nice backdoor pass from Zack Dailey.
Everett's offensive wave ended at 17:50 when, on another power play, Tyler Maxwell won the puck along the boards and fired a pass to the far post for Tochkin to put in.
Through two periods Everett had six goals on just 14 shots.
Red Deer got a pair of consolation goals in the third period. The first was a fluke at 2:35 as Kot's shot from the neutral zone took a deflection and beat Barrie. The second came with 2:15 remaining, Coetzee scoring on a wrister from the cricle on the power play.
Red Deer took the lead just 1:47 into the game. Cullen Morin's shot from the point was blocked by Barrie. However, the puck remained caught up in the crease for an eternity before Esposito was able to fire it home, giving the Rebels a 1-0 lead.
The Tips tied it up at 9:25. During a delayed penalty, Kyle Beach received the puck behind the Rebels net and sent a pass out front to Tochkin, who picked out the corner to make it 1-1.
Slap shots: Everett defenseman Taylor Ellington played in his 251st career game for Everett, breaking the franchise record for career games. The previous record was 250 set by Zach Hamill. ... Defenseman Ryan Murray, Everett's first-round pick in the 2008 bantam draft, was in attendance Wednesday. He'll travel with the team this weekend, but is unlikely to get into a game. ... Tips center Daniel Bartek was back in the lineup. He missed the previous two games because of a knee infection. ... Red Deer was missing top defenseman Tommi Kivisto. Kivisto is playing for Finland at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
Silvertips 6, Rebels 3
Red Deer 1 0 2 -- 3
Everett 1 5 0 -- 6
@5. NHL box :First Period--1, Red Deer, Esposito 5 (Morin, Gross), 1:47. 2, Everett, Tochkin 11 (Beach, Dailey), 9:25 (pp). Penalties--Ferraro, Red Deer (unsportsmanlike conduct), 2:33; Ellington, Everett (unsportsmanlike conduct), 2:33; Alexander, Everett (hooking), 5:52; Oursov, Red Deer (roughing), 7:54; Archer, Red Deer (kneeing-unsportsmanlike conduct), 9:25; Potuer, Everett (roughing), 14:58; Mappin, Red Deer (boarding-fighting), 17:58; Ellington, Everett (fighting), 17:58.
Second Period--3, Everett, Parker 1 (de la Lande), 6:58. 4, Everett, Froese 10 (Tochkin), 7:14. 5, Everett, Froese 11 (Maxwell, Tochkin), 13:43. 6, Everett, Froese 12 (Dailey, Tochkin), 15:38 (pp). 7, Everett, Tochkin 12 (Maxwell, Froese), 17:50 (pp). Penalties--Smith, Red Deer (interference), 0:10; Kot, Red Deer (holding), 2:54; Morin, Red Deer (high sticking), 14:59; Kambeitz, Red Deer (checking from behind), 17:21.
Third Period--8, Red Deer, Kot 1 (Gross), 2:35. 9, Red Deer, Coetzee 12 (Wray, Egener), 17:45 (pp). Penalties--Ellington, Everett (unsportsmanlike conduct), 0:26; Burt, Everett (charging), 6:00; Ferraro, Red Deer (fighting), 12:43; Beach, Everett (fighting), 12:43; Esposito, Red Deer (interference-roughing-10-minute misconduct), 15:15; Hunt, Everett (roughing), 15:15; Froese, Everett (slashing), 15:37; Alexander, Everett (holding), 16:58.
Shots on goal--Red Deer 11-11-14--36. Everett 5-9-9--23. Power-play opportunities--Red Deer 1 of 6. Everett 3 of 9.
Goalies--Red Deer, Kuemper 11-11-0-3 (21 shots, 17 saves), Clark (2 shots, 0 saves). Everett, Barrie 9-9-3-0 (36 shots, 33 saves).
A--6,052.
Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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