VANCOUVER, B.C. — The Everett Silvertips have set up a massive game Wednesday.
Everett won its third straight game Saturday, beating the Vancouver Giants 3-1.
The victory means the Tips maintained their four-point lead atop the U.S. Division over the Portland Winterhawks with two weeks remaining in the regular season. Portland, which beat Tri-City 6-2 Saturday, has two games in hand, meaning the teams are virtually tied in the standings. Everett plays host to the Winterhawks on Wednesday, so the winner will take control of the race to the finish line.
Remi Laurencelle, Cole MacDonald and Matt Fonteyne scored the goals for Everett (40-19-3-4), which achieved the fourth 40-win season in the franchise’s 12-year history. The Tips also clinched at least fourth place in the Western Conference, meaning they kept their guarantee to season-ticket holders.
Carter Hart continued his hot string in goal for Everett, which came from behind after Vancouver scored first. The 16-year-old rookie made 25 saves to earn his fourth win in nine days. He is 11-1-0-1 in 2015.
Tyler Benson scored the lone goal for Vancouver (26-37-1-2), which dropped its sixth straight. Payton Lee made 27 saves in net for the Giants.
The score was tied 1-1 through two periods when Everett struck twice early in the third to take control. MacDonald snapped the tie at 2 minutes, 15 seconds when his wrist shot from the point on the power play made its way through traffic and past Lee to make it 2-1. The Tips then made it 3-1 at 6:21 as Fonteyne slammed in a rebound from MacDonald’s shot. That turned out to be enough for the Tips.
Vancouver took advantage of an Everett mistake to take a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. The Tips turned the puck over to Benson in the neutral zone, giving Benson a lane between the defensemen. Benson skated in and put a shot into the top corner to break the ice at 7:52.
Everett tied it 1:39 into the second period. Jordan Wharrie’s shot from the point was tipped, and Laurencelle was able to put in the rebound to knot it at 1-1. Both teams had chances later in the period, but both goaltenders made the saves as it remained tied heading into the third.
Silvertips 3, Giants 1
Everett 0 1 2 — 3
Vancouver 1 0 0 — 1
First Period—1, Vancouver, Benson 14, 7:52. Penalties—Thrower, Vancouver (roughing), 1:55; Scherbak, Everett (embellishment), 14:27.
Second Period—2, Everett, Laurencelle 20 (Wharrie, Skrumeda), 1:39. Penalties—Low, Everett (fighting), 1:39; Geertsen, Vancouver (fighting), 1:39.
Third Period—3, Everett, MacDonald 10 (Scherbak, Bauml), 2:15 (pp). 4, Everett, Fonteyne 6 (MacDonald, Nikolishin), 6:21. Penalties—Bellerive, Vancouver (hooking), 1:09; Stukel, Vancouver (checking from behind), 11:22; Houck, Vancouver (charging), 15:17.
Shots on goal—Everett 9-14-7—30. Vancouver 11-6-9—26. Power-play opportunities—Everett 1 of 4. Vancouver 0 of 1.
Goalies—Everett, Hart 16-4-2-1 (26 shots, 25 saves). Vancouver, Lee 14-23-0-0 (30 shots, 27 saves).
A—5,871.
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