EVERETT — It doesn’t get any bigger than this.
Two weeks remaining in the regular season. The Everett Silvertips versus the Portland Winterhawks. First place on the line.
The stakes couldn’t be higher when Everett and Portland face off Wednesday night at Xfinity Arena. The result could ultimately determine which team winds up with the WHL’s U.S. Division championship.
“It’s a big, big game for us,” Everett captain Kohl Bauml said. “Playing Portland any time of the year is big, but with the division title kind of hanging in mid-air right now it puts some extra emphasis on it. It’s going to be fun.”
The race for the division title is coming right down to the wire. Everett has held pole position almost the entire season, but Portland spent the past seven weeks closing the gap. The Winterhawks, winners of the past four Western Conference titles, are 16-1-2-0 over their past 19 games, pulling within four points of the Tips. Portland also has two games in hand with which to narrow the gap even further.
In addition, the schedule favors Portland down the stretch. Following Wednesday’s showdown the Winterhawks have just one of their final seven games against teams in the top half of the Western Conference, while Everett has four of its last five against top-half teams.
Therefore, the Tips are acutely aware they likely need to win Wednesday’s game in order to hold the Winterhawks off.
“I think every game we’ve played has been the biggest game of the year this last stretch, but this one definitely takes the cake right now,” overage defenseman Ben Betker said. “We have to put our best foot forward.
“It’s huge if you look at where we are in the standings,” Betker added. “They have a couple games in hand, so we have to treat this game like it’s the last one of the year and the biggest one of the year.”
Beating Portland will be no easy task for Everett. The Winterhawks have taken 17 of a possible 18 points from their past nine games, scoring five or more goals in all but one of those outings.
“I think it’s been a combination of things,” Portland coach Jamie Kompon said about the reasons behind his team’s recent success. “We got a big boost from the way we played with players away at the (World Junior Hockey Championships in December and January). We played .500 during that stretch, but it gave some younger players a chance to step into more prominent roles and it brought the team together. Then the success our players had at World Juniors served as a launchpad.”
Portland’s top line in particular has been on fire. Winger Oliver Bjorkstrand has been an unstoppable goal-scoring force, finding the net 21 times in his past 13 games. Center Nicolas Petan has been at his absolute playmaking best, dishing out and astounding 20 assists over his past six contests. Winger Paul Bittner is coming off a hat trick and five points in Portland’s 6-2 victory over Tri-City on Saturday.
“The big key to beating them is shutting down their top line,” said Betker, who’s sure to see plenty of ice time against Bjorkstrand and company. “It’s no secret who that is, with how hot they are right now. They’re going to be important to shut down for us to win.”
Everett, meanwhile, has started to recover. The Tips went through a recent stretch where they won just twice over a span of seven games. But Everett has won its past three behind a stifling defense that allowed just three goals total during those games. That included a huge 3-2 overtime victory over league-leading Kelowna on March 3. Everett also prevailed the last time the Tips and Winterhawks met, winning 4-3 in overtime on Feb. 8 in a thrilling encounter at Xfinity Arena.
“We have our heads screwed on straight right now,” Bauml said. “That Kelowna game I think really turned a corner for us. We’re really focused, really intense, getting our work in. The mindset is right where it needs to be, now it’s just a matter of going out and executing.”
Portland realizes that unlocking that tight Tips defense will be its priority for Wednesday’s game.
“The one thing about Everett is they play with a lot of structure,” Kompon said. “They have a lot of skill and four lines that contribute, so we need to have all four lines going and matching their level of intensity. They manage the puck really well, so we have to make sure we’re doing the right things when they have the puck and with the way we get the puck back from them.”
Which team will be able to implement its gameplan Wednesday? That’s anybody’s guess. But what is known is that whichever team prevails will have a leg up in the battle for the division title.
Slap shots
Everett goaltender Carter Hart was named the Canadian Hockey League goaltender of the Week on Tuesday. The 16-year-old rookie made three starts last week, going 3-0 with a 0.98 goals against average and .965 save percentage. … Everett defenseman Tristen Pfiefer is doubtful for Wednesday’s game. Pfeifer, who has missed the past four games because of an upper-body injury, did not practice Tuesday. … Prospect Alex Astasiewicz has arrived in Everett and will spend the next couple weeks with the team. Astasiewicz, a 16-year-old defenseman, was a third-round pick in the 2013 bantam draft. He recently completed his season with the Golden Rockets of the junior B Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, with whom he had five goals and 20 assists in 46 games.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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