The Everett Silvertips wrapped up their month-long road trip with a win, a loss and a shootout defeat as the team tries to find its rhythm entering November.
After going 3-6-0-2 on the road trip, Everett (5-7-1-3, 14 points) sits eighth in the WHL Western Conference amid a pack of six teams separated by just two standings points. The Silvertips return home on Friday for the first time since Oct. 4.
Regina 3, Everett 0
Despite outshooting the Pats 34-19 on Oct. 27, the Silvertips could not find a way past goaltender Taylor Tabashniuk.
Defenseman Ossi Tukio struck first with a shot off the rebound at 9:12 of the first period. Everett goalie Bennett Byers shrugged off forward Samuel Karsay’s shot from the right circle, but the puck bounced back out to Tukio’s waiting stick. Byers could not track the shot through traffic, and it slipped through the five-hole to give the Pats an early lead.
Regina doubled it to 2-0 just 54 seconds into the second period, as a neutral zone turnover quickly turned play around, and forward Zachary Lansard got open behind all the Silvertips caught up ice. Cohen Klassen secured possession in the left circle and made an easy centering pass to Lansard all alone in front.
Karsay knotted things up at 16:51 of the third period, finding space alone in the slot after a Lansard forecheck caused Everett to turn the puck over in its own zone. Defenseman Jaxon Pisani and the line of Caine Wilke, Atte Vuori and Jaxsin Vaughan were on the ice for all three goals, giving all four skaters a minus-three rating for the night.
Everett 4, Swift Current 1
The Broncos jumped ahead 1-0 at 19:23 of the first period with a goal from forward Zach Pantelakis, but the Silvertips scored four unanswered to walk away with the victory.
Vaughan tied it 1-1 at 13:08 of the second period, slipping a shot past goalie Cal Conway off the rush from the right side, and Wilke grabbed the lead at 5:49 of the third period on the power play, finishing off a pass from defenseman Brek Liske off the faceoff.
Forward Hunter Rudolph added insurance at 11:26, chipping in a loose puck in front after Liske’s shot from the right point bounced off Conway and sat in the crease. Forward Lukas Kaplan scored on an empty net at 18:29 for the 4-1 final, and Byers finished the night with 20 saves.
Moose Jaw 3, Everett 2 (SO)
Evan Enck made his first career WHL start on Saturday against the Warriors — his first action came in Spokane on Oct. 13, when he played 15:19 of relief — and the 17-year-old showed up with 32 saves on 34 shots.
Everett forward Henry Meier opened the scoring at 7:46 of the first period with a slapshot from the right circle, but defenseman Griffin Darby tied it at 3:46 of the second with a shot from the point.
Rudolph regained the lead for the Silvertips at 7:24, punching in the rebound of a Kaplan shot in front, but the Warriors tied it again at 2:40 of the third period with a power-play goal from forward Riley Thorpe.
Moose Jaw outshot Everett 4-1 in overtime, but Enck managed to send it to a shootout, where Warriors forwards Mathieu Lajoie and Rasmus Kamarainen each scored. Vuori and Liske each failed to convert their attempts, making it a quick finish.
Three Stars of the Week:
First Star: Hunter Rudolph. The 18-year-old forward scored two goals this week — the insurance tally on Friday and a go-ahead goal before Moose Jaw tied it on Saturday — and he put two shots on goal in the shutout loss on Oct. 27.
Second Star: Lukas Kaplan. The 19-year-old forward totaled three points this week, including a goal and an assist on Friday. He also went 7-for-10 at the faceoff dot in the loss to Regina, finishing 21-for-37 (56.8%) on the week. The goal was an empty-netter, but Kaplan’s scoring production has jumped to 0.62 points per game compared to 0.38 last season.
Third Star: Evan Enck. The 17-year-old goaltender put together a strong 32-save performance in his lone appearance this week.
The week ahead:
The Silvertips play three games in three days this weekend, starting with their return to Angel of the Winds Arena on Friday against Medicine Hat (8-5-0-1, 17 points). Everett follows that with a road game in Wenatchee (6-7-1-0, 13 points) on Saturday before swinging back home for a Sunday game against Tri-City (6-8-0-1, 13 points). The Silvertips have already faced the Wild and the Americans three times each this season, with a 2-0-0-1 record against Wenatchee and a 1-2-0-0 record against Tri-City.
