Thunderbirds strike gold against Silvertips in shootout | WHL

For the Reporter

The Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the Everett Silvertips on Friday night, winning 3-2 in a seven-round shootout at the ShoWare Center.

Playoff-bound Seattle (34-24-4-5) maintains a five-point lead on Spokane for third in the Western Hockey League’s U.S. Division after the Chiefs won earlier Friday. The Silvertips are 40-20-3-5 this season.

The T-Birds face off against the Silvertips again at 7:05 p.m. today in Everett. The next home game for Seattle is on Tuesday against the Tri-City Americans at 7:05 p.m.

Roberts Lipsbergs and Jerret Smith scored in the shootout for the T-Birds to take home the win.

Lipsbergs skated slowly toward the center of the crease before ripping a wrist shot that hit both posts and bounced into the net. Smith deked to the left of Everett goalie Carter Hart before pulling the puck back to his right and pushing it past Hart’s foot to win the game.

Mathew Barzal helped make overtime dangerous by starting an attack that stayed in the zone for two minutes straight. The T-Birds managed three shots that all went wide of the net during that time. Everett recorded the only shot on goal in overtime while each team won a faceoff.

Taran Kozun stopped 21 of 23 shots and six of seven shooters in the shootout to earn his 31st victory this year. Hart, who made 22 saves on 24 shots, is 16-5-2-2 this season.

Kozun made two early saves to help spark the T-Birds. Jake Mykitiuk ended up with a clear path to the net when Seattle’s defense attacked the other charging Everett forward. Kozun tracked the puck well and got his pads together to knock the shot away behind the net. Mykitiuk gathered the puck from there and found another Silvertip in the slot, whose shot was pushed aside by Kozun.

Lipsbergs scored off a Barzal fed on Seattle’s first power play to make it 1-0. Barzal skated as deep into the faceoff circle as the defense would allow, then found Lipsbergs on the opposite side of the zone. Lipsbergs’ one-timer came too fast for the defense to try and block it and left Hart out of position. The goal was Lipsbergs’ 13th of the season.

Everett came right back and tied the game a minute later.

Lipsbergs scored his second goal of the night at 9:57 of the third period to make it 2-1 Seattle. Evan Wardley kept the puck in after an attempted clearance by Everett. Wardley was able to slide across the blue line to stop the puck, stand up, and fire away before any Silvertips could pressure him. His shot was tipped in the slot by Lipsbergs past Hart for the goal.

Carson Stadnyk scored with two minutes left in the third period to tie the game back up.

Tickets

Available online at the T-Birds website and at the ShoWare Center box office. The ShoWare Center Box Office is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday game days at 10 a.m. and Sunday game days at noon.

SCORING SUMMARY

First period – 1, Seattle, Lipsbergs 13 (Barzal, Theodore), 14:11 (pp). 2, Everett, Juulsen 8 (Bauml, MacDonald), 15:13. Penalties – Nikolishin, Everett (embellishment), 12:58. Betker, Everett (closing the hand on the puck), 19:18.

Second period – No scoring. Penalties – Khaira, Seattle (cross-checking), 5:30. Bauml, Everett (tripping), 12:26. Hauf, Seattle (interference), 15:41.

Third period – 3, Seattle, Lipsbergs 14 (Wardley), 9:57. 4, Everett, Stadnyk 26 (Bauml, MacDonald), 17:59. Penalties – No penalties.

Overtime – No scoring. Penalties – No penalties.

Shootout – Seattle 2 (Barzal NG, Lipsbergs G, Millette NG, Neuls NG, Pederson NG, Theodore NG, Smith G). Everett 1 (Stadnyk G, Scherbak NG, Nikolishin NG, Bajkov NG, Laurencelle NG, Millar NG, MacDonald NG).

Shots on goal – Seattle 9-9-6-0-1 25, Everett 7-7-8-1-0 23. Goalies – Seattle, Kozun 23 shots-21 saves (31-18-4-4); Everett, Hart 24-22 (16-5-2-2). Power plays – Seattle 1-3; Everett 0-2. A – 4,572. Referees – Derek Zalaski, Mike Campbell. Linesmen – Zach Brooks, Mark Heier.