For the Reporter
Mathew Barzal and Donovan Neuls scored shootout goals and Taran Kozun stopped all three Everett shooters to give the T-Birds a 3-2 Western Hockey League victory over the Silvertips at Xfinity Arena in Everett on Saturday night.
Barzal is 3-for-5 and Neuls is 3-for-6 in shootouts this season.
Barzal came down on Everett goalie Carter Hart and took a wrist shot that Hart got a piece of but as the goalie moved to stand up the puck fell to the ice and trickled across the goal line. Kozun made a right pad save on Remi Laurencelle on Everett’s first chance.
In the second round of the shootout, Shea Theodore was denied by Hart at the left post and then Kozun stopped Kohl Bauml.
Neuls came onto the ice with the chance to win the game and he did just that, beating Hart with a quick wrist shot over the glove.
Barzal scored with 25 seconds left in the third period to tie the game 2-2 and send it to overtime. Kozun was pulled for an extra attacker with over two minutes left in the third period. The T-Birds had good pressure with the extra skater and Ryan Gropp was able to get the puck to Keegan Kolesar in the high slot. Kolesar took a wrist shot with Barzal in front of Hart. Barzal tipped the shot past Hart for tying goal.
The T-Birds are now 29-20-3-4 and are in third place in the U.S. Division, three points behind the second-place Everett Silvertips and 11 points behind the first-place Silvertips.
The T-Birds host the Victoria Royals at 5:05 p.m. Sunday at the ShoWare Center.
Seattle went in front 1-0 at 9:08 of the first period. Ethan Bear took a slap shot that Scott Eansor tipped past Hart. Jerret Smith had the second assists on Eansor’s ninth goal of the season.
Everett (35-16-2-4) tied the game 1-1 on the power play. Patrick Bajkov scored at 8:42 of the second period off assists from Carson Stadnyk and Ivan Nikolishin.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – 1, Seattle, Eansor 9 (Bear, Smith), 9:08 (pp). Penalties – Leedahl, Evt (tripping), 7:19. Spencer, Sea (hooking), 12:25. Scherbak, Evt (holding), 14:47.
Second period – 2, Everett, Bajkov 21 (Stadnyk, Nikolishin), 8:42 (pp). Penalties – Eansor, Sea (tripping), 8:14.
Third period – 3, Everett, Laurencelle 18 (Leedahl, Bauml), 2:21 (pp). 4, Seattle, Barzal 11 (Kolesar, Gropp), 19:35. Penalties – Lipsbergs, Sea (double minor-high sticking), 1:19. Wharrie, Evt (charging), 4:38.
Overtime – No scoring. Penalties – No penalties.
Shootout – Seattle 2 (Barzal G, Theodore NG, Neuls G). Everett 0 (Laurencelle NG, Bauml NG).
Shots on goal – Seattle 8-4-14-0-1 27, Everett 9-8-8-2-0 27. Goalies – Seattle, Kozun 27 shots-25 saves (26-14-3-3); Everett, Hart 26-24 (12-4-2-1). Power plays – Seattle 1-3; Everett 1-4. A – 7,234. Referees – Fraser Lawrence, Steve Papp. Linesmen – Jacob Hill, Bevan Mills.
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