Silvertips tie WHL Championship Series with 6-2 win over Raiders
The Prince Albert Raiders couldn’t manage a comeback on Saturday night, as they fell 6-2 to the Everett Silvertips at Angel of the Winds Arena. Everett’s win ties the WHL Championship Series at 1-1.
Everett scored two goals 2:11 apart to jump ahead to a 2-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game. After two shot attempts by Julius Miettinen were blocked on the way, a third chance presented itself, this time to Carter Bear. From near the left faceoff dot, Bear sniped a shot glove side past Michal Orsulak, giving Everett the game’s first goal for the second night in a row.
Kayd Ruedig scored for the Silvertips with 14:29 to go in the first, finding the back of the net after a faceoff win in the offensive zone. After a bit of a scramble off the draw, Ruedig won the race to a loose puck, and from the right circle he fired a shot through a screen, beating Orsulak over his left shoulder to make it 2-0.
To make matters worse, the Raiders would be shorthanded in the final minute of the first, and Everett made them pay. After two failed clearing attempts by Prince Albert, it was Rylan Gould who capitalized on the man advantage, scoring his fifth goal of the playoffs. A one timer from Julius Miettinen missed wide, but Gould was right beside the post to find the puck first and bury the rebound. After 20 minutes, the Raiders had a big hole to try and climb out of, as they trailed 3-0.
Prince Albert got back to within two just 4:24 into the second period, as Brock Cripps scored on the powerplay. After Daxon Rudolph’s pass to Max Heise in the slot didn’t connect, the puck came all the way to the point to Cripps. The defenceman unloaded a one timer, beating Anders Miller far side, scoring his fourth of the playoffs to make it 3-1.
On a delayed penalty call against the Raiders, the Silvertips restored their three goal lead with the sixth attacker on the ice. After a shot from Miettinen was blockered a way by Orsulak, Bear found the rebound for Everett, and he buried his second goal of the night to make it 4-1. Miettinen picked up his third primary assist of the night, as the Silvertips took a three goal lead into the second intermission.
Justice Christensen made it a 4-2 game with 10:14 left in the third, as he scored on a one timer, but that’s as close as the Raiders would get to making a comeback. Miettinen scored into an empty net to make it 5-2 Everett, and Jesse Heslop scored with one second left in the game on a powerplay, as the Silvertips tied the series at 1-1.
Prince Albert now comes home for three straight games, with game three on Tuesday night at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30pm.
