GAME DAY: Tips, Thunderbirds (12/12)

EVERETT SILVERTIPS (16-10-0-2) at SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS (17-9-2-0)

WHEN: Saturday, December 12, 2015
TIME: 7:05pm
WHERE: ShoWare Center

 

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Silvertips continue a stretch of ten road games out of 12 overall, this evening against the host Seattle Thunderbirds at Kent’s ShoWare Center. The Silvertips are facing Seattle in the second meeting of the head-to-head series and won the first matchup, 2-0 at XFINITY Arena on Oct. 24. The two teams will meet next in Kent, Wash. on Jan. 9. The Silvertips defeated the Tri-City Americans last night, 3-2 at Toyota Center. The Silvertips and Seattle are both facing the end of three games in four days. 

HEAD-TO-HEAD: BIRD BITS  
The Seattle Thunderbirds, who play out of ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., are led by head coach Steve Konowalchuk (a former NHL forward of 13 seasons with Washington and Colorado). The Thunderbirds finished third in the U.S. Division last season with a record of 38-25-4-5 and were led by Ryan Gropp’s 58 points in in 67 games. Seattle enters this evening leading the U.S. Division with a record of 18-9-2-1 after defeating Spokane, 5-1 last night. Matthew Barzal leads Seattle with 43 points in 25 games, tied for third in league scoring. The last time the two teams met at ShoWare Center was Mar. 13, 2015 in a 3-2 shootout defeat for the Silvertips.  

SILVERTIPS HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD: 59-50-14 (overall), 20-32-9 (road)   
LAST SILVERTIPS ROAD WIN: 11/22/14, 3-2 (SO) (Austin Lotz, 31 saves)  
LAST MEETING: 10/24/15, 2-0 win (Carter Hart, 32 saves)      

NEXT 3 GAMES                                                                             COVERAGE
Wednesday, December 16at Spokane                        7:05pm            Fox Sports 1380 AM
Friday, December 18          at Vancouver               7:30pm            Fox Sports 1380 AM
Saturday, December 19     vs. Vancouver              7:05pm            Fox Sports 1380 AM 

LAST 3 GAMES:
EVT 3 – TC 2 (12-11-15): Graham Millar’s second period power-play goal stood as the eventual game-winner and the Silvertips used a three-goal rally in a 3-2 victory over Tri-City, before 5,248 fans at the Toyota Center on Friday. Starting a stretch of 10 out of 12 games on the road, the Silvertips climbed above .500 on the road with a goal and an assist each from Remi Laurencelle and Dawson Leedahl, while Carter Hart turned in a 22 save effort. Tri-City staged a Teddy Bear Toss event during the game and were shut down after leading 2-0 on a pair of first period power play goals.

POR 7 – EVT 5 (12-9-15): Rihards Bukarts scored three times on the power play and added an assist, contributing to help the Portland Winterhawks get by the Everett Silvertips, 7-5 at XFINITY Arena on Wednesday. Carson Stadnyk led the Silvertips offensive with two goals, added an assist and was +4 while his linemates, Remi Laurencelle and Dawson Leedahl combined for seven points and a +10 rating. The Silvertips completed a stretch of six home games in seven overall, going 4-3-0-0 in the stretch. The two teams combined for the most goals scored in a Silvertips game this season.

EVT 3 – VAN 1 (12-6-15): Carter Hart registered 21 saves and Mackenzie Dwyer earned his first career WHL goal, standing as the game winner to lift the Everett Silvertips to a wire-to-wire 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants before 4,414 fans at XFINITY Arena on Saturday. In a game matching the Silvertips defensive strength against Vancouver’s speed and pace, the Tips limited the Giants to 22 shots, their lowest shot total in 14 games. Matt Fonteyne and Patrick Bajkov each picked up multi point games and the Silvertips defeated Vancouver for the second in as many games.

UNDER LOCK AND KEY 
The Silvertips defense leads the WHL with 2.1 goals allowed per game … Everett has allowed two goals or less in 19 of the first 27 games … the Silvertips are the only team to earn a shutout against Seattle this season … the Silvertips have allowed just 11 goals in the first period, fewest in the WHL … Everett’s 26.9 shots allowed per game are fourth in the WHL … the Silvertips are 9-3-0-1 when tied after one period and are a combined 15-2-0-2 when either tied or leading after two periods … every defensemen on the Silvertips roster is +1 or better, and all have combined for a +42 rating.

TIPS MOBILE
More in depth player statistics and information is available on Tips Mobile, via iTunes and the Android Market. 

MILESTONE TRACKER

• Noah Juulsen is 27 points away from 100 in his WHL career
• Patrick Bajkov is 20 points away from 100 in his WHL career
• Remi Laurencelle is 1 point away from 100 in his WHL career

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING

A look at players this season scoring their first career WHL goal with the Silvertips:

*  Mackenzie Dwyer (D) – vs. Vancouver, 12/5

*  Jake Christiansen (D) – vs. Spokane, 11/13

*  Devon Skoleski (RW) – at Portland, 10/3 (scored 2 goals)

*  Brian King (C) – at Portland, 11/1

*  Connor Dewar (C) – at Prince George, 9/25

*  Yan Khomenko (RW) – at Lethbridge, 11/18

 

SILVERTIP COUNTRY GONE GLOBAL

The Silvertips have been involved this year with the following international competition:

• Assistant coach Mitch Love, gold medal for Hockey Canada as assistant coach for the 2015 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge
• Defenseman Noah Juulsen has been named to the roster for Hockey Canada’s Selection Camp for the 2016 World Junior Championships (Dec. 10-14 in Toronto)
• Forward Dario Winkler, named to Team Austria for the World Junior Championship roster (Division-1, Group-A)
• Goaltender Carter Hart (draft eligible in 2016) and Juulsen (first round selection of Montreal, 2015) represented the Tips and the WHL for Hockey Canada in the 2015 CHL Canada Russia Series – Juulsen scored a goal in the Monday game, and followed up with a +3 rating the next night.
• Hart, Juulsen skated in the inaugural Hockey Canada Summer Showcase
• Hart earned a gold medal in the 2015 Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup tournament

 

HART HAULS HONORS
Goaltender Carter Hart earned the CHL Goaltender of the Week award, the WHL Goaltender of the Month (November) award and his second WHL Goaltender of the Week award of the season last week … during the month of November he was 9-2-0-1 and led the league with a 1.16 goals-against-average, in addition to a .951 save percentage and four shutouts … he has posted a 41-18-5-5 record with ten shutouts in 69 career WHL regular season and playoff appearances … eligible for the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and was recently named to the NHL Central Scouting Service’s “Players to Watch” list (B) in November … AMONG THE WHL LEADERS: 1^st in goals against average (1.93), tied, secondin wins (16), 1^st in shutouts (6) and 2^nd in save percentage (.927).

HART OF STONE

Silvertips goaltender Carter Hart, entering his second full season of play in the WHL, ranks among the league’s leader in several goaltending categories since beginning his career with the Silvertips. Entering tonight, Hart is the leader in WHL goals-against-average for the last two seasons.

WHL GOALS AGAINST AVERAGE LEADERS*, SINCE START OF 2014-15 SEASON:

RANK	PLAYER	TEAM	GAA	SV	W	L	OTL	SOL
1	Carter Hart	EVT	2.22	1768	41	19	5	5
2	Taran Kozun	SEA	2.50	1687	35	21	5	4
3	Jackson Whistle	KEL	2.51	2357	65	15	7	0
4	Michael Herringer	KEL	2.65	721	22	5	0	0
5	Logan Flodell	SEA	2.67	681	15	9	2	1

 * Minimum 1,500 minutes played  

 

ALUMNI UPDATE: JUJHAR KHAIRA
Center Jujhar Khaira (KAIR-ah, JOO-jar) made his NHL debut Nov. 28 with the Edmonton Oilers at Consol Energy Center, in a 3-2 shootout victory over the host Pittsburgh Penguins. Khaira recorded three hits, a blocked shot and one shot on goal in 10:02 of ice time for Edmonton, suiting up in jersey #54.  The 6-foot-3, 214-pound forward is the 15^th player (2013-14), all-time to suit up for the Silvertips in 13 seasons and make his NHL debut. He joins Byron Froese (Toronto) as two former Silvertips to make their NHL debut this season. Khaira has two assists in seven NHL games.

STUCKY CELEBRATES A MILESTONE:
Silvertips equipment manager James Stucky worked the 1,500^th game in his career on Oct. 28 vs. Brandon. The native of Burien, Wash. has served the Silvertips in his capacity since the inception of the franchise in 2003, having previously worked in the American Hockey League with Cincinnati, in the IHL with Indianapolis and in the CHL with Memphis from 1995-2003. He was honored last Friday night with a pre-game ceremonial puck drop.

THE KEVIN CONSTANTINE FILE
Kevin Constantine returns for his seventh season overall as head coach of the Silvertips, ranking as the club’s all-time leader in wins (261) and posting a record of 261-149-50 in his Everett career. All four of the Silvertips’ division titles have been achieved with Constantine as head coach, most recently last season which was Everett’s first since 2006-07. He was the recipient of the Dunc McCallum Trophy (WHL Coach of the Year) in 2003-04, when the Silvertips broke nearly every WHL expansion record and became the first expansion team in WHL history to win a division title. Constantine has coached in the NHL over the course of seven seasons with San Jose, Pittsburgh and New Jersey, helping guide all three clubs to an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.