RECAP: Hawks silence Silvertips in dramatic 7-6 shootout victory
Sam Spehar and Nathan Free each netted a pair, and Ondřej Štěbeták came up big under pressure as the Hawks took down the Silvertips in a dramatic shootout victory in Everett.
Game #21: Portland (7) vs. Everett (6)
SOG: POR (35) – EVT (50)
PP: POR (1/2) – EVT (3/4)
Saves: Štěbeták (44) – LeGall (29)
SCORING:
POR – Alex Weiermair (11) from Reed Brown and Will McLaughlin
POR – Sam Spehar (6)
EVT – Matias Vanhanen (6) from Nolan Chastko and Rylan Gould
EVT – Nolan Chastko (3) from Matias Vanhanen (power play)
POR – Nathan Free (10) from Ryan Miller and Jordan Duguay (power play)
POR – Jake Gustafson (5) from Nathan Brown and Kyle McDonough
EVT – Tarin Smith (5) from Jesse Heslop and Landon DuPont
EVT – Clarke Schaefer (7)
EVT – Jesse Heslop (5) from Ryan Gould and Zackary Shantz (power play)
POR – Sam Spehar (7) from Jordan Duguay and Max Pšenička
POR – Nathan Free (11) from Alex Weiermair
POR – Rylan Gould (3) from Zackary Shantz and Landon DuPont (power play)
GAME SUMMARY:
The Winterhawks opened the scoring just 1:31 into the contest, as Alex Weiermair powered in from the blue line and fired a wrist shot that slipped five-hole on Silvertips’ netminder Raiden LeGall. Portland doubled its lead just past the four-minute mark when Sam Spehar’s aggressive forecheck forced a turnover, allowing him to bury his third goal in two nights. Everett broke through at 8:04, as Matias Vanhanen converted to pull one back for point No. 32 on his season.
Everett found the equalizer less than two minutes into the middle frame when Nolan Chastko ripped home a power-play tally to make it 2-2. Portland responded on its own man advantage after an Everett cross-checking call, with Ryan Miller circling behind the cage and finding a wide-open Nathan Free for a one-timer—his team-leading seventh power-play goal—to reclaim the lead. Moments later, Nathan Brown joined the rush after exiting the penalty box, and his wrap-around attempt met Jake Gustafson in front to stretch Portland’s lead to 4-2. Tarin Smith answered for Everett before the second media timeout, sending the game to the intermission with Portland ahead 4-3.
The Silvertips found another equalizer in the third, as Clarke Schaefer netted his seventh of the season, and Jesse Heslop added a go-ahead power-play marker with 8:31 remaining. From there, the Heartattack Hawks took over once again. Sam Spehar buried a wrist shot from the right circle to tie the game at 4-4 with his fourth goal in 48 hours. An offensive-zone faceoff win set up Free with a lightning-quick release for his second of the night, that stunned the building and put Portland ahead with 66 seconds remaining.
Everett, however, forced overtime after earning a late power play and pulling LeGall for a 6-on-4 advantage, capitalizing on the opportunity to send this one to extra time.
A shootout was needed to decide the winner, as five minutes of overtime weren’t enough to separate the sides. Sam Spehar delivered the lone goal for Portland in the skills competition, and Ondřej Štěbeták stood tall by turning aside all three Silvertips attempts. With the clutch finish, the Hawks took down the ’Tips for the second time this season at Angel of the Winds Arena, closing out a wild 7-6 victory.
UP NEXT:
The Winterhawks close out their four-in-five week as the annual Hawks Fight Hunger game returns on Sunday, November 16 at 4:00 p.m., against the Wenatchee Wild at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Reminder, you can watch all Portland Winterhawks games on Victory+ for free all season long! Click here to visit the Winterhawks hub or download the Victory+ app on your smartphone or connected device.
The Portland Winterhawks are commemorating 50 Years of Hawkey this season with a year-long tribute to the team’s rich history and legendary players. As part of the celebration, the Top 50 Winterhawks of All Time will be unveiled throughout the season—starting with an alphabetical reveal on October 25, and culminating in the announcement of the Top 10 on March 7, 2026. Fans can look forward to special events, tributes, and a season full of memories honoring five decades of Winterhawks hockey.
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