Winterhawks Game Day Preview: Portland at Everett – Game #26
The Winterhawks play the Silvertips for the final time until the New Year and will be looking to avenge their shortcoming from last weekend.
Puck Drop: 7:05 p.m.
Venue: Angel of the Winds Arena
Listen: winterhawks.com/listen
Watch: WHL Live
PREVIOUS GAME – Winterhawks 3 vs. Silvertips 5: The Winterhawks pushed back against the Silvertips, but Everett buried an empty net goal to seal the 5-3 win on Sunday night.
Everett got off to a strong start on the road and scored just under two minutes into the game. Martin Fasko-Rudas skated a puck passed Shane Farkas on the short side to make it 1-0. Jared Freadrich evened the score a little over three minutes later on a rush. Mason Mannek found him streaking in the zone on the opposite wing and Freadrich fired in his third of the year through a screen.
Minutes later, Fasko-Rudas netted his second of the period after stealing the puck on the end wall and wrapping it around the net. The Silvertips added one more before the period’s end thanks to Reece Vitelli to make it 3-1.
The ‘Tips stretched their lead to three goals on a Luke Ormsby shot that trickled through, but Michal Kvasnica slammed in Portland’s second goal of the night just 27 seconds later to make it a 4-2 game.
Special teams played a factor in the third period. The Hawks killed 3:43 consecutive minutes of Everett power play time to start the period, and in return, they cashed in on a 5-on-3 power play of their own. At the midway point of the third frame, Joachim Blichfeld scored his WHL-leading 19th power play point of the season to cut the Silvertips’ lead down to one.
The Hawks put on pressure with the extra attacker, but the Everett defense remained strong and Connor Dewar scored the eventual empty net goal to give the Silvertips a 5-3 win on the road.
TODAY’S OPPONENT:
Everett stretched its lead in the U.S Division to four and a half games after beating the Hawks in Portland last Sunday. That being said, the Hawks represent two of the Silvertips’ seven regulation losses this year and have points in three of the six match-ups.
The ‘Tips have been aggressive in the first period and it’s paying off for them. They are 16-0-0-0 this season when scoring first this year. Additionally, they have never lost a game when taking a lead into the intermission and found the back of the net three times in the first frame against the Hawks last weekend. On the season, Everett outscores its opponents two-to-one in the opening period.
Seeing as both teams have exceptional special teams play, it is worth noting the two teams are a combined 6-for-62 on the power play when playing each other. Joachim Blichfeld scored a 5-on-3 power play goal in the last meeting and he leads all skaters with six goals and ten points against the Washington-based team. Reece Newkirk (2) is the only other Winterhawk with multiple goals against the Silvertips this season.
Dustin Wolf continues to be lights out for the Silvertips this fall. En route to a three win Thanksgiving and some highlight reel stops, Wolf was recognized as the Eli Wilson WHL Goaltender of the Week. Over the week, he sported a 1.33 goals against average, while stopping 73 of 77 shots for a .948 save percentage and one shutout.
The Hawks are fighting to close the gap on the Division leader before the holidays. Following the game, the Hawks return home for four straight games in December.
Portland is on the road November 28th at Veterans Memorial Coliseum against the Everett Silvertips. They return home on Saturday, December 1st against Spokane for the annual Les Schwab Teddy Bear Toss. Tickets are nearly sold out. Be sure to visit winterhawks.com/tickets for full details on pricing and availability.
