Silvertips win, clinch series

PORTLAND, Ore. — The unconventional Everett Silvertips have done it again.

The Silvertips went against long-standing Western Hockey League tradition by winning a Game 7 on the road last night. Everett beat the Portland Winter Hawks 3-2 in front of 9,697 fans at the Rose Garden to capture the opening-round Western Hockey League series, four games to three.

Even with the victory by Everett, the second time in the franchise's two-season history it has won a Game 7 (the Silvertips won a Game 7 last year in Kelowna), visiting teams are 12-36 in such games in WHL history.

Alex Leavitt had a pair of goals in the game for Everett, which advances to the second round against the Kootenay Ice, and Michael Wall made 36 saves for the Silvertips.

"I think they grabbed the momentum in Game 6 and it was a little scary coming in here for Game 7," Wall said. "They played very well so I think maybe we stole one here tonight."

Everett coach Kevin Constantine, who said his team has felt comfortable on the road, singled out Wall as a key to the series.

"Wall was the difference tonight and in the entire series," Constantine said.

Leavitt, who came over in a trade from Swift Current earlier in the season, said the main focus for Everett was to forget statistics.

"We had 16 keys we needed to win because you need 16 wins to take the league championship," Leavitt said. "One of those keys was to throw stats out the window. So any mention of Game 7s or records in opposing barns or for guys who hadn't been scoring, we didn't worry about any of that. If it was brought up by anyone on the team, you got punched in the face."

Leavitt scored in the second period to give the Silvertips a 2-1 lead and then on a breakaway in the third to make it 3-1. The Winter Hawks pulled goaltender Blake Grenier and made it 3-2 with a Braydon Coburn goal with a minute left, but Everett managed to kill off the final minute to take the series.

"I was brought to this team to score goals and provide offense," Leavitt said. "If I wasn't going to do it now, there wasn't really any point of me being here. I love the pressure situations."

The Silvertips scored first on a rare turnover by Portland defenseman Braydon Coburn. Kyle Annesley pressured Coburn into giving up the puck against the boards in the Portland end. Curtis Billsten collected it and zipped a pass to Mark Kress in front of the net.

Kress took his time and fired a shot over Portland goaltender Blake Grenier at the 13:55 mark of the first period.

Portland tied it 1:56 into the second period after the Silvertips were given a two-minute penalty for too many men on the ice. Garrett Festerling got his first goal of the playoffs only 16 seconds into the power play when he got the puck past Wall after a pass from Coburn and Darrell May.

The Silvertips regained the lead with a power-play goal. Leavitt scored the goal, his third of the playoffs, after assists by Annesley and Zach Hamill. The goal came after a roughing penalty by Portland's Brandon Dubinsky.

Leavitt gave the Silvertips a 3-1 lead with a breakaway goal in the third period, and Everett was able to survive an all-out Portland assault.

Notes

• Everett captain Mitch Love warmed up, but was scratched with a sore knee.

• Next for Everett is Kootenay, the team that had the WHL's best record. The seven-game series will open in Cranbrook, B.C., Friday and Saturday.

Game summary

SILVERTIPS 3, WINTER HAWKS 2

Everett

1

1

1

—

3

Portland

0

1

1

—

2

First — 1. Everett, Kress 2 (Billston) 13:55. Second — 2. Portland, Festerling 1 (Coburn, Mikkelson) 1:56 (pp). 3. Everett, Leavitt 3 (Annesley, Hamill) 9:47 (pp). Third — 4. Everett, Leavitt 4 (Kress) 10:17 . 5. Portland, Coburn 1 (McLeod, Dubinsky) 19:01. Shots on goal — Everett 6-11-4 — 22. Portland 7-14-17 — 38. Goalies — Everett: Wall (W,4-3); Portland: Grenier (L,3-4). Power plays ( Goalies — s-chances) — Everett: 1-4; Portland: 1-4. . Referee — Rob Matsuoka. Linesmen — Chris Dehaan, Jeff Edgley. Attendance — 9,697.