Get the popcorn ready, because we might be in this thing for the long haul.
What a series we have on our hands in the WHL Playoffs first round, as after the No. 8-seeded Seattle Thunderbirds took an emotional Game 1, the No. 1-seeded Everett Silvertips countered in Game 2 with a 3-2 win of their own on Saturday night at Angel of the Winds Arena, with Eric Jamieson providing the heroics with the overtime winner.
The series will now shift down the I-5 corridor, with Game 3 coming on Tuesday night at the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent.
We knew coming in this would be an emotional and meaningful series for both teams, with the two having very different expectations coming in. But all that got wiped clean once they dropped the puck for Game 1.
Game 1
The opening game of the series saw the T-birds come out with the pedal to the metal, focused on finishing their checks and getting quality offensive looks. It looked like they were dictating the pace early on, and they were able to cash in with a pair of first-period goals from Hayden Pakkala and Brayden Holberton.
A Shea Busch goal sandwiched in between made it 2-1 after the first period. The T-birds hadn’t scored more than a goal in a game at Angel of the Winds in four games played there this season, but they had already surpassed that in a period of playoff hockey. Some big steps were being made.
An early second-period goal off a rebound from Simon Lovsin extended the lead to 3-1, which would wind up being the game-winner.
The Tips would add a goal from Tarin Smith in the third, but it proved to be too little, too late, as the T-birds held on for the win. This marked the fourth season in a row the Tips would drop the opening game of the playoffs. Scott Ratzlaff stopped 45 of 47 shots in the win.
Game 2
Game 2 the following night looked destined to be the same story, with the T-birds again starting out playing physical and finishing checks from the jump.
However, the Tips found their groove offensively in the back half of the frame, and Lukas Kaplan opened the scoring with a wrister from the right dot.
The T-birds tied it in the second off a Braeden Cootes power-play goal. The Tips began to surge more offensively in the second and third periods, but the T-birds held strong.
After Austin Roest scored to give Everett a 2-1 lead late in the third period, the Tips thought they had it all won until a Nathan Pilling tip of a Braeden Cootes shot made it a 2-2 game with less than 30 seconds to go.
There were plenty of opportunities at both ends in OT before Eric Jamieson won it for the Silvertips, stepping up in the play at the top of the left circle and zipping it past Ratzlaff.
Coach Steve Hamilton thought his group’s ability to respond to the adversity of going down a game in the series was a good learning opportunity.
“We stuck to it, and I thought we played really well,” Hamilton said. “I liked our physicality tonight and a lot of the things we did. Just had to stay with it going to overtime.”
Meanwhile, the other side was not pleased with the result but still find themselves in an optimal position as the 8 seed, tied 1-1 going back home.
Seattle head coach Matt O’Dette also liked his group’s willingness to throw the body around in these crucial games.
“It was a hard-fought playoff game with lots of intensity and with both teams playing physically,” O’Dette said. “It’s what you would expect with a rivalry playoff series like this. I thought our group showed a lot of resiliency to battle back in a game like that. It’s unfortunate how it ended and we’re disappointed, but we’ve got to shake it off quick and get ready for the next one.”
Digesting the first two games
With so much to go over from this whole weekend, where do we even begin?
How about we give some love to the men in the masks, particularly the aforementioned one in blue and white.
Ratzlaff was downright unbelievable this weekend, stopping a total of 89 of 94 shots seen, with a .946 save percentage. Some of the saves he made were quite literally jaw-dropping, and he just kept upping the ante.
“It was a lot of fun, honestly,” Ratzlaff said after Game 1. “We all knew coming into this series that Everett’s a tough team and we’re gonna need our absolute best. For us to show up like that is great, but for me it’s just about taking one shot at a time.”
Some of his saves harkened back to ‘The Dominator’ himself, Dominik Hasek, which is ironic given he is currently a prospect of the Buffalo Sabres organization.
I’m not saying he’s going to be the next Dominik Hasek by any means, but with the way he’s been playing lately, he appears well on his way to a successful pro career.
Ratzlaff was a tough cookie to crack all weekend, gobbling up most of what he saw from distance and from in tight. The Tips had a lot of shots this weekend from the point that he would see all the way.
Everett forward Austin Roest was one of the few who cashed in on Ratzlaff, and he mentioned some of the keys to beating a stalwart like him.
“Getting in front of Ratzlaff’s eyes is going to be big,” Roest said following Game 2. “All our goals this series have been when he can’t see the puck. If we play the right way and do the little things, then I think we’ll be in good shape.”
As for the Silvertips, the tandem approach commenced, as both Raiden LeGall and Jesse Sanche made starts this weekend.
Despite stopping 31 of 34 shots Friday, LeGall had some troubles with coughing up juicy, costly rebounds in Game 1, which led Coach Hamilton to giving Sanche the nod for Game 2, where he performed well, stopping 33 of 35 en route to the much-needed win for both him and his team.
Added physicality
The big thing that’s made this series what it’s been is the physicality and animosity between these two fierce rivals. Almost every whistle, it felt like there was at least one or two scrums.
Hamilton said the chippiness was to be expected in a rivalry series like this, but that it’s important to stay disciplined and not get carried away or ultimately end up hurting your team.
“A huge piece of it is not letting the emotions get out of hand or taking extra penalties,” Hamilton said. Each team was even in PPs with three and PIMs with 10 in Game 2. “You want to be in that emotional state where you’re up to the line but not crossing over it. I think both teams feel that way.”
Another unconventional aspect of this series that not many WHL teams have the luxury of experiencing is that both teams get to sleep in their own beds the whole series, as well as not having to deal with strenuous travel schedules.
“It is certainly a bonus,” Hamilton said. “It’s a cumulative thing, and every night you get in your bed is a plus-one advantage; as opposed to long travel with entire nights on a bus.”
Resetting for Tuesday
As the series heads down I-5 to Kent, both teams will be feeling pretty good about their situation.
We talked about this before the series, but the fact that the T-birds were able to steal even just one game in Everett is so beneficial, given how lofty the Silvertips’ entire playoff expectations are as the No. 1 seed.
Now that the home-ice advantage is handed over to the T-birds going forward with Games 3, 4, and 6 being in Kent, it bodes well for the underdogs and momentum shifting back their way.
So there it is. It’s knotted up. Six goals for and against aside, one game aside. Expect to see a lot more of that tight checking and chippiness as the animosity in this series continues to build.
Anything else? Oh yeah, Landon DuPont had three points in his first two career WHL playoff games. He’s 15 years old, by the way.
Header photo courtesy of Brian Liesse and the Seattle Thunderbirds
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