We have ourselves a series. After falling 4-2 to the Prince Albert Raiders in Game 1 of the WHL Finals on Friday night, the Everett Silvertips bounced back in a huge way Saturday, beating the Raiders 6-2 to tie the series at one game apiece.
It wasn’t the start to the series the Silvertips wanted in the first game. After an early goal from Carter Bear in the first period, the offense fell flat and gave in to a steady and fast Raiders attack. Silvertips alternate captain Landon DuPont liked the pushback in the third period, but it proved to be too little, too late.
“It was a good push,” DuPont said following Game 1. “We hadn’t been in a situation like that in a while, and I think we handled it well. Just a tick off.”
Game 2 featured many of the same chances for the Silvertips to convert, but this time they finally found the back of the net, sending Angel of the Winds Arena into a frenzy.
Here are Three (brief) Takeaways from Games 1 and 2 of the WHL Finals.
Takeaway 1: Finding and keeping space to work
In Game 1, space was tighter for the Silvertips than what they grew accustomed to in their first two playoff series. The Raiders got better as the game went on, focusing on disrupting zone entries and trying to keep pucks to the outside.
The Tips got opportunities to strike, but the Raiders played tight defense, and goalie Michal Orsulak was lights out the whole evening, stopping 39 of 41 Everett shots.
But in Game 2, it was attack, attack, attack from the start for Everett. The Tips were ready to pounce on their chances from the moment the puck dropped in the first period.
Silvertips head coach Steve Hamilton liked the offensive structure the Tips played with on Saturday.
“It was definitely by design what we were trying to accomplish tonight,” Hamilton said. “There was a directness and probably a much better net presence than we had 24 hours earlier.”
Takeaway 2: Top-line guys were top-line guys
The top line for Everett rose to the occasion this weekend. Matias Vanhanen had one assist, while Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen scored two goals and added four assists in the two games.
But what a couple of games from Bear, too. With three goals in two games, the Detroit Red Wings prospect hounded pucks all weekend and was involved in every play after the whistle.
Meanwhile, on the back end, mitigating a guy like Braeden Cootes takes a concerted effort, but Silvertips defensemen were quick to keep sticks and bodies in front of him and the goal.
As the series shifts to Prince Albert for the next three games, it’s pivotal the Silvertips look at how they utilized space in Game 2 and remain active on pucks in a hostile environment like Art Hauser Centre.
Takeaway 3: Anders Miller continues to be rock solid
The Silvertips have done solid work putting bodies in shooting lanes. But when pucks do find their way through, the play of goalie Anders Miller has been spectacular throughout the WHL playoffs. With a .932 playoff save percentage, he continued his strong run through the first two games of the finals by stopping 59 of 64 shots faced across the two games.
What Hamilton likes about Miller’s game is his ability to slow things down and let the game come to him.
“He’s got a calm to his game right now that we all feel good about,” Hamilton said. “He is really good at keeping things quiet when they need to be. Catching a puck, swallowing it up, get a face-off, reset. That’s a key attribute to a goaltender. You want the play to die when it hits him, and I think he’s done an excellent job at knowing when to just put an end to it.”
This series is now a best-of-5, though home ice now belongs to the Raiders with Game 3 set for Tuesday night in P.A.
As a reminder, the series is following the 2-3-2 format, so Games 3 through 5 will be in Prince Albert and, if necessary, Games 6 and 7 will return to Angel of the Winds Arena.
Header courtesy of Evan Morud and the Everett Silvertips.
Splitting the first two games is the turning point that gave them momentum for the rest of the finals run. I enjoy block blast because I can compete with myself and improve every day.