If there‘s been two constants in this crazy, back-and-forth series between the Kelowna Rockets and Everett Silvertips, it‘s been this: Everett has scored first.
And, quite importantly for the Rockets, the home team wins.
On Friday night at Comcast Arena, it was same old, same old, as the Silvertips scored first once again, this time at the one-minute mark. However, unlike Games 1, 3 and 4 of this best-of-seven set, where the Rockets fought back from big deficits, Everett actually made its lead stand up, as the Silvertips jumped out to a 3-0 lead en route to a 4-0 victory in Game 5.
Now trailing 3-2 and facing elimination in this evening‘s Game 6 at Prospera Place, the question for the Rockets is this: When will they finally quit having slow starts?
For it‘s only a matter of time before a team finally stumbles in the bog of playoff comeback land.
“They have scored early in each game, and it‘s usually a breakdown or a mental mistake by one of our guys. That usually puts you behind the eight-ball, especially when you‘re on the road,” said Rockets head coach Ryan Huska, whose team is 2-0 against Everett on home ice in this series.
“Eventually, those (early-lead) doors close up and you can‘t come back. They‘ll make adjustments and you can‘t come back all the time. So you can‘t be spotting teams leads and think that you‘re going to get yourself into games. We need to play with a lead.”
Tyler Maxwell, with two goals, Daniel Iwanski and Shane Harper, with his fifth, scored for the Silvertips. The ‘Tips led 1-0 and 3-0 at the breaks.
Kent Simpson turned aside 21 shots for Everett, while Mark Guggenberger made 29 stops for Kelowna.
Of Everett‘s four goals, Maxwell‘s second of the game, a short-handed effort at 11 minutes of the second, proved to be the difference.
ICE CHIPS: Scratches – Kelowna: C Cody Chikie (shoulder), C Sean Aschim, D MacKenzie Johnston and RW Kyle St. Denis (concussion, indefinite). Everett: D Radko Gudas (upper body), D Chris de la Lande, D Gabe Minville, C Tyler Giebel and D Nicholas Walters. . . . Friday‘s attendance was 4,361. . . . Kelowna was 0-for-3 on the power play; Everett was 1-for-5. . . . The last time Kelowna was shut out in a playoff game was April 11, 2007, 2-0 in Game 3 in Everett. Top of Page
