(Everett, WA) The Portland Winterhawks dug themselves a hole in Game Three at the Angel of the Winds Arena, falling behind 3-0.
However, defenseman Carter Sotheran started the comeback and finished it in overtime to help the Winterhawks win 4-3 and go up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series.
In the first period, the Silvertips started on the front foot, taking advantage of the momentum of playing on home ice.
Portland’s frequent trips to the penalty box were a common theme in the first two games of the series. Everett scored a power-play goal in both Game One and Game Two while at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Game Three was more of the same for the Winterhawks in the opening 20 minutes.
First, Luca Cagnoni took a cross-checking penalty on Ben Hemmerling as he tried to deny a zone entry.
Jan Špunar made several quality saves before Kaden Hammell one-timed a pass from Julien Maze right as the power play was expiring. Hammell, a former Kamloops Blazer acquired in the Ryan Hofer and Olen Zellweger blockbuster trade a season ago, scored his third of the playoffs and first of the series. While the goal technically was not scored as a power-play goal, Cagnoni had only been released from the box for one second and hadn’t gotten back into the play.
Then, after a net-front scramble in front of Everett’s starting goalie, Tyler Palmer, Diego Buttazzoni was guilty of a slashing penalty after the whistle.
On the Silvertips’ second power play, Beau Courtney fanned on his initial attempt but stayed with the play. While behind the goal line, he sent the puck to the front of the net, and it banked in off the left pad of Špunar for a 2-0 Everett lead. He also scored a power-play goal in Game Two.
Mike Johnston, Portland’s president, general manager, and head coach, did not like his team’s first period. “We didn’t come out very well. I really look back to the Victoria series. I thought Game Three was really good. You expect that in Game threes when a team is down 2-0. They are battling for their season. I thought they came out hard, pressured us, put pucks in behind our defense. I give them credit for how they played in the first. We were a little bit back on our heels.”
The second period started four-on-four with Marcus Nguyen and Eric Jamieson in the penalty box for roughing.
Nate Danielson took a wrist shot that just went wide of the net and eventually hopped over the stick of Tyson Jugnauth, springing Hemmerling for a breakaway from his own blue line. He went to the backhand to score his fourth goal of the 2024 playoffs and first of the series.
The Winterhawks responded well after allowing the third goal of the game.
Courtney was called for a hooking penalty 62 seconds after Hemmerling scored, and the Winterhawks’ second power-play unit got them on the board.
Sotheran arrived in the zone late off a line change and received a pass at the circles. He elected for a wrist shot and beat Palmer high to the blocker. The goal gave the Philidelphia Flyers prospect points in all three games of the second round and 6-of-7 in the postseason.
The strong game by Portland’s number 59 continued as he drew a tripping penalty in his own zone, and the Winterhawks maintained possession of the puck long enough on the delayed penalty to get captain Gabe Klassen free to wire home a one-timer. The 18-year-old defenseman was credited with the secondary assist on the play.
Portland kept up the pressure in the last half of the middle frame and outshot Everett 19-5.
“The second period, even though we were down, I felt confident in how we were playing. I think that is important that the bench settles down and feels good about our game. Even though we scored in the third period to tie it, I thought the second period was the key to the game,” Johnston said.
Palmer’s best save of his 17 in the period came off the stick of Josh Zakreski, who had an open look one-timer with under six seconds left.
After the horn, Tarin Smith picked up a roughing minor, giving the Winterhawks a chance to tie the game on the power play entering the third period.
With Josh Davies being injured in the second period and not coming out to start the third, Mike Johnston put Kyle Chyzowski onto the top power-play unit. The red-hot Chyzowski rewarded his coach for the elevation by redirecting a Klassen pass by Palmer to tie the game. It was the 19-year-old’s 5th in three games.
As the Winterhawks kept battling to even the game, a puck got behind their defense, allowing Carter Bear to go in alone on a breakaway. Marek Alscher tried to catch the 25-goal scorer during the regular season but ended up taking a slashing penalty, giving Bear a penalty shot.
The 2006-born forward tried to beat Špunar to the blocker side, but the Czhecia native turned him aside to keep the score tied at three.
“Špunar has been huge for us all year. He always makes saves when we need him. That was probably the biggest of the save of the night and keeping us in it. It was huge for him, and just knowing he had our backs and we have his,” Sotheran said.
Portland continued to make it hard on itself as three more trips to the box put extra pressure on the penalty kill units. However, all three were successfully killed with timely shot blocks and Špunar saves.
The clock ran to triple zeros, and the score was tied at three, so both teams headed to the locker room to prepare for their first overtime game of the playoffs and handle the upcoming nerves.
“I think there definitely are a lot of nerves, but we told ourselves to play our game and stick with it and try to throw the nerves away because this is playoff hockey, and you have to love it,” Sotheran said.
Despite overtime returning back to five-on-five, compared to the three-on-three in the regular season, the play was wide open back and forth.
Dominik Rymon had the first Grade-A chance when his breakaway shot hit the post and bounced out. Then, several shifts later, Nguyen dented the crossbar with a wrist shot off the rush.
Palmer and Špunar were trading saves at each end, seemingly every other shift.
Then, with just over four minutes remaining in overtime, Klassen and James Stefan got the puck back to Sotheran at the point.
“I just wanted to get a shot through from the point,” Sotheran said, describing the winning goal. “I got the pass and just tried to get a shot on the net. It hit his blocker, saw it went off the glass, and saw it trickle in. It is pretty crazy, but we will take it.”
His teammates swarmed off the bench and surrounded him as they drifted into the corner closest to the traveling Winterhawks fans.
“There is no better feeling than that with all the guys around you. We have probably the tightest group I’ve ever been part of. Having all the guys around me was pretty special,” Sotheran said.
“I think it is one of those lucky breaks that you get in the game,” Johnston said, acknowledging the awkward yet favorable bounce. “We had two chances around the net earlier than that, two or three shifts earlier. I thought one of them went in, but it rolled through the crease and out the other side. We had some really close looks around the net. We missed some great chances. We’ve had good poise in the offensive zone and showed some poise on that play to get the puck back to Carter for the shot.”
The Winterhawks had completed the comeback and took a 3-0 stranglehold on the series.
Now, both teams are off for three days before Game Four goes on Friday back in Everett.
“It is getting back to it and getting our rest and our practice habits,” Sotheran said of the mini-break. “We want to get everything we need to feel good again and close it out in Game Four.”
