PORTLAND — The team with the best record in the Western Hockey League will go into 2025 with that designation intact.
The Everett Silvertips played spoiler to the Portland Winterhawks New Year’s Eve party crowd of 7,573 with a 7-3 victory Tuesday night at Memorial Coliseum.
Everett (28-5-2-1, 57 points) won its fourth game in a row while ending Portland’s win streak at six games. The Winterhawks (20-13-2-0, 42 points) are third in the WHL’s U.S. Division behind Everett and Spokane.
The Silvertips started fast with Lukas Kaplan scoring 43 seconds into the game.
Portland would tie it up at 9:26 in the first period when Kyle McDonough scored a short-handed goal, assisted by Kyle Chyzowski.
Everett would then score the next four goals of the game, two coming on power plays, plus back-to-back goals by Dominik Rymon for a 5-1 advantage early in the second period.
Josh Zakreski’s 21st goal of the season on a Portland power play sent the game into the third period with Everett on top 5-2. Diego Buttazzoni scored his 17th goal of the season to get Portland within 5-3, but Everett would add a power-play goal by Tyler MacKenzie and an empty netter from Jesse Heslop to finish it.
College bound
Portland defenseman Tyson Jugnauth, a 2022 NHL draft pick of the Seattle Kraken from Kelowna, B.C., announced Tuesday has committed to Michigan State for next season. As a 20-year-old, Jugnauth’s WHL eligibility runs out at the end of this season, which is his second in Portland after two years at the University of Wisconsin. He leads all WHL defensemen with 47 points as he rides a 10-game point streak with 19 assists.
Up next
The first game of the new year for the Winterhawks is Thursday at home against Spokane. It will be the first of three games in a row for Portland as it will be at Tri-City on Friday and back home Saturday to play Wenatchee.