Opening Night Thriller
The Everett Silvertips opened their Memorial Cup campaign with a 5-3 victory over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, a game that featured a rapid succession of goals in the second period.
Two of those goals arrived within 50 seconds of each other, as Zackary Shantz and Carter Bear struck in quick succession, briefly putting Everett ahead before Chicoutimi responded.
A Historic Quest
The win places the Silvertips in pursuit of a historic milestone: they are aiming to become the fourth U.S.-based franchise to capture the Memorial Cup, following the achievements of Portland, Spokane and Saginaw.
Their road to the final was marked by durability; they dropped only two games across four WHL playoff rounds, a testament to the team’s depth and resilience.
Other Matchups
Elsewhere in the tournament, the Kitchener Rangers routed the Kelowna Rockets 5-0 in their opener, setting up a Sunday night clash between Chicoutimi and Kelowna, while Everett is scheduled to meet Kitchener on Monday.
Goal Timeline
Scoring for Everett were Shantz, Bear, Jesse Heslop, Lukas Kaplan and Matias Vanhanen, while Alex Huang, Christophe Berthelot and Maxim Masse accounted for the Sagueneens’ goals; Kaplan’s equaliser came just 33 seconds after Huang’s marker, and Bear’s tally was set up by a turnover feed from Landon DuPont.
With the group stage still unfolding, the Silvertips will look to extend their momentum as they face a series of high‑stakes matchups that could determine the eventual champion.