Everett Silvertips Rally Past Chicoutimi 5-3 at Memorial Cup Standings

The Everett Silvertips opened the memorial cup standings race with a 5-3 win over the Chicoutimi Sagueneens on Saturday night in Kelowna, British Columbia. Zackary Shantz put Everett ahead in the second period, and the Silvertips held that lead from there in their first Memorial Cup game in franchise history.

Shantz Starts the Push

Shantz and Carter Bear scored 50 seconds apart in the second period to turn the game. Jesse Heslop, Lukas Kaplan and Matias Vanhanen also scored for Everett, while Anders Miller stopped 22 shots to secure the opener.

That burst came after both teams had been idle for several days. Everett had not played since finishing the WHL playoffs on May 15, when it lost only two games in four rounds to reach the four-team event. Chicoutimi last played on May 17.

Beckman Faces 32 Shots

Lucas Beckman turned aside 32 shots for Chicoutimi, but the Sagueneens could not keep pace once Everett’s second-period run arrived. Christophe Berthelot and Maxim Masse also scored for Chicoutimi, giving the opener a back-and-forth stretch before the Silvertips pulled away.

The result also lands in the broader round-robin picture after the Kitchener Rangers beat the host Kelowna Rockets 5-0 on Friday night. Everett and Chicoutimi opened against each other in the tournament’s first game for both clubs, and the standings now already have one U.S. winner in the mix.

Everett Meets Kitchener

Everett returns to action Monday night against Kitchener, while Chicoutimi faces Kelowna on Sunday night. The Silvertips are still chasing a first Memorial Cup title for a U.S.-based franchise outside the four previous winners from Portland, Spokane and Saginaw.