Vancouver 5, Everett 2

When it was over, it could be reasonably argued that the Tips gave it their best shot against one of this year's best teams in the WHL. Against the fast aggressive Giants, Everett struggled to keep up and took frequent penalties early on. Absent Alexander and Ellington, there was a noticeable difference on defense, though D-men Harty, Crowley and Regier played hard. There was fierce hitting by both teams, and Everett never quit despite the second blitz of back to back goals by Vancouver. By then it was just too much to overcome.

I do think Garett Hunt might have anger management issues. Here's a player who always looks mad and barks at anyone and everyone from the first drop of the puck to the last. He and Sonne automatically mixed it up every time they played against each other, one of the more memorable times being 2 seconds into a game when the gloves were dropped. I noticed Vancouver's coach talking with Hunt after one of his shifts Saturday night, and I'm pretty sure he wasn't thanking Hunt for his fine play. It looked more like a father disciplining his mouthy unruly son.

The resignation is setting in that this is probably not to be the year for the Tips to meet or exceed the efforts of Spokane, Vancouver, or Tri-City, and that the playoffs may well be a one and done scenario. Though Everett has shown moments of brilliance against each of these teams, consistency just hasn't been there. It looks to be a battle down to the wire with Seattle as well.

It's hard to let go of the unbelievable (regular) season of last year....