The odds were stacked against them heading in, but the Kootenay Ice’s 5-0 loss against the Everett Silvertips was still a tough pill to swallow.
Everett’s defence lived up to all the hype and kept Kootenay to 20 shots on their all-star goalkeeper Carter Hart.
Hart picked up his third straight shutout in the Wednesday night blowout and is approaching a league record with his streak.
If Hart can extend his 187:01 minutes without allowing a goal past four games and 265:13 minutes, he’ll break Chris Worthy’s 1967 record for the WHL’s longest shutout streak.
The Ice gave up 44 shots to Everett and Payton Lee made 39 saves in the loss. Kootenay was also forced to play without veteran defenceman Troy Murray, who is currently serving a TBD suspension from the league for a hit-from-behind in their game against Edmonton on November 27.
16-year-old Bobby Russell factored into the lineup in the absence of Murray and Nikita Radzivilyuk, who is out indefinitely with a broken collarbone.
Russell, who was playing in his second ever WHL game, struggled early as he redirected the first goal of the game into his own net and allowed ‘Tips sniper Eetu Tuulola the space to score the second goal on a rush.
The Ice should have a better chance in their next two games as they face the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday and the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday to conclude their American road trip.
Kootenay return home to play the Regina Pats on December 6.