A dream season for the Everett Silvertips ended with a rude awakening Sunday, in the form of a 6-2 loss to the Kitchener Rangers in the Memorial Cup Final.
You might say the OHL champion Rangers beat the WHL champion Silvertips in straight sets. Kitchener won 6-2 in their round-robin meeting, and 6-2 again in the Final.
Matias Vanhanen tied the game 1-1 early in the 1st period, but by the time Carter Bear scored the ‘Tips second goal early in the 3rd (assisted by Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen), the score was already out of hand, Kitchener leading 5-2. Shots finished 32-32, but that was about the only place Everett equaled Kitchener.
It was a quiet ending for Miettinen, 2nd round draft pick of the Kraken in 2024. He scored just once in four Memorial Cup Games, after 14 goals in the WHL playoffs.
Days after celebrating his 17th birthday, Everett defenseman Landon DuPont assisted on both ‘Tips goals. Anders Miller, a stone wall in goal all season, made 26 saves. Memorial Cup MVP Sam O’Reilly of Kitchener had a goal and three helpers for the champions.
Sour Ending Doesn’t Diminish Historic Silvertips Season
As the sting of the loss subsides over time, the Silvertips and their fans will look back on the 2025-26 season fondly. The ‘Tips won 10 of their first 11 games and never looked back. When they were done, Everett had won 55 games in the regular season, best in the WHL. They set a league record with 29 road victories.
By the third week of the season, three different Silvertips had recorded hat tricks: Miettinen, Zackary Shantz and Shea Busch.
The most thrilling night of the season, CHL.ca’s Cami Kepke points out, came at Angel of the Winds Arena on Jan. 21. Trailing 3-0 to the Kelowna Rockets, Everett stormed back with five goals in the final 21 minutes to win, 5-3.
Even a season-ending injury to captain Tarin Smith early in the WHL playoffs couldn’t slow the team’s momentum. Everett bulldozed through four rounds (16-2) to claim their first Ed Chynoweth Cup as league champs. Steve Hamilton was named WHL Coach of the Year.
Earlier Silvertips:
— Kraken Prospects Square Off In Memorial Cup
Earlier Kraken:
— More Kraken Forgotten Footnotes; TV And Mascot-World
