Everett Silvertips Win Game 2 of 2026 WHL Championship Series Presented by Nutrien
Published on May 10, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL) News Release
Everett, Wash. - Seattle Kraken prospect Julius Miettinen recorded four points, including three assists, as the Everett Silvertips clawed back with a 6-2 victory in Game 2 of the 2026 WHL Championship presented by Nutrien on Saturday at Angel of the Winds Arena.
"It was certainly a very important game tonight," said Steve Hamilton, Head Coach of the Silvertips. "We responded. I liked the directness of the game and how we played. They're obviously a dangerous team so to get an early lead - I thought they had a pretty strong push in the second period - but we steadied the ship and had a good third [period].
"It was by design what we were trying to accomplish tonight. Guys were definitely dialled into that. There was a directness and a much better net presence than we had 24 hours earlier."
Once again, the Silvertips showed strong bounce back the night after a loss. To date in the 2025-26 season, Everett has yet to drop back-to-back contests.
Miettinen, who hails from Helsinki, Finland, wasn't the only NHL drafted prospect to enjoy a big night. Detroit Red Wings prospect Carter Bear struck twice to help the Silvertips even the best-of-seven series after two games.
For the second consecutive night, it was the 19-year-old Bear, a product of West St. Paul, Man., opening the scoring. He found the back of the net 3:20 into the first period, giving Everett another quick start, with the primary helper being credited to the 20-year-old Miettinen. The difference in Game 2 - the Silvertips kept the pedal to the metal. A mere 2:11 later, defenceman Kayd Ruedig tickled twine to extend the advantage to 2-0. With 43 seconds to go in the period, it was veteran forward Rylan Gould striking on the power play and Everett was in front with a commanding 3-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. Once again, the 6-foot-3, 207-pound Miettinen registered the primary assist on the play as a near-capacity crowd of 7,987 raised the rafters at Angel of the Winds Arena.
"That was something else tonight," Miettinen said. "I've never heard this place that loud."
The Raiders weren't about to pack it in after 20 minutes. 16-year-old defenceman Brock Cripps converted on a power-play opportunity 4:24 into the middle period, getting Prince Albert on the scoreboard.
"The scoreboard said 3-0 after the first period, but there was lots to like about our start," said Ryan McDonald, Head Coach of the Raiders. "We came out quick, we had some opportunities, had pucks to the middle of the ice and just didn't get them off our sticks quick enough. Again, we pushed the pace and they came back and capitalized on some of the opportunities they had. We continued to build as the game went on."
But in a period where the Raiders outshot the Silvertips by a 15-9 margin, it was Everett getting the last laugh as the 6-foot, 177-pound Bear cashed in on a rebound to restore the three-goal cushion with only 46 seconds to go. From the left side, Miettinen sent a shot in on net, with the rebound coming straight out to Bear, who made no mistake to collect his sixth goal of the postseason and third of the WHL Championship.
"It all started in the morning with a fresh mindset," Bear said. "Everyone came in not down on their self. It's a fresh day, new day, new game. That was our mindset going into the morning. I love the effort from the group and obviously the result is what we needed."
Midway through the third period, Raiders captain Justice Christensen registered his second goal in as many nights, wiring a heavy shot past Silvertips netminder Anders Miller to get Prince Albert back within striking distance.
The Silvertips managed to protect the two-goal advantage, adding a pair of empty netters from Miettinen and forward Jesse Heslop to secure the 6-2 win.
In the blue paint, Miller turned in an excellent performance for Everett. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound product of Anchorage, Alaska, made 37 saves to earn his 13th victory of the 2026 WHL Playoffs.
Special teams were a factor once again, with the Silvertips going 2-for-4 on the power play. On the other side, Prince Albert was 1-for-3.
The best-of-seven WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien is tied 1-1 through two games. Game 3 of the WHL Championship Series is set for 7:30 p.m. MT on Tuesday, May 12, at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert, Sask. The winner of the best-of-seven series will advance to the 2026 Memorial Cup presented by Kubota in Kelowna, B.C., which is scheduled for Friday, May 22, through Sunday, May 31.
All seven games of the WHL Championship Series are available in Canada on TSN. Viewers can also stream the entire series globally and for FREE on Victory+.
Western Hockey League Stories from May 10, 2026
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