Silvertips would not be denied first WHL championship

Everett downs Raiders 7-2 in Game 5 to clinch league title

The Silvertips raise the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – The Everett Silvertips were not going to let an opportunity go to waste, and as a result, they are Western Hockey League champions for the first time in team history.

On Friday night before a sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators at the 2,580 seat storied and historic Art Hauser Centre, the visiting Silvertips downed the Prince Albert Raiders 7-2 in Game 5 of the WHL Championship Series. With the win, the Silvertips, who have never missed the WHL Playoffs since entering the league in the 2003-04 campaign, claim the best-of-seven series 4-1 to capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions.

The Silvertips begin celebrating their WHL title win.

“It is hard to put into words to be honest with you,” said Silvertips head coach Steve Hamilton. “The support we’ve had in Everett it is just an unbelievable franchise.

“It is an unbelievable fan base, and this has been just a team above all. I couldn’t ask for more from them. It has been a special group and a special year, and I just have all kinds of love and respect for them.”

The Silvertips have gone to the league final twice previously in their history. They got there as an expansion team in 2004 and again in 2018 and weren’t able to come up with a WHL title on either occasion.

The Silvertips captains receive the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Silvertips star defenceman Landon DuPont said everyone on this year’s team was pretty pumped to win the club’s first WHL title in the franchise’s history.

“We worked all year for this,” said DuPont. “To do it with this group of guys, for these coaches, the leadership group and all the 20-year-old, it is unreal.”

Like they have done all series, the Silvertips started fast and succeeded in scoring the first goal in all five games of the set. Just 68 seconds into Friday’s contest, Silvertips 20-year-old centre Zackary Shantz broke down the left wing of the Prince Albert zone and put a backhanded pass across the face of the Raiders net to 18-year-old left-winger Shea Busch.

Anders Miller skates with the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

Busch popped home what would be his first of three goals on the night. He said his first tally that put the Silvertips up 2-0 on their second shot on goal of the contest was key in starting the squad on the path to victory.

“We wanted to do that just set the tone,” said Busch. “I think that is what we’ve been trying to do all year.”

Everett would proceed to control play for much of the opening frame holding a 14-5 edge in shots on goal. 

With 4:03 remaining in the first, Silvertips 19-year-old defenceman Mattias Uyeda fired home a shot through a screen from the top of the left faceoff circle to put the visitors up 2-0.

The Raiders mull over falling in the WHL final.

The Raiders started the second with a full two minute power play, but the Silvertips got to show how good they are at protecting their end of the ice. Raiders star defenceman Daxon Rudolph was denied on a prime scoring chance due to a shot block from Silvertips sturdy defensive-defenceman Luke Vlooswyk.

“I think it was a big momentum shift in the game,” said Vlooswyk. “Obviously, it didn’t feel too good.

“It is the finals, and I know anyone on this team is willing to block a shot for their team. It was great.”

Shea Busch had a hat trick for the Silvertips.

The Raiders did use their spirited start of the second period to get on the scoreboard. At the 3:38 mark of the second, Raiders star 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube popped home a rebound at the front of the Silvertips net to trim Everett’s lead to 2-1.

While the Raiders pressed, the Silvertips would close the second frame with a couple of dagger goals to push their advantage out to 4-1. Everett standout defenceman Brek Liske scored with 5:09 remaining in the second. Busch potted his second of the contest with 43.5 seconds left in the stanza putting a shot on goal that banked off Raiders defenceman Linden Burrett into the Prince Albert net during a power play.

Busch would complete his hat trick at the 6:17 mark of the third. On a set play off an offensive zone faceoff, Shantz won a draw to Busch who fired home a shot from the top of the right faceoff dot to make the Silvertips lead sit at 5-1. Busch almost couldn’t believe he got a hat trick in the Silvertips WHL title clinching game.

Zackary Shantz had three assists for the Silvertips.

“It was pretty special,” said Busch. “I wasn’t thinking about me too much.

“I knew we were up a lot. I was just waiting for the clock to go down.”

Just 50 seconds after Busch scored his hat trick goal, Silvertips 20-year-old centre Nolan Chastko scored to make the visitor’s lead stand at 6-1. At that point in the contest, Raiders 20-year-old captain and star defenceman Justice Christensen admitted he felt like things were getting away from his team.

“They got up 6-1, and I looked up at the clock,” said Christensen, who exhausted his major junior eligibility with Friday’s loss. “Not that we would ever quit, but it was looking like this was going to be my final game in my Western League career.

Brayden Dube scored the Raiders first goal on Friday.

“That was tough to kind of think about and kind of wrap my head around that this would be my final game. Overall, I’m really happy with how the guys handled themselves today and went about our business.”

Christensen proceeded to score on one last “Juice Bomb” with a point shot on a power-play goal with 8:56 remaining in the third. That tally trimmed the Silvertips lead to 6-2. Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald appreciated the fact his team kept battling against a tough foe.

“Give them (the Silvertips) credit, they played hard,” said McDonald. “They capitalize on their opportunities.

“I look at our group. We kept fighting. We kept battling no matter what the score was.

Brek Liske had the Silvertips third goal in Game 5.

“The guys played for the crest on the front of the jersey and laid it right on the line until the final buzzer went.”

DuPont proceeded to tally on the power play with 4:10 remaining in the third to round out the 7-2 final score in favour of the Silvertips.

Anders Miller stopped 22 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Silvertips. Michal Orsulak turned away 29 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders.

Shantz finished the game collecting three assists for the Silvertips.

As the final two minutes of the third period ticked away, Vlooswyk said the reality of what his team was going to celebrate in winning a WHL title started to sink in.

“It was pretty crazy,” said Vlooswyk. “You have to still think the game is not over, but in the back of your head, you’re already celebrating.

Nolan Chastko scored the Silvertips’ sixth goal in Game 5.

“It was so cool, and I’ll remember this moment for the rest of my life.”

Busch said he had a lot of thoughts running through his head during the final two minutes of the contest.

“I mean you’re thinking about all the guys on your team and everybody who has helped you out throughout the way like your parents, your grandparents and like everybody in your family too,” said Busch. “It is a special thing.”

Silvertips star import centre Julius Miettinen was named the most valuable player of the WHL Playoffs. While he was held pointless in Game 5, Miettinen appeared in all of Everett’s 18 post-season contests recording 27 points off 14 goals and 13 assists to go with a plus-21 rating in the plus-minus department.

Justice Christensen (#7) enjoys his final goal with the Raiders.

Going into the WHL final, there was no clear cut favourite.

Everett topped the WHL regular season standings, the Western Conference and the U.S. Division with a 57-8-2-1 record and was rated first in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings. The Silvertips 57 wins and 117 standings points are team records.

Prince Albert topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark. The Raiders were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Raiders and Silvertips went head-to-head once in the regular season, where Prince Albert posted a 4-1 victory on November 11, 2025 at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett.

Landon DuPont scored the Silvertips final goal in Game 5.

On the key injury front, the Silvertips were without star defenceman and captain Tarin Smith with an upper body injury. He was injured in Game 4 of a 6-3 victory over the Winterhawks in Portland as Everett closed out the first round series between the two clubs at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

The Raiders scratched star right-winger Brandon Gorzynski due to an undisclosed injury. He returned to play Game 4 and scored a goal in that setback for his team having missed the previous seven contests due to injury.

When it comes to the WHL final, the Raiders have made two previous trips to the league championships series in their history coming up with title wins in 1985 and 2019. Prince Albert went on to win the Memorial Cup as CHL champions in 1985. Friday’s game marked the first time the Raiders weren’t able to win a WHL title after reaching the WHL Championship Series.

Zackary Shantz enjoys a WHL title win with his family.

Now, the Silvertips will turn their attention toward the CHL championship tournament – the Memorial Cup. The newly crowned WHL champions will open play in the Memorial Cup on Saturday, May 23, when they face the champion of the QMJHL at Prospera Place in Kelowna, B.C.

In the QMJHL championship series, the Chicoutimi Sagueneens downed the Moncton Wildcats 7-6 in Moncton in Game 5 of that league’s championship series on Friday. The Sagueneens lead that best-of-seven set 3-2 and will look to close that series out in Game 6 on Sunday in Chicoutimi.

Lukas Kaplan (#12) gets hugs going with his family.

The Kitchener Rangers have won the OHL championship sweeping the Barrie Colts in that circuit’s best-of-seven title series.

The Kelowna Rockets are the host team for the Memorial Cup, and they have been practicing since falling to the Silvertips 4-1 in a Western Conference Championship Series.

The Rockets and Rangers go at it in the first game of the Memorial Cup tournament on Friday, May 22 at Prospera Place. The Memorial Cup championship game is slated for Sunday, May 31.

The Silvertips enjoy their WHL championship win.

DuPont is looking forward to playing in the Memorial Cup.

“We still have lots of hockey left,” said DuPont. “Hopefully, we can celebrate this for a few days and then get back to work and hopefully have a good Memorial Cup.”

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