Quick answer: The Everett Silvertips beat the Kelowna Rockets 2-1 in overtime on April 17 to close out their second-round playoff series 4-1 and punch their ticket to the WHL Western Conference Final against the Penticton Vees. Defenseman Landon DuPont scored the series-clinching goal 29 seconds into overtime. Game 1 is Thursday, April 23 at Angel of the Winds Arena.
Landon DuPont Closes It. Again.
Twenty-nine seconds into overtime. That’s all the Everett Silvertips needed on Friday night to end the Kelowna Rockets’ season and send themselves to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2022.
Landon DuPont, the Silvertips’ 17-year-old blueliner and the player the whole hockey world is already watching, ripped a shot from the point that caught a redirection off a Kelowna defensive skate and beat Rockets goaltender Josh Banini. Game over. Series over. On to Penticton.
If you were at Angel of the Winds Arena on Friday, you know the sound that place made. Five thousand people going absolutely sideways at once. That sound only happens here when the Tips do something that matters in April, and this one absolutely mattered.
How Game 5 Went Down
This was a goaltending duel through two periods. Scoreless into the third, with Kelowna’s Banini standing on his head and Everett’s Anders Miller matching him every step of the way. Miller finished with 30 saves on 31 shots. Banini ended the night at 53 saves on 55 shots — a heroic effort that just barely wasn’t enough.
The scoring didn’t start until 11:34 of the third, when Carter Bear — the Tips’ captain and heart — broke the deadlock with a shorthanded goal. Shorthanded. In Game 5. With everything on the line. That’s the kind of moment that ends up on the highlight reel for a decade.
But Kelowna wasn’t done. With 1:13 left in regulation and their net empty, Shane Smith snuck one past Miller to tie it at 1-1 and force overtime. You could feel the arena tighten up. Twenty-four hours earlier, the Tips had coughed up a 3-0 lead in Game 4 and lost in OT to Tij Iginla. The ghost of that collapse was right there in the building.
And then DuPont ended it.
The Series in Five Lines
- Game 1 (Everett): Tips 4, Rockets 1
- Game 2 (Everett): Tips 4, Rockets 2
- Game 3 (Kelowna): Tips 4, Rockets 1
- Game 4 (Kelowna): Rockets 4, Tips 3 (OT) — the 3-0 collapse
- Game 5 (Everett): Tips 2, Rockets 1 (OT) — DuPont in overtime
Series: Everett 4, Kelowna 1. Postseason record: 9-1-0-0. The regular-season champs are playing the hockey we all thought they would.
Next Up: The Penticton Vees in the Western Conference Final
Here’s what we know about the Western Conference Championship matchup:
The Penticton Vees advanced by sweeping the Prince George Cougars in four games in their own second round. That’s the kind of detail that tells you Penticton is not a cupcake draw. Sweeping anyone in the WHL playoffs takes something real.
Game 1 is Thursday, April 23 at 7:05 PM at Angel of the Winds Arena. Game 2 is Saturday, April 25 at 6:30 PM, also in Everett. Tickets are available through the Silvertips’ playoff ticket central page. For the team that just won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as WHL regular-season champions with a franchise-best 57-8-2-1 record, home ice advantage all the way through the Western Conference Final is exactly what you’d expect. Use it.
Why This Silvertips Team Is Different
The Landon DuPont story alone is enough to draw fans from outside the arena’s normal catchment. DuPont is playing his first season of major junior at 17 after receiving exceptional status — the same designation given to John Tavares, Connor McDavid, Shane Wright, and Connor Bedard. He has lived up to the billing and then some. The game-winners in the playoffs are becoming a pattern, not a coincidence.
Around him, Carter Bear is having the captain’s postseason that Everett fans have been waiting for. Anders Miller in net has quietly been one of the best goaltenders still playing in the WHL. And the depth that got Everett to a franchise-record regular season is showing up when it matters.
Four wins from the WHL Championship Final. Eight wins from a Memorial Cup berth. That’s where we are.
Get to the Arena
If you’ve been waiting for a reason to go see this team before the Funko Field stadium conversation, the Conference Final is it. Angel of the Winds Arena is going to be loud on the 23rd. It’s going to be louder on the 25th. If the Tips take care of business at home, we’re looking at a potential series-clinching game back in Everett by early May.
Tickets, parking, and clear bag policy details are all at everettsilvertips.com. Pregame warmups start 20 minutes before puck drop. Get there early. This is the run we’ve been waiting for.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Silvertips-Vees Western Conference Final start?
Game 1 is Thursday, April 23 at 7:05 PM at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett. Game 2 is Saturday, April 25 at 6:30 PM, also in Everett.
Who scored the overtime winner in Game 5?
Defenseman Landon DuPont scored 29 seconds into overtime, sending the Silvertips past Kelowna 2-1 and clinching the second-round series 4-1.
What is the Silvertips’ playoff record so far?
Everett is 9-1 in the 2026 playoffs after sweeping Portland in the first round 4-0 and beating Kelowna 4-1 in the second round.
Why is Landon DuPont such a big deal?
DuPont, 17, is playing his first WHL season under exceptional status — a designation previously granted to players including John Tavares, Connor McDavid, Shane Wright, and Connor Bedard. He is widely projected as a top pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Did the Silvertips have home ice advantage?
Yes. Everett finished the regular season at 57-8-2-1, the best record in the WHL, and won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy. That earned them home ice through the Western Conference Final.
How did Kelowna get eliminated?
The Rockets lost the series 4-1. After dropping the first three games, Kelowna won a wild Game 4 in overtime before losing Game 5 at Angel of the Winds Arena 2-1 in OT. Kelowna’s focus now shifts to the Memorial Cup, which they are hosting.
Where can I buy tickets for the Western Conference Final?
Tickets are available at everettsilvertips.com through the playoff ticket central page. Single-game tickets for Games 1 and 2 at Angel of the Winds Arena are on sale now.
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