| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008 7:33 am |
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 The final results are in Voting is now concluded, and the winning suggestion in the poll to determine a nickname for the Tochkin-Froese-Maxwell line is ... ... none. Sigh. The masses (or one person with an itchy mouse-button finger) have spoken, and they've decided the Tochkin-Froese-Maxwell line shouldn't have a nickname. I'm tempted to ignore the "none" result. But running a close second was the BTK Line, which for those of you who aren't aware has an unsavory history that makes it unappropriate. Then in third was the Kid Line, the default name that's been used up to this point and really isn't much different from having no name. Therefore, in the feature story running in tomorrow's paper Tochkin, Froese and Maxwell will be referred to as, well, Tochkin, Froese and Maxwell. Pretty sad. I've got to say I'm a little disappointed by the lack of imagination and audacity exhibited in the vote. But I acknowledge that my opinion dosn't necessarily correspond with the majority opinion, so I will abide by the vote. However, just in case it happens to show up from time to time here in the blogosphere, you'll know who the NC-17 line refers to. --- Now for real news. The Tips have avoided a major problem as defenseman Taylor Ellington will not be suspended for his part in the fracas at the conclusion of Wednesday's game. Both Ellington and Portland's Tayler Jordan were assessed major penalties and game misconducts after the final horn in Everett's 7-1 victory. Jordan received a one-game suspension for his cross check on Kyle Beach on which he apparently broke his stick. This is huge for the Tips as the loss of Ellington would have been a major blow. The Tips have been relying heavily on Ellington and fellow overager Graham Potuer at the back. Ellington's loss not only would have left the Tips short on experience on defense, it would have left them short period because they only have six healthy defensemen. The trade off of Ellington for Jordan would have been a huge advantage toward Portland for tomorrow's rematch, but the Tips managed to avoid that pitfall. Also, key checking forward Jesse Burt should be back in Everett's lineup tomorrow. Burt sat out Wednesday with a bruised ankle, but he practiced today and should be ready to go. However, forward Ryan White reaggravated his ankle sprain Wednesday and will not dress tomorrow. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Poll still open Just a reminder that the poll to name the Tochkin-Froese-Maxwell line (two posts down) remains open. However, I will be closing it after I get home from practice this afternoon, usually around 4 p.m. So if you feel like stuffing the ballot box, your time is winding down. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Everett 7, Portland 1 TALKING POINTS Man, it was nice seeing a game in person again. Eighteen days since the Tips last played at home and I was to the point where I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Another couple days and I would have been sitting in the stands at Olympicview, laptop in hand, banging away at NORPAC game stories, just to stay in practice. And the Tips sure put on a show for the home fans in their return. Constant offense all night with seven different players finding the net. That's the second time that's happened this season. Can you believe it? So much for the preseason prognistactions (including my own) that this team was going to struggle to find offense. This was also the first chance for us to see the new-look Portland Winter Hawks under the guidance of Mike Johnston. Frankly, they looked a lot like the old-look Winter Hawks tonight. However, it was also Portland's fifth game in six nights, so the Hawks were understandably fatigued. I suspect we'll see a different team in the rematch Friday. Speaking of the rematch, we'll see what becomes of the skirmish that broke out at the end of the game. I didn't see it personally. But what I do know is that there was a livid Kyle Beach barking at Tayler Jordan, a broken stick on the ice, an immediate retaliation by Taylor Ellington, and major penalties and game misconducts assessed to Jordan and Ellington. We'll see if either of those players gets suspended for Friday's game. If it ends up being one-for-one, that's a major advantage to Portland. One final thought. Kent Simpson made his third straight start in goal for the Tips. Hmmm ..... TURNING POINT This one was pretty much over before it started. Portland was tired from its busy schedule, and when Chris de la Lande scored 5:37 into the game on the power play it was off to the races for the Tips. HIT OF THE DAY Midway through the third period Jordan just leveled Paul Van de Velde with an open-ice hit, popping Van de Velde straight down onto his back. THREE STARS First star: Kellan Tochkin, Everett. Three assists and really pulled the strings out there. Second star: Shane Harper, Everett. A power-play all-star tonight with a goal and two assists as the Tips went a perfect 3-for-3 with the advantage. Third star: de la Lande. A goal and an assist doubled his season offensive output. The Herald's honorable mention: Zack Dailey, Everett. I'm not sure I've seen a forward who didn't record a point have so much impact on a 7-1 result. LINEUP NOTES Everett was without key checking forward Jesse Burt because of a non-disclosed lower-body injury. Burt suffered the injury blocking a shot during last Friday's 3-2 victory at Swift Current. He joined defenseman Shayne Brown (hip flexor) on the injured list. Forwards Tyler Parker and Cameron Abney were healthy scratches. Portland is missing forwards Jason Grecica (knee) and Nick Dietrich (wrist) to long-term injuries. Forward Joel Ridgeway and defensemen Ryan Kerr, Stefan Schneider and David Watt were healthy scratches. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Nickname poll I received several suggestions on nicknames for Everett's line containing 17-year-old rookies Kellan Tochkin, Byron Froese and Tyler Maxwell, so it's time to vote. A couple of things first: - I changed the suggestion of the Line From All Over to the Frequent Flyer Line. That's a little less cumbersome for someone who will potentially have to type it on multiple occasions. - I added another idea of my own: the NC-17 Line. Something to the effect of no containing the 17-year-olds. Should the line ever be reconstituted in future seasons tat nickname would have to go. But hey, they may be split up tomorrow for all we know. - I left the default Kid Line suggestion at the top of the list so that those of you who object to this process don't have to wade through the other suggestions. The rest are in alphabetical order. - And strictly for Jon Rosen's benefit (who feels I'm infringing on his turf), I turned off the function that limits people to one vote. I've got a feeling that was a really bad idea, but I am curious to see what happens. As they say in politics, "vote early and vote often." So, without further ado: ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Reader question of the week Everett's line of Kellan Tochkin, Byron Froese and Tyler Maxwell just keeps rolling along. The 17-year-old rookies carried the Tips offensively during their road trip through the East Division, and over the past 13 games they've combined for a staggering 46 points. Tochkin now has 24 points in 22 games, Froese 18 points in 22 games and Maxwell 16 points in 21 games. Which brings us to this: This trio is just crying out for a nickname. Great lines need a distinctive moniker. Whether it's the legendary Russian KLM line, Philadelphia's fabled Production Line, or even Everett's Joes Line from two seasons ago, names for lines are common and give color to the game. So far the Tochkin-Froese-Maxwell line has generally been referred to as the Kid Line or the Young Guns, rather ordinary names. I think we need to come up with something a little more distinctive. So what I'd like today are for you readers to throw out some suggestions. The wilder and more creative the ideas, the better. I have a few ideas of my own, too. If I get enough worthwhile suggestions what I'll do is create a poll and let everyone vote on them. Then when I write a feature story on them (probably later this week), I'll introduce the new nickname there. So get to work people! ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Road trip wrap (updated) The Tips completed their longest road trip of the season last night with their 3-2 victory at Swift Current. Everett finished 3-1-2-0 on its swing through the East Division. That included victories against good Regina and Swift Current teams and a not-so-good Moose Jaw team; overtime losses to a good Saskatoon team and an average Prince Albert team; and a loss to a good Brandon team. Now that it's all over, here's my thoughts on the trip from afar: - I think this road trip has to be considered a smashing success for the Tips. Everett went into the trip struggling mightily on the road, procuring just three points from its first seven road games. With eight points in six games, including points in five of the six, the Tips may have just put to rest concerns about Everett and the road. - The other thing that the Tips were really struggling with going into the trip was penalty killing, mired down in the 75-percent range. Well, the Tips killed off 31 of the 32 power plays they faced on the trip, so that seems to have sorted itself out. - How impressive does Everett's young guns line of Byron Froese, Kellan Tochkin and Tyler Maxwell continue to be? The trio combined for 21 points in the six games and carried the Tips offensively. Those three are now all in the top six in the league in rookie scoring. - Young defensemen Paul Sohor and Drew McDermott seem to have passed their trial by fire. With Shayne Brown out injured and Jeff Regier traded just before the team departed, those two played every game on the trip. I couldn't tell you how much ice time they got, but it didn't sound like they were overmatched, and I imagine they got a heavy dose of opposing top lines since Everett's opponents had the last line change throughout. - Now, what's going to happen with Everett's goaltending situation? Shayne Barrie and Kent Simpson each played three games during the trip. Barrie was 1-1-1-0, Simpson went 2-0-1-0. Barrie had the best game of the two in the double regulation shootout at Saskatoon, but also had the worst game in the 6-3 loss at Brandon. Simpson also had a blip when he couldn't hold the 3-0 third-period lead at Prince Albert, but otherwise sounded solid. Simpson also was in goal for the final two games of the trip. Are we seeing a trend toward a new No. 1? This is a question Jeff Camp alluded in the comments section of the previous blog post, the one about Simpson being selected for Team Pacific. I don't have any inside knowledge at this point, but my guess is that Barrie will be back in net Wednesday against Portland. Yes, Simpson has the better numbers right now. But when considering this question I continue to harken back to the 2005-06 season. That season Leland Irving, as a 17-year-old, started something like 66 of the 72 games during the regular season, then broke physicaly down in the playoffs just when he was needed most. There's a serious risk in playing a young goalie more than he's physically ready for. Last season Simpson probably played about 25 games total. Is he really ready to make the immediate jump to 50, especially when you factor in the rigorous travel schedule? I suspect the Tips are very conscious of the situation and will act accordingly. Especially since, despite the winning record, this season is still probably a developmental one for Everett. --- UPDATE, 1 p.m. I forgot one thing. The theme of the road trip for the Tips was the moustache, with the players growing theirs out throughout the trip. There's a video on the Tips' Web site here where you can see what transpired. It's pretty amusing seeing all the players with their new looks. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Simpson selected Everett goaltender Kent Simpson was selected to represent Team Pacific at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge, it was announced today. Team Pacific is comprised of players who reside in British Columbia and Alberta. He was the only Everett player or prospect picked for Team Pacific or Team West (Saskatchewan and Manitoba). The 16-year-old netminder has shown plenty of promise this season as he challenges Shayne Barrie for the No. 1 spot. The most interesting part about his selection is he beat out Medicine Hat's Tyler Bunz as the goaltender from Alberta. Bunz was selected one spot ahead of Simpson in the first round of the 2007 bantam draft. The U-17 World Hockey Challenge takes place in Port Alberni, B.C., which is located on Vancouver Island, so Simpson won't have far to travel. However, the tournament takes place from Dec. 28-Jan. 4, which means he could miss as many as five Silvertip games. Twenty-one of Team Pacific's 22 players are from the WHL, which means it should be a strong challenger for the title, so there's a good chance Simpson will be gone for the duration. I guess that means we'll be seing Kraymer Barnstable on the bench for several games around the new year. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! A quick rant It's as if they were reading my mind. Yesterday both Gregg Drinnan and Alan Caldwell (links to the left) addressed the issue of the way points are awarded for wins and losses in hockey. The timing on that is impeccable, since I was planning on posting a rant on that very subject today. The idea they discuss is a points format proposed by hockey fan Bill Motiuk. You can check Gregg's blog for the full details of Motiuk's formula. Anyway, I thought I'd summarize my own thoughts on the subject. Ever since I began covering hockey there was one thing that really bothered me. Why is a game that is decided in regulation worth two total points while a game that is decided in overtime or a shootout worth three? Essentially what's happening is that games that end in a tie in regulation are worth 50-percent more than games that are won outright. How much sense does that make? As I understand it, the original intent for awarding a point to a team that loses in overtime was to encourage teams to go for the win in overtime rather than play conservatively to ensure a tie point. But in doing that haven't the powers that be just encouraged teams to play for the tie in regulation? It seems to me that the best strategy for coaches to employ is to agree beforehand to play to a regulation tie, then start playing for real in OT, thereby maximizing the points available from the game. I don't think anyone wants that. I'm not sure that Motiuk's solution is the answer, as it again changes the overall value of each game depending at which stage the game is won. However, I do think that if there's going to continue to points awarded for OT/shootout losses, a regulation win needs to be worth more than just two points. I think that needs to be the starting point for any discussion, and I think that discussion needs to take place. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Alumni update Last week I provided an update on Everett's future. Today I thought I'd give a report on Everett's past. With five seasons of Silvertips hockey in the books, there's a growing list of Everett alumni now playing in the professional ranks. Here's a list of ex-Tips and how their pro seasons are going so far. Statistics are through last Saturday: NHL Peter Mueller, F, Phoenix Coyotes, 14 games, 5-5-10, 2 PIM AHL Riley Armstrong, F, Worcester Sharks, 10 games, 4-3-7, 12 PIM Brady Calla, F, Rochester Americans, 8 games, 0-1-1, 9 PIM Zach Hamill, F, Providence Bruins, out injured Shaun Heshka, D, Manitoba Moose, 12 games, 0-4-4, 4 PIM Leland Irving, G, Quad City Flames, 3 games, 1-2-0-0, 3.71, .828 John Lammers, F, Houston Aeros, 11 games, 5-5-10, 2 PIM Mitch Love, D, Houston Aeros, 8 games, 0-0-0, 9 PIM ECHL Curtis Billsten, F, Victoria Salmon Kings, 6 games, 2-2-4, 2 PIM Dane Crowley, D, Phoenix Roadrunners, 3 games, 1-0-1, 9 PIM Dan Gendur, F, Victoria Salmon Kings, 7 games, 2-5-7, 21 PIM Moises Gutierrez, F, Elmira Jackals, 8 games, 5-2-7, 7 PIM CHL Barry Horman, F, Wichita Thunder, 2 games, 0-0-0, 6 PIM Bryan Nathe, D, Wichita Thunder, 8 games, 1-6-7, 14 PIM Matt Suderman, D, Arizona Sundogs, 10 games, 0-2-2, 35 PIM EUROPE Ivan Baranka, D, Moscow Spartak (Russia), 21 games, 2-0-2, 24 PIM Chad Bassen, F, Straubing Tigers (Germany), 17 games, 2-3-5, 14 PIM Marc Desloges, F, Passau Black Hawks (Germany II), 17 games, 8-9-17, 4 PIM Ondrej Fiala, F, Moscow Spartak (Russia), n/a Karel Hromas, F, Sparta Praha (Czech), 20 games, 0-2-2, 20 PIM Vitaly Karamnov, F, Moscow Dynamo (Russia), 7 games, 0-0-0, 4 PIM Alex Leavitt, F, Kassel Huskies (Germany), n/a Martin Ruzicka, F, Znojemstri Excalibur Orli, 19 games, 2-4-6, 20 PIM ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Reader poll of the week This week I want to do a little "what if" thinking. With the departure of Matt Ius and the trade of Jeff Regier, there are currently just 10 players remaining on Everett's roster who were full-time members of the team last season. That means 14 are gone. Some are graduated overagers, some joined NHL organizations, some weren't invited back. But several left of their own volition. So let's consider the players who left by their own choice. These are players who could have returned and been contributors on this season's team, but for whatever reason decided they were better off elsewhere. Everett's been about a .500 team so far this season. With any or all of those players that winning percentage may be different. And I'm sure that most fans have a particular player they wish was still with the team. So I want to know who you'd want back. Feel free to explain your choice in the comments section, and I'll be happy to give my own take on your analysis. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Road trip report Everett is halfway through its longest road trip of the season, getting four points from the first three games of its swing through the East Division, thanks to a victory over Regina and overtime losses to Saskatoon and Prince Albert. However, the Tips are also left ruing missed opportunities. Here's some some thoughts at the halfway mark: THE GOOD - The Tips are finally getting something on the road. Everett managed just three points from its first seven road games of the season, so four points from three games is a good return. - Goaltender Shayne Barrie seems to be finding his game. Barrie really hadn't found his legs yet this season, but he gave up just two goals in his two games, stopping 58 of the 60 shots he faced. - Everett's penalty kill has returned. Killing at an abysmal 75 percent going into the trip, the Tips have killed off all 16 opposing power plays so far and scored twice while short-handed. THE BAD - Everett's top line hasn't done anything. Two of Daniel Bartek's three goals came on the penalty kill, while Kyle Beach and Shane Harper each have just one assist, both of those coming on the same Bartek empty-net goal. The Tips tried replacing Harper with Dale Hunt on the top line Saturday, but to no immediate effect. Everett's best players need to play like it. - Everett may have sorted out its penalty kill, but the power play is struggling. The Tips are just 1-for-18 with the advantage so far in the trip, making for a mixed special-teams bag. THE UGLY A point doesn't get much worse than Everett 4-3 overtime loss at Prince Albert tonight. If I recall correctly, the last time the Tips couldn't hold a 3-0 third-period victory was a certain Game 5 against Prince George in the 2006 playoffs. Anything that harkens back to that game is bad news for the Tips. We'll see if the Tips can avoid shell shock during Tuesday afternoon's game at Brandon. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Tips deal Ius Everett found a suitor for disgruntled right wing Matt Ius, sending him to Swift Current in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. The 18-year-old Ius left the team last week, citing the desire for a more prominent role and a dwindling passion for the game. He had seven goals and eight assists in 87 games over four seasons with the Tips. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Keep tabs on Everett's prospects With the Tips out of town for two weeks, and particularly with the team traveling through Saskatchewan and picking up the occasional prospect to join practice, I figured it was a good time to provide a Tips prospect locator. I haven't found where everyone is playing and, of course, the last few spots on the 50-player list are constantly in flux, so I can't say for sure that everyone here is still Everett property. But I've split the players into categories that should at least narrow the probabilities down. Stats, if listed, are what were available Wednesday night, and birth years are in parentheses: ATTENDED TRAINING CAMP AND WAS ON THE LIST Brenden Stephen (90) D - Quesnel Millionaires, BCHL. 8 games, 0-1-1, 6 PIM. Paul Grenier (91) F - OCN Blizzard, MJHL. 11 games, 1-3-4, 0 PIM. Gabe Minville (92) D - Winnipeg Wild, Manitoba Midget AAA. 11 games, 1-3-4, 16 PIM. D.Jay McGrath (92) F - Saskatoon Contacts, SMAAAHL. 10 games, 6-4-10, 16 PIM. Kyle Janzen (92) D - Beardy's Blackhawks, SMAAAHL. 10 games, 0-0-0, 8 PIM. Brett Kolins (92) D - Abbotsford Pilots, PIJHL. 17 games, 0-4-4, 81 PIM. Mitch Boucher (92) D - Moose Jaw Warriors, SMAAAHL. 13 games, 1-9-10, 14 PIM. Campbell Elynuik (92) F - Calgary Royals, AMHL. 10 games, 3-3-6, 12 PIM. Devin Dambrauskas (92) D - unknown. Ryan Doner (92) F - Kent Valley Selects, Midget AAA. n/a. Ryan Murray (93) D - Moose Jaw Warriors, SMAAAHL. 12 games, 0-6-6, 6 PIM. Tyler Giebel (93) F - Regina Pat Canadians, SMAAAHL. 13 games, 2-6-8, 4 PIM. Joshua Winquist (93) F - St. Albert Raiders, AMHL. n/a. Michael Berry (93) D - Edmonton Canadians, AMHL. 9 games, 5-4-9, 12 PIM. Kole Harvey (93) F - Southwest Cougars, Manitoba Midget AAA. 7 games, 2-1-3, 2 PIM. Evan Morden (93) D - Parkland Rangers, Manitoba Midget AAA. 11 games, 0-1-1, 0 PIM. Ryan Cadieux (93) G - unknown. Matthew Lumsden (93) F - Winnipeg Sharks, Winnipeg Midget AAA. 8 games, 5-10-15, 4 PIM. Jeremy Ward (93) F - Langley Eagles, Midget AAA. n/a. Keifer Johnston (93) D - unknown. DID NOT ATTEND TRAINING CAMP BUT WAS ON THE LIST Jordan Schroeder (90) F - U. Minnesota. 6 games, 2-6-8, 2 PIM. Brett Chartier (91) F - Lincoln Stars, USHL. 9 games, 5-6-11, 24 PIM. Brad Robbins (91) F - Shattuck St. Mary's varsity. 18 games, 6-10-16, 8 PIM. Justin Waskewitch (92) F - Beardy's Blackhawks, SMAAAHL. 4 games, 0-2-2, 2 PIM. Austin Wuthrich (93) F - Alaska All-Stars, U-16 AAA. 24 games, 9-12-21, 10 PIM. ATTENDED TRAINING CAMP, WAS NOT ON THE LIST, BUT PLAYED SO WELL THERE'S NO WAY HE ISN'T ON IT NOW Manraj Hayer (93) F - Greater Vancouver Canadians, BCMML. 14 games, 8-6-14, 4 PIM. LISTED SINCE TRAINING CAMP Kraymer Barnstable (90) G - Nipawin Hawks, SJHL. 7 Games, 2-4-0-1, 3.67, .893. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Reader poll of the week Pretty simple one this week. The Tips have departed on their six-game road trip through the East Division, the team's biggest road test of the season. Everett is 7-2-0-0 at home this season and 1-5-1-0 on the road. So my question is this: Feel free to be more specific in the comments section. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Edmonton 3, Everett 1 TALKING POINTS Well, pretty simple formula tonight. When you've got a struggling penalty kill and you take a bunch of penalties, you lose you're seven-game home winning streak. Everett gave Edmonton seven power plays versus just three for themselves. The Oil Kings scored twice on the power play and got their third just as a power play expired. There's your difference in the game. Want an idea of how things are going for Everett's penalty kill? On Edmonton's first goal Jesse Burt blocked a shot from the point, but fanned on a free clearing attempt. Tomas Vincour reached in and swept a shot under Everett goaltender Kent Simpson through traffic. And Edmonton played a really good game tonight. The Oil Kings played hard and played smart. They did a great job closing the Tips down whenever they had the puck and making it difficult for the Tips to connect, both in the offensive and defensive zones. The Tips thus head into their six-game trip through the East Division off a loss. It'll be interesting to see how a team that's 1-5-1-0 on the road so far this season fares on that trip. TURNING POINT With 33 seconds remaining in the first period and Edmonton leading 1-0, Everett's Kyle Beach took a questionable hooking penalty. Beach was slapped with an unsportmanlike conduct penalty for arguing the call, then a 10-minute misconduct when he rapped the glass with his stick. Edmonton essentially scored during both of Beach's minors (aided by a Graham Potuer cross checking penalty that gave the Oil Kings a five-on-three), and the Tips were forced to play almost the entire second period without their best player. There was no recovery from that. HIT OF THE DAY Early in the second period Everett's Taylor Ellington leveled Jeff Lee with a shoulder charge in the corner. It sure seems like Ellington is getting a lot of these. THREE STARS First star: Craig McCallum, Edmonton. Two goals in an opportunistic night for him. Second star: Torrie Jung, Edmonton. Made 30 saves and was particularly strong early during Everett's best stretch of the game. Third star: Shane Harper, Everett. Prevented the shutout with his third-period goal. The Herald's honorable mention: Pat Smith, referee. He didn't do the Tips any favors tonight. LINEUP NOTES Everett iced the same lineup it used in Friday's 3-2 victory over Spokane. Defenseman Shayne Brown is out with a hip flexor injury. Forwards Dale Hunt, Markus McCrea and Cameron Abney were healthy scratches. Edmonton has defensemen Adrian Van de Mosselaer (back spasms) and Drew Nichol (concussion) and goaltender Dalyn Flette (foot) out injured. Forward Colton Stephenson and defenseman Kieran Friesen were healthy scratches. Forward Braden Adamyk, who is still listed on the roster, was reassigned earlier. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Halloween treat Just thought I'd pass along the link for the Tips' Halloween photo gallery. In particular, I wanted to point out the custom player screen shots they made for flashing on the big screen last night. They're quite amusing. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Everett 3, Spokane 2 TALKING POINTS The Tips must be carrying 50 players this season. There's the 25 who travel for the road games, then a completely different 25 who play at home. That has to be the only explanation for why Everett is such a different team at home versus on the road -- 7-1-0-0 with a plus-11 goal differential at home, 1-5-1-0 with a minus-16 goal differential on the road. How else do you explain tonight? The Tips were absolutely destroyed the two times they played in Spokane, losing by a combined score of 10-1 and getting outshot 97-50 by the defending Memorial Cup champions. But Everett was the better team tonight and deserving of the victory. And how about Graham Potuer? For four years I'm not sure the stay-at-home defenseman ever even crossed the blue line into the offensive zone. But his two set-ups tonight -- a great play after a length-of-the-ice rush to set up Kyle Beach's goal, then a perfect 120-foot pass to release Zack Dailey for a breakaway goal -- looked like something from Bobby Orr. Kent Simpson had a solid game in goal for the Tips with 23 saves. The bigger news there is that the 16-year-old rookie will start again tomorrow against Edmonton, ahead of veteran Shayne Barrie. Everett coach John Becanic said he'd stick with the hot hand, and we'll see how long that lasts. One last thing. I wanted to give props to Mike Alexander for his mad dash that prevented Beach from scoring for both teams, as Beach's wayward pass during a delayed penalty was just cleared off the line by a diving Alexander. TURNING POINT The big turn was made by the bus. The fact that Everett didn't have to ride one and Spokane did completely changed the matchup from previous encounters in Spokane. HIT OF THE DAY Midway through the third period Everett's Taylor Ellington laid out Blake Gal with a full-speed shoulder charge that sent Gal flying. THREE STARS First star: Simpson. Solid, but I'm not sure he had to do anything spectacular tonight as his defense played well. Second star: Potuer. Where has this offensive Graham Potuer been hiding? Good in his own end, too. Third star: Dustin Tokarski, Spokane. The Chiefs goaltender was outstanding tonight and kept Spokane in it during the first two periods. The Herald's honorable mention: The rest of Everett's defense. The old guys were strong and the young guys were solid. By far the best defensive performance turned in by the Tips at home so far this season. LINEUP NOTES Everett had Beach back in the lineup. He sat out Tuesday's 7-6 shootout victory over Tri-City because of back spasms. Defenseman Shayne Brown remains sidelined because of a hip flexor injury. Forwards Markus McCrea and Cameron Abney were healthy scratches, while newly-acquired forward Dale Hunt has yet to arrive. Spokane was without two key players as center Justin McCrae (knee) and defenseman Jared Spurgeon (ankle) are out injured. Defenseman Cory Baldwin was a healthy scratch. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Tips make trade (updated) Everett made a significant deal this morning, sending 17-year-old defenseman Jeff Regier to Prince George in exchange for 18-year-old forward Dale Hunt and a seventh-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Hunt was the third-overall pick in the 2005 bantam draft, but hasn't yet produced in the WHL and was sent home earlier this season for disciplinary purposes. Regier was the only 16-year-old on Everett's roster last season and was a regular so far this season. My initial reaction to this trade is that it's a curious one. I suppose I can understand the appeal of adding Hunt. He's a player with potential, and peering into the future the Tips can probably use another 1990-born forward, considering Matt Ius left the team and Kyle Beach is a possible NHLer next season. Then again, Hunt hasn't yet fulfilled his promise, and getting sent home is cause for concern. On the other end, I'm not certain about trading away Regier. Everett's defense has been struggling, and now the Tips have dealt away perhaps their most promising young d-man. Regier may not have progressed the way he hinted when a 15-year-old, but he's still a tough customer who can get better. I'll have more insight on this one after I talk to people this afternoon. Everett now has a logjam up front again with 15 forwards, and they also head into their road trip with just six healthy defensemen (with Shayne Brown still out). I wonder if we'll be seeing Brenden Stephen back with the team. --- UPDATE 6:30 p.m. OK, here's a quick rundown of the Hunt-Regier trade after speaking with Everett general manager Doug Soetaert. - The Tips decided to take a chance on Hunt, hoping he turns out to be a player who just needed a change of scenery. They don't expect him to come in and immediately be a major contributor, but they hope at some point over the next couple years he develops into a top-six forward. - Hunt is expected to arrive in town tomorrow, but it might be a week or so before he gets in the lineup. He's been away from hockey for about 2 1/2 weeks and the Tips want to make sure he's in game shape before throwing him into action. - The trade was not made in reaction to the departure of Matt Ius. In fact, the Tips have been tracking Hunt for a while and nearly pulled the trigger on a deal for him last week. - Regier is the player going the other way because the team had to give something up in order to get Hunt. Also, Everett intends on working fellow 17-year-old defensemen Drew McDermott and Paul Sohor into the lineup more. This frees up ice time for them, while keeping Regier in a situation where he isn't seeing his playing time cut back. - Oh, one last thing. The Tips are not calling up a defenseman to fill Regier's spot. They won't make a move until it's necessary. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Ius leaves team (updated) Major news today as right wing Matt Ius has left the team. More to follow. --- UPDATE 5:45 p.m. So the Tips are down yet another veteran as Ius informed the team of his decision today. The 18-year-old Ius, a second-round bantam pick in 2005 and in his second full season with the team, was a key checking forward and penalty killer for the Tips. However, he cited the desire for a more-prominent role, as well as a dwindling passion for the game, in his decision to leave the team. This is apparently something that's been brewing for a while. The crux of the situation seems to be a difference in opinion on what Ius' role should be. The Tips presently saw Ius as a checker, a third-line role he's essentially played since becoming a full-time member of the team. However, Ius wants to be an offensive player. He was a scorer at lower levels, but had just seven goals and eight assists in 87 career games with the Tips. He received some power-play time this season, but with the emergence of the 17-year-old rookie line of Kellan Tochkin, Byron Froese and Tyler Maxwell, the opportunity to move into Everett's top six forwards diminished. Ius hasn't requested a trade. He said he'd like to take a step down and play junior A in the BCHL, where he could rebuild his confidence. However, the Tips have placed Ius on their suspended list, which prevents him from joining another league (although the Evan Pighin saga illustrates that may not be 100-percent effective). Everett general manager Doug Soetaert said he would try to trade Ius, presumably to a team that would use Ius in an offensive role, but that it would be a difficult task. This is a significant blow to the Tips. Ius was one of Everett's few big-bodied forwards. And with Everett's penalty kill already struggling, losing a top penalty killer isn't going to help. Personally, Ius always struck me as a player with talent, but for whatever reason it never quite manifested itself in Everett. He would show glimpses of offensive potential, particularly in practice, but the finish was never quite there in games. I'm going to miss him, and hopefully in returning to his home in Pitt Meadows, B.C., he can find his peace of mind. Ius became the fifth player from last season's team to either leave or choose not to return, joining forwards Vitaly Karamnov, Lukas Vartovnik and Tyler Skauge and defenseman Jonathan Harty. The Everett roster is now almost back to one-half rookies (getting younger and younger). The fortunate thing for Everett is that the Tips should still be OK from a numbers standpoint. Everett was carrying 15 forwards, which was probably one too many for getting everyone the games they needed. --- The other news of the day is that left wing Kyle Beach was selected to participate in the Canada-Russia Challenge. Beach was one of 25 Canadian-born WHLers selected for the games, which pit the WHL vs. a Russian all-star team on Nov. 26 in Swift Current and Nov. 27 in Prince Albert. The Canada-Russia Challenge is one of the events used to evaluate players for Canada's World Junior Hockey Championships team. Beach is expected to play in both games. What's interesting about this is it might be an indication that Beach is off Hockey Canada's blacklist. Beach drew the ire of Hockey Canada thanks to the infamous "Team Ontario" incident while playing for the Canadian U-18 team in the summer of 2007. Beach has been shunned by Hockey Canada ever since. Although the Canada-Russia Challenge team is selected by the WHL and not Hockey Canada, it still suggests there's a chance Beach is back in the mix for World Juniors. Beach, who missed Tuesday's game with back spasms, practiced in a limited capacity today and is questionable for tomorrow's game against Spokane. Defenseman Shayne Brown remains out with a hip flexor injury. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Everett 7, Tri-City 6 (SO) TALKING POINTS You know what? I must need my eyes checked, because I just can't believe what I'm seeing. After five years of watching the Tips churn out one of the league's top defensive teams season after season, this is just too much for me. Check out this stat. In Everett's last five home game there have been 50 -- that's right, FIFTY! -- goals scored. And you know what else? They're all Everett victories. Tonight was just more of the same, with kamikaze offense and defense going both ways throughout the first two periods before it settled down a little in the third. And mind you, the Tips did this tonight without star winger Kyle Beach, who was scratched because of back spasms. Six different goal scorers for Everett again tonight. What's going on? Wasn't this a team that lost all it's offense from a season ago? I wasn't sure I would ever witness anything quite like Everett's 8-6 victory over Kelowna. I definitely wasn't expecting it 11 days later. As terrible a game as this was from a defensive standpoint, I've got to give some credit to Everett goaltender Kent Simpson. He had his rough moments, too, but after being thrust into this game in the second period he managed to keep from collapsing, and the second point was all his as he made two big stops on Eric Mestery in overtime and stopped all four attempts he faced in the shootout. There's plenty more worth talking about from this one, but I'm just too drained to type any more. TURNING POINT If you happened to glance away for a moment you missed a turning point in this one. I guess I'd have to say the Petr Stoklasa hooking penalty that came with 2:34 left was the most important one, as Daniel Bartek scored 14 seconds later to tie it at 6-6 and force overtime. HIT OF THE DAY Everett's Jordan Mistelbacher took Lane Werbowski off his skates and high into the boards late in the second period. THREE STARS First star: Kellan Tochkin, Everett. A goal, assist and shootout winner. His passing is something special. Second star: Adam Hughesman, Tri-City. A goal and two assists, he was the best player on the ice tonight. Third star: Graham Potuer, Everett. A goal and an assist, though I'm not sure I would have given a star to a defenseman in a 6-6 game. The Herald's honorable mention: Johnny Lazo, Tri-City. A goal and two assists, was everywhere on the ice. LINEUP NOTES With Beach out, center Zack Dailey took his spot on Everett's top line, with Daniel Bartek shifting into Beach's spot on the left. Also out was defenseman Shayne Brown because of a hip flexor injury. Defenseman Mike Alexander returned to the lineup after missing Saturday's 5-2 loss at Seattle because of a bruised ankle, meaning defenseman Paul Sohor had to make way. Forwards Tyler Parker and Cameron Abney were also healthy scratches. Tri-City is without forward Jason Gardiner for an extended period because of a broken leg. Forward Brock Zimak is also out because of a concussion. Goaltender Drew Owsley was a healthy scratch. The Americans also lost defenseman Brett Plouffe to an undisclosed injury during the game. Don't be surprised if Tri-City announces the acquisition of a defenseman tomorrow morning as the Americans only have six d-men on their roster. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Monday notes Some updates on the injury front: - Defenseman Mike Alexander appears set to return for Tuesday's home game against Tri-City. Alexander sat out Saturday's 5-2 loss at Seattle after taking a shot off the ankle during Friday's 1-0 loss at Tri-City. Initial fears were that something may be broken, but it turned out to be just a bruise and he practiced today. - Defenseman Shayne Brown will not play Tuesday. Brown remains sidelined with a hip flexor injury. He's scheduled to see a specialist, though he's still considered day-to-day. Also, Everett goaltending coach Shane Clifford is in town this week to work with Shayne Barrie and Kent Simpson. Clifford, who's based in Pittsburgh, makes a handful of trips to Everett each season. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Reader poll du jour Since the Tips have a game on Tuesday this week, I figured I'd move the weekly poll up one day to avoid a pileup of blog posts. This one is strictly for my own curiosity. The city of Everett doesn't exactly have much of a hockey background, so I wanted to know what kind of fans we have in town. Are we hockey fans as a whole, or are we just Tips fans? ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
One last go around at KeyArena Interesting weekend on tap for the Silvertips. Everett, of course, is coming off a fantastic week when the Tips went 3-0. However, this weekend presents a different kind of challenge as both games are on the road, whereas last week saw two of the three games at home. Everett has won just once on the road so far this season. And this weekend's road games aren't your typical road contests, either. Friday's game is at Tri-City, one of the best teams in the league. Then Saturday's game is at Seattle, and KeyArena hasn't exactly been friendly to the Tips in the past. Speaking of KeyArena, provided everything goes as scheduled, this will be Everett's final game there as the T-birds move into their new home in Kent in late December. I think I can sum up Everett's feelings about the end of KeyArena in two words: good riddance. The Tips have never had a losing record in franchise history. Everett's record in KeyArena all-time? 4-18-0-1 with three ties. And a lot of those losses were ugly, ugly, ugly. I can't count how many third-period Everett leads I've seen evaporate at the Key. So in honor of the end of the KeyArena era, I thought it would be appropriate if people shared their favorite (or least favorite) memories of the Key. For me, I'll always remember that after writing my story and leaving the arena, I'd invariably be walking out the door just as the tuba-playing guy was packing up to head home himself. How about yours? Oh, and one quick update. Defenseman Shayne Brown is out this weekend with a hip flexor injury. However, left wing Jordan Mistelbacher should be back after missing three games with an ankle injury. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! |
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