Tipped Off
01-12-2007, 11:30 AM
Mueller, Irving return to Everett
Having returned from the World Junior tourney, it's uncertain whether either player will play tonight.
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - The Everett Silvertips' conquering heroes were back on the ice at the Everett Events Center on Thursday.
Peter Mueller and Leland Irving were back at practice for the first time since returning from the World Junior Hockey Championships in Sweden, and both returned with shiny new baubles for their trophy cases.
Irving won a gold medal as a member of Team Canada, serving as the team's backup goaltender. Mueller earned a bronze medal as a key offensive player for Team USA. And both returned with a wealth of valuable experience and treasured memories.
"It's a great experience just going over there," Irving said. "To be able to represent your country like that is a great honor, and it was just a lot of fun to share that experience with the group of guys we had over there."
Said Mueller: "It's amazing that we brought back a medal for the States. It was a little bit of a scare the first two games, but we bounced back great and I couldn't be happier."
For Mueller, this year's experience at the World Juniors was far better than last year's. Last year the U.S. was the pre-tournament favorite, only to finish a disappointing fourth and fail to medal. This year the U.S. went in with less fanfare, but appeared to be on a similar path when it lost its first two round-robin games, the shocker being a 2-1 overtime loss to unheralded Germany.
"I think the boys were a little bit jumpy, a little bit nervous," Mueller said. "It happens when you go overseas to a big tournament."
However, the Americans fought their way into the medal round by winning their final two round-robin games, the final one a thrilling do-or-die 3-2 overtime win over host Sweden.
The U.S. won its quarterfinal game against Finland to set up a memorable semifinal game against Canada. The Canadians beat the Americans 6-3 during the group stage, but the U.S. led the semifinal until late in the third period when Canada tied it.
After a thrilling but scoreless overtime, the game went into a shootout. Both teams scored at will during the shootout, with Mueller converting on America's second and fifth shots. Then in the seventh round Canada's Jonathan Toews converted his third straight shot and Mueller was finally denied by Tri-City goaltender Carey Price, giving Canada the victory.
"It was a little nerve-wracking," Mueller said of the shootout, which allowed teams to reuse their shooters following three shots. "It was pretty hard, especially when you're going against another Dub (WHL) player who knows all your moves. He got me the third time."
The U.S. snapped back in the third-place game, beating Sweden 2-1 to earn the medal that eluded the Americans the previous year.
"We were one of the teams that actually got it done, I think the fifth team over 25 years to get 'er done," Mueller said. "It was important to the guys on the team to finally get their names on a medal."
Mueller logged heavy ice time during the tournament and manned the point on the power play. He finished with three goals and three assists in seven games.
"The first two games I was pretty ragged," Mueller said. "I couldn't find my hands, I couldn't really find anything. But after that it settled down. I was like, 'Hey, I'm here for a reason and they want me to do my thing.' So I did that the last couple games and it all worked out well."
Though Irving came home with a greater medal, he didn't get the same on-ice experince as Mueller as he served as Price's backup the entire tournament. But he did have the best seat in the house as Canada went a perfect 7-0 and won its third straight gold with a 4-2 victory over Russia.
"It was frustrating, but the way Carey (who was named the tournament MVP) was playing I knew they would keep him out there," Irving said about not getting a chance to play. "He did a phenomenal job and if not for him I don't think we win a couple of those games. The nice part about it is we got along great off the ice. That makes it a lot easier and we still had a lot of fun."
And Irving's backup experience likely wasn't in vain. Still eligible for the World Juniors next year, he now has the inside track to backstop the Canadians for next year in the Czech Republic.
"I'm hoping to be the starter next year," Irving said. "There's still a lot of work to put into everything, there's no guarantee. I'll just keep working hard and hopefully things work out next year."
It's not a given Mueller and Irving will be thrown back into the fray right away tonight against Portland. Both practiced full speed Thursday, but Mueller skated primarily with the fourth line and Irving used his backup equipment because his first-choice gear is still making its way back to Everett piece-meal. Everett coach Kevin Constantine said he was going to talk with both before making a decision on how they'll be used today.
Having returned from the World Junior tourney, it's uncertain whether either player will play tonight.
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - The Everett Silvertips' conquering heroes were back on the ice at the Everett Events Center on Thursday.
Peter Mueller and Leland Irving were back at practice for the first time since returning from the World Junior Hockey Championships in Sweden, and both returned with shiny new baubles for their trophy cases.
Irving won a gold medal as a member of Team Canada, serving as the team's backup goaltender. Mueller earned a bronze medal as a key offensive player for Team USA. And both returned with a wealth of valuable experience and treasured memories.
"It's a great experience just going over there," Irving said. "To be able to represent your country like that is a great honor, and it was just a lot of fun to share that experience with the group of guys we had over there."
Said Mueller: "It's amazing that we brought back a medal for the States. It was a little bit of a scare the first two games, but we bounced back great and I couldn't be happier."
For Mueller, this year's experience at the World Juniors was far better than last year's. Last year the U.S. was the pre-tournament favorite, only to finish a disappointing fourth and fail to medal. This year the U.S. went in with less fanfare, but appeared to be on a similar path when it lost its first two round-robin games, the shocker being a 2-1 overtime loss to unheralded Germany.
"I think the boys were a little bit jumpy, a little bit nervous," Mueller said. "It happens when you go overseas to a big tournament."
However, the Americans fought their way into the medal round by winning their final two round-robin games, the final one a thrilling do-or-die 3-2 overtime win over host Sweden.
The U.S. won its quarterfinal game against Finland to set up a memorable semifinal game against Canada. The Canadians beat the Americans 6-3 during the group stage, but the U.S. led the semifinal until late in the third period when Canada tied it.
After a thrilling but scoreless overtime, the game went into a shootout. Both teams scored at will during the shootout, with Mueller converting on America's second and fifth shots. Then in the seventh round Canada's Jonathan Toews converted his third straight shot and Mueller was finally denied by Tri-City goaltender Carey Price, giving Canada the victory.
"It was a little nerve-wracking," Mueller said of the shootout, which allowed teams to reuse their shooters following three shots. "It was pretty hard, especially when you're going against another Dub (WHL) player who knows all your moves. He got me the third time."
The U.S. snapped back in the third-place game, beating Sweden 2-1 to earn the medal that eluded the Americans the previous year.
"We were one of the teams that actually got it done, I think the fifth team over 25 years to get 'er done," Mueller said. "It was important to the guys on the team to finally get their names on a medal."
Mueller logged heavy ice time during the tournament and manned the point on the power play. He finished with three goals and three assists in seven games.
"The first two games I was pretty ragged," Mueller said. "I couldn't find my hands, I couldn't really find anything. But after that it settled down. I was like, 'Hey, I'm here for a reason and they want me to do my thing.' So I did that the last couple games and it all worked out well."
Though Irving came home with a greater medal, he didn't get the same on-ice experince as Mueller as he served as Price's backup the entire tournament. But he did have the best seat in the house as Canada went a perfect 7-0 and won its third straight gold with a 4-2 victory over Russia.
"It was frustrating, but the way Carey (who was named the tournament MVP) was playing I knew they would keep him out there," Irving said about not getting a chance to play. "He did a phenomenal job and if not for him I don't think we win a couple of those games. The nice part about it is we got along great off the ice. That makes it a lot easier and we still had a lot of fun."
And Irving's backup experience likely wasn't in vain. Still eligible for the World Juniors next year, he now has the inside track to backstop the Canadians for next year in the Czech Republic.
"I'm hoping to be the starter next year," Irving said. "There's still a lot of work to put into everything, there's no guarantee. I'll just keep working hard and hopefully things work out next year."
It's not a given Mueller and Irving will be thrown back into the fray right away tonight against Portland. Both practiced full speed Thursday, but Mueller skated primarily with the fourth line and Irving used his backup equipment because his first-choice gear is still making its way back to Everett piece-meal. Everett coach Kevin Constantine said he was going to talk with both before making a decision on how they'll be used today.