Tipped Off
01-31-2007, 11:38 AM
His goal No. 1 | more goals for Silvertips
By JIM RILEY
Special to The Seattle Times
Moises Gutierrez pays a heavy price for the goals he scores.
He puts his 6-foot-4, 227-pound body in front of the net, watches pucks whiz all around him at nearly 100 mph and then uses his quick hands to knock in rebounds.
It's a formula that has paid off in a team-high 31 goals for the Everett Silvertips this season.
Last Wednesday, Gutierrez left his mark on the Everett franchise record book by becoming the first player to score four goals in a single game. It was a performance that left more than a few marks on his body.
"I took some laser beams tonight," Gutierrez said with a smile. "The third goal went off my hip bone and it was really stinging, but I found the rebound and put it in. When I saw the mesh ripple, the pain instantly went away."
Gutierrez, best known to his teammates as "Big Mo," also took a pair of hard slap shots from Peter Mueller to the back of his legs, not to mention several cross checks to the back of his jersey from frustrated Portland defenders.
"I definitely take some shots, but it's part of the game and I don't think about it too much," Gutierrez said. "When you start fearing the puck, things aren't going to go your way. I don't care if I take one off the face. As long as those things are going in, I'm happy."
Gutierrez is quick to share the credit for his scoring success.
"Playing with guys so talented, the puck is always bouncing my way and I can't help but put it in the net," Gutierrez said. "I'm going to score goals. If I can score another 15 goals, I'll gladly take 30 more slap shots off the back of my legs."
Everett coach Kevin Constantine admires the way Gutierrez plays the game.
"The No. 1 way you score goals at any level of hockey is point shots and rebounds and Moises is really good at it," Constantine said. "Any time you go in front of the net you know two things are going to happen; pucks are going to come zinging at you and the other team is going to take a few liberties. It takes courage to go stand there and he's been great at it for us all year."
Gutierrez, an Anchorage, Alaska, native, was traded to the Silvertips from the Kamloops Blazers before the season began.
In Kamloops, Gutierrez scored 33 goals in 265 games and was traded for a fourth-round bantam pick. In Everett, he's scored 31 goals in 47 games.
"I worked really hard in the offseason and really felt this was my year to do something special," Gutierrez said. "I've found my love for the game again. I kind of lost it in Kamloops when things weren't going well there, but now I just love coming to the rink every day."
Gutierrez, 20, is in his last season of eligibility in the Western Hockey League. He is a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2004 National Hockey League draft who knows this is his time to shine.
"There's just so much to play for this season, so much more I want to do," Gutierrez said. "We're playing for a Memorial Cup and in three and a half months, when it's all said and done, I want to have a place to play next year."
Gutierrez isn't the only player who has benefited from a move to Everett.
In 33 games in Swift Current this season, Dane Crowley scored four goals. In seven games in Everett, he has three. He's also had four assists, is a plus-12 and the Silvertips have won all seven games he's played.
In 92 games over three seasons in Prince George, Dan Gendur had six goals and 12 assists. In 25 games in Everett, Gendur has 13 goals and 13 assists.
In four games in Regina this season, goaltender David Reekie had one win and an 86.2 save percentage. In 19 games in Everett, Reekie has 15 wins and a 93.6 save percentage.
By JIM RILEY
Special to The Seattle Times
Moises Gutierrez pays a heavy price for the goals he scores.
He puts his 6-foot-4, 227-pound body in front of the net, watches pucks whiz all around him at nearly 100 mph and then uses his quick hands to knock in rebounds.
It's a formula that has paid off in a team-high 31 goals for the Everett Silvertips this season.
Last Wednesday, Gutierrez left his mark on the Everett franchise record book by becoming the first player to score four goals in a single game. It was a performance that left more than a few marks on his body.
"I took some laser beams tonight," Gutierrez said with a smile. "The third goal went off my hip bone and it was really stinging, but I found the rebound and put it in. When I saw the mesh ripple, the pain instantly went away."
Gutierrez, best known to his teammates as "Big Mo," also took a pair of hard slap shots from Peter Mueller to the back of his legs, not to mention several cross checks to the back of his jersey from frustrated Portland defenders.
"I definitely take some shots, but it's part of the game and I don't think about it too much," Gutierrez said. "When you start fearing the puck, things aren't going to go your way. I don't care if I take one off the face. As long as those things are going in, I'm happy."
Gutierrez is quick to share the credit for his scoring success.
"Playing with guys so talented, the puck is always bouncing my way and I can't help but put it in the net," Gutierrez said. "I'm going to score goals. If I can score another 15 goals, I'll gladly take 30 more slap shots off the back of my legs."
Everett coach Kevin Constantine admires the way Gutierrez plays the game.
"The No. 1 way you score goals at any level of hockey is point shots and rebounds and Moises is really good at it," Constantine said. "Any time you go in front of the net you know two things are going to happen; pucks are going to come zinging at you and the other team is going to take a few liberties. It takes courage to go stand there and he's been great at it for us all year."
Gutierrez, an Anchorage, Alaska, native, was traded to the Silvertips from the Kamloops Blazers before the season began.
In Kamloops, Gutierrez scored 33 goals in 265 games and was traded for a fourth-round bantam pick. In Everett, he's scored 31 goals in 47 games.
"I worked really hard in the offseason and really felt this was my year to do something special," Gutierrez said. "I've found my love for the game again. I kind of lost it in Kamloops when things weren't going well there, but now I just love coming to the rink every day."
Gutierrez, 20, is in his last season of eligibility in the Western Hockey League. He is a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2004 National Hockey League draft who knows this is his time to shine.
"There's just so much to play for this season, so much more I want to do," Gutierrez said. "We're playing for a Memorial Cup and in three and a half months, when it's all said and done, I want to have a place to play next year."
Gutierrez isn't the only player who has benefited from a move to Everett.
In 33 games in Swift Current this season, Dane Crowley scored four goals. In seven games in Everett, he has three. He's also had four assists, is a plus-12 and the Silvertips have won all seven games he's played.
In 92 games over three seasons in Prince George, Dan Gendur had six goals and 12 assists. In 25 games in Everett, Gendur has 13 goals and 13 assists.
In four games in Regina this season, goaltender David Reekie had one win and an 86.2 save percentage. In 19 games in Everett, Reekie has 15 wins and a 93.6 save percentage.