Tipped Off
02-27-2007, 05:03 PM
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Two for the price of one
Cougars and Silvertips will decide pair of WHL games tonight at CN Centre
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
The phrase ‘four-pointer’ is used so often, we’ve come to roll our eyes whenever coaches try to indicate the importance of a game by wheeling out that tired cliche.
Well, the day has arrived where four points truly are on the line.
The Prince George Cougars and Everett Silvertips will tangle in a unique — and potentially very long — night of major junior hockey. CN Centre will see not three periods, but at least four, with 90 minutes of stop-time hockey and two shootouts a distinct possibility.
“It’s the ultimate four-point night,” said Cougars general manager Dallas Thompson.
“I’ve never heard of something like this happening before. I mean, when you’re in minor hockey you might have to play two games in short order in league or in a tournament, but this doesn’t happen at this level where you have such a quick turnaround.”
It’s also a rare opportunity for fans to jump into the middle of a game and know where it sits before they drive to the venue. In this case, the Cougars led the Silvertips 2-1 after 40 minutes of an Oct. 28 game when an on-ice logo behind the Everett net caused freezing problems. Unsafe ice was the official cause for postponement.
Tonight, the puck drops at 7 p.m. The teams will play the third period of that game, plus overtime and a shootout if needed.
City staff will then clean the ice, the teams will fill in a new gamesheet, and a new contest will start.
There are, of course, some interesting details to think about.
The rosters of both teams have been altered since the end of October, with a combined four players no longer with either team. Right-winger Dan Gendur was on the Cougars in October, but was missing his 11th game due to an ankle injury, but was dealt to Everett in November. In addition, the Cougars (Dale Hunt, Team Manitoba) and Silvertips (Kyle Beach, Team B.C.) are both missing a player who is away at the Canada Winter Games.
Nick Drazenovic of the Cougars had two assists on Oct. 28, and expects to return tonight following a quad injury. Peter Mueller (flu, day-to-day), Graham Potuer (arm, day-to-day) and Brennan Sonne (internal, one month) all played on the original start date but are either questionable or out for the continuation.
The Cougars will be without defenceman Chris Vanduynhoven, who has been given an indefinite suspension for his check-from-behind on Kamloops forward Travis Dunstall on Saturday, so he won’t dress tonight.
“There are a lot of interesting possibilities that no one really thought about, like suspensions,” said Thompson.
“But we’re going to treat it like we’re starting the game over, but playing 20 minutes with one team ahead by a goal. We’d like the break between the games to be just like a slightly longer intermission — do the lineups and gamesheet again. It’s possible a coach could decide to scratch a guy for the second game based on how that third period goes.”
This might be the only game in the history of hockey that will have anthems played twice — the anthems will be performed before the puck is dropped. The second game then might be the only WHL game in decades to have no anthem, since there will be no official anthem prior to the second game.
Then there is the question of who gets credit for the coaching record of the first win. When this game took place, Mike Vandekamp was the head coach and the Cougars had beaten the Saskatoon Blades a night earlier in a game that is mostly rememebered because veterans Brett Robertson, since traded, and Jared Walker were given one-game team suspensions for breaking team rules. The Cougars players were given curfew that Friday night to be ready for the Everett game, which turned out as the second-last game for Vandekamp and Stew Malgunas. They were fired on Nov. 2 after a lopsided home loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings.
But those are semantics. For the teams, the important part is the points on the table — the Cougars could move three games over the .500 mark by holding onto the lead in the postponed game and winning the later contest, while the Silvertips are one point away from 100 for the season and could clinch the U.S. Division title with four points.
What is likely is that Cougars goaltender Real Cyr, who had stopped 17 of 18 Everett shots as his team took a 2-1 lead, will get to finish what he started.
What is sure is one thing — Thompson said the ice is in the best shape it’s been all year, but it’s not hard to predict that this is the time a shattered pane of glass, or a malfunctioning door, would cause a significant disruption.
“Yeah, we don’t want that to ever happen again,” said Thompson. “The ice is fine. Wouldn’t that be something if it got delayed again?”
Two for the price of one
Cougars and Silvertips will decide pair of WHL games tonight at CN Centre
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
The phrase ‘four-pointer’ is used so often, we’ve come to roll our eyes whenever coaches try to indicate the importance of a game by wheeling out that tired cliche.
Well, the day has arrived where four points truly are on the line.
The Prince George Cougars and Everett Silvertips will tangle in a unique — and potentially very long — night of major junior hockey. CN Centre will see not three periods, but at least four, with 90 minutes of stop-time hockey and two shootouts a distinct possibility.
“It’s the ultimate four-point night,” said Cougars general manager Dallas Thompson.
“I’ve never heard of something like this happening before. I mean, when you’re in minor hockey you might have to play two games in short order in league or in a tournament, but this doesn’t happen at this level where you have such a quick turnaround.”
It’s also a rare opportunity for fans to jump into the middle of a game and know where it sits before they drive to the venue. In this case, the Cougars led the Silvertips 2-1 after 40 minutes of an Oct. 28 game when an on-ice logo behind the Everett net caused freezing problems. Unsafe ice was the official cause for postponement.
Tonight, the puck drops at 7 p.m. The teams will play the third period of that game, plus overtime and a shootout if needed.
City staff will then clean the ice, the teams will fill in a new gamesheet, and a new contest will start.
There are, of course, some interesting details to think about.
The rosters of both teams have been altered since the end of October, with a combined four players no longer with either team. Right-winger Dan Gendur was on the Cougars in October, but was missing his 11th game due to an ankle injury, but was dealt to Everett in November. In addition, the Cougars (Dale Hunt, Team Manitoba) and Silvertips (Kyle Beach, Team B.C.) are both missing a player who is away at the Canada Winter Games.
Nick Drazenovic of the Cougars had two assists on Oct. 28, and expects to return tonight following a quad injury. Peter Mueller (flu, day-to-day), Graham Potuer (arm, day-to-day) and Brennan Sonne (internal, one month) all played on the original start date but are either questionable or out for the continuation.
The Cougars will be without defenceman Chris Vanduynhoven, who has been given an indefinite suspension for his check-from-behind on Kamloops forward Travis Dunstall on Saturday, so he won’t dress tonight.
“There are a lot of interesting possibilities that no one really thought about, like suspensions,” said Thompson.
“But we’re going to treat it like we’re starting the game over, but playing 20 minutes with one team ahead by a goal. We’d like the break between the games to be just like a slightly longer intermission — do the lineups and gamesheet again. It’s possible a coach could decide to scratch a guy for the second game based on how that third period goes.”
This might be the only game in the history of hockey that will have anthems played twice — the anthems will be performed before the puck is dropped. The second game then might be the only WHL game in decades to have no anthem, since there will be no official anthem prior to the second game.
Then there is the question of who gets credit for the coaching record of the first win. When this game took place, Mike Vandekamp was the head coach and the Cougars had beaten the Saskatoon Blades a night earlier in a game that is mostly rememebered because veterans Brett Robertson, since traded, and Jared Walker were given one-game team suspensions for breaking team rules. The Cougars players were given curfew that Friday night to be ready for the Everett game, which turned out as the second-last game for Vandekamp and Stew Malgunas. They were fired on Nov. 2 after a lopsided home loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings.
But those are semantics. For the teams, the important part is the points on the table — the Cougars could move three games over the .500 mark by holding onto the lead in the postponed game and winning the later contest, while the Silvertips are one point away from 100 for the season and could clinch the U.S. Division title with four points.
What is likely is that Cougars goaltender Real Cyr, who had stopped 17 of 18 Everett shots as his team took a 2-1 lead, will get to finish what he started.
What is sure is one thing — Thompson said the ice is in the best shape it’s been all year, but it’s not hard to predict that this is the time a shattered pane of glass, or a malfunctioning door, would cause a significant disruption.
“Yeah, we don’t want that to ever happen again,” said Thompson. “The ice is fine. Wouldn’t that be something if it got delayed again?”