Pre Game 3 articles - Tips/Ice

[Tipped Off]

Everett Herald - 4/10

Game 2: Kootenay Ice 4, Everett Silvertips 1
Tips on slippery Ice

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer


CRANBROOK, British Columbia - The Everett Silvertips are returning home in a hole.

And that hole is one the Silvertips dug for themselves.

For the second straight night Everett gave up the go-ahead goal in the third period after a breakdown, and the Silvertips find themselves in trouble after falling 4-1 to the Kootenay Ice on Saturday in Game 2 of their Western Hockey League Playoff series.

Martin Sagat scored a hat trick, including the game winner midway through the third period, to lead the Ice. Kootenay leads the series 2-0 heading into Games 3 and 4 Monday and Tuesday in Everett. The Silvertips face the daunting task of trying to come back against the team that won the league's regular season championship.

"I thought we played a little better (than in Game 1)," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "But they're still a better team. We haven't found a way to hang in there that much. We hung around long enough to make it close, but still they're a much better team than us."

Adam Cracknell also scored, Adam Taylor had three assists and Jeff Glass made 19 saves in net for Kootenay, which made the score look lopsided thanks to Sagat's two short-handed, empty-net goals in the final three minutes.

Ivan Baranka scored the Silvertips' goal and Michael Wall made 23 saves for Everett.

Game 2 followed an eerily similar pattern to Game 1. For the second straight game Everett tied the score in the third period. For the second straight game Kootenay regained the lead moments later thanks to an Everett mistake. And for the second straight game the Ice put the game away with a Sagat empty-net goal. The only difference was this time Sagat found the empty net twice.

The decisive moment came at the 9 minute, 33 second mark of the third period. Everett had tied the score on Baranka's power-play goal 1:30 earlier. However, Everett center Torrie Wheat, attempting to stick handle the puck in the right slot, had it poked away by Sagat. Taylor raced to the puck behind the net and threw it back out front to Sagat, who one-timed it past Wall to make the score 2-1.

"Every time we score in this series, the next shift or the next two shifts they score again," Baranka said. "We've got to be stronger in those key moments, especially after we score goals."

Everett, which was unable to capitalize on several good scoring chances earlier in the game, pressed for the tying goal. Wall was pulled after Dale Mahovsky's slashing penalty with 2:12 remaining, giving Everett a six-on-four skater advantage. However, the Tips couldn't capitalize and Sagat twice found the empty net, giving him seven goals in the playoffs.

"We didn't capitalize on our early chances and Everett is a good hockey team," Kootenay coach Cory Clouston said. "We showed poise, though. I thought the guys didn't get too down when they scored that tying goal. We came right back out and actually the guys who were out there on the kill when we gave up that goal ended up scoring the goal as well."

Kootenay grabbed the lead at 13:05 of the first period. Steven DaSilva won the puck in the left corner and sent it behind the Everett net to Cracknell. Cracknell gathered the puck, cut around the post and stuffed a backhander past Wall, giving the ice a 1-0 lead with his third goal of the playoffs.

Everett had chances to tie the score in the second, but Glass made big saves on Baranka and Karel Hromas, and both Baranka and Wheat missed the target on opportunities in front.

Baranka didn't miss at 8:03 of the third, sweeping in the rebound on Cody Thoring's shot from the point for his third of the playoffs.

Slap shots: Everett captain Mitch Love continued his stint on the sidelines. The Tips defenseman missed his third straight game and fifth in his last six because of a bruised knee. He's considered day-to-day. Left wing Tyler Dietrich also remained on the sidelines because of a sore ankle. ... Kootenay defenseman Roman Polak sat out his sat out for the fifth time in six games because of a shoulder injury. ... Tickets are still available for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Tuesday at the Everett Events Center.

Ice 4, Silvertips 1

Everett 0 0 1 - 1

Kootenay 1 0 3 - 4

First Period-1, Kootenay, Cracknell 3 (DaSilva), 13:05.

Second Period-No goals.

Third Period-2, Everett, Baranka 3 (Thoring), 8:03. 3, Kootenay, Sagat 5 (Taylor), 9:33. 4, Kootenay, Sagat 6 (Taylor, Cherewyk), 18:31 (sh-en). 5, Kootenay, Sagat 7 (Taylor, Price), 19:46 (sh-en).

Shots on goal-Everett 6-9-5-20. Kootenay 12-6-9-27. Power-play opportunities-Everett 1 of 5. Kootenay 0 of 4.

Goalies-Everett, Wall 4-5 (25 shots, 23 saves). Kootenay, Glass 6-2 (20 shots, 19 saves).

[Tipped Off]

Everett Herald - 4/11

Published: Monday, April 11, 2005

Down 2-0, Silvertips aren't about to panic
Everett hosts Kootenay in Game 3 tonight

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer


EVERETT - The Everett Silvertips are in a tenuous position.

Everett finds itself down two games to the team that finished with the best record in the Western Hockey League during the regular season.

So it must be panic time for the Silvertips, right?

Wrong.

If there's one thing the Silvertips have never done during two seasons worth of playoff hockey, it's panic. And being down 2-0 in their best-of-seven second-round series against the Kootneay Ice isn't going to change that.

"It's not over, the series is still four (victories)," Everett defenseman Ivan Baranka said. "They haven't won anything and we haven't lost anything. Now we have two games at home and obviously we have to win them."

Everett returns home for Games 3 and 4 tonight and Tuesday at the Everett Events Center after dropping the first two games of the series 4-2 and 4-1. During those two games, Everett has at times looked competitive and at others has been pushed around.

But don't expect the Tips to make any drastic moves in an attempt to sway the series momentum.

"It doesn't change anything," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "It doesn't matter whether it's 2-0, 1-0, 3-1, up three, down three. It's the first to four. When someone wins four we'll quit trying. Until then we'll keep trying."

Everett certainly has had several opportunities for playoff panic in the franchise's short history. Just last Spring the Tips trailed Vancouver 2-0 in the second round after dropping the first two games on the road. However, Everett won four straight to win the series. The Tips then went on to overcome a 3-1 deficit to regular season champion Kelowna in the Western Conference finals.

Everett was also in prime position for panic a week ago after giving up a 3-1 first-round series lead by losing two straight to Portland. But the Tips, who appeared to have lost all momentum, came back to win Game 7 and advance.

And that's not lost on the Ice.

"We know this series is far from over," Kootenay coach Cory Clouston said. "They play very well in their building and they're going to be a tough opponent. But as long as we go out there and play our game, we're confident we can come away with at least one win, at that's what we're looking for right now."

Everett's biggest problem in the first two games was maintaining after scoring goals. In both Games 1 and 2 Everett tied the score in the third period, only for Kootenay to retake the lead less than two minutes later.

"I don't have an answer as to why that's happening," Constantine said. "It's true in hockey that goals tend to come in bunches and our team is aware of that, so we try to be diligent after all goals. But that's just the way the puck has bounced the last two games."

But even if the Tips are able to clean up that part of their game, as well as put in the kind of effort shown in Game 2 rather than that displayed in Game 1, they still have to contend with a relentless Ice team that's won the majority of the battles along the boards and in the corners.

"I think we'd like to play just a little more consistently," Constantine said. "I don't think we've really put 60 minutes together. We had a real bad second period (in Game 1). They're such a good team that - we're never going to play a perfect game, but we've got to play close to that."

The good news for Everett is that the Tips have proven capable of turning things around in the past.

"We've got to learn from these two games," Baranka said. "They were the best team in the WHL and it's not by accident. They work hard and have a great goalie. We've got to compete and work hard and hopefully we'll get those bounces."

[Tipped Off]

Seattle times - 4/11

Different moods in home return

By J.R. Rardon

Special to The Seattle Times

Capsule preview: Kootenay at Everett

The Everett Silvertips faced an uphill climb even before they started their second-round Western Hockey League playoff series against the top-seeded Kootenay Ice.

That hill looks like the face of a cliff after Kootenay jumped to a 2-0 series lead with home wins in Cranbrook, B.C., Friday and Saturday, but the Silvertips are determined as the series moves to the Everett Events Center for Game 3 at 7:05 tonight.

"In the playoffs, the last thing you want to do is panic," Everett forward Alex Leavitt said. "It just adds to the pressure and does nothing positive to the situation you're in."

The Seattle Thunderbirds, meanwhile, are exactly where they want to be as they return home for Game 3 tomorrow after two road victories against Kelowna.

Everett will need a solid home showing tonight and in tomorrow's Game 4 to get back in the series against Kootenay, the WHL's regular-season champion.

The situation is nothing new for the Silvertips, who shocked the WHL while rolling to the Western Conference title as an expansion team last season.

Everett clinched its first-round series against Portland with a road victory in Game 7.

"We could be low, but we just made the decision as a group to look ahead," said Leavitt, who led Everett with nine points in the Portland series. "We look at the fact we've got two home games coming up, and we're going to work hard to get even."

The Silvertips will need to solve Kootenay goaltender Jeff Glass, who has 42 saves on 45 shots in two games. Everett was tied with the Ice in the third period of both games, only to give up go-ahead goals shortly after having quality chances turned aside by Glass, a Canadian Junior Team standout.

"He's really kept them in the game and given them a lot of momentum," Leavitt said.

The scores of the first two games — a 4-2 Kootenay win Friday and a 4-1 victory Saturday — are slightly deceptive as the Ice totaled three empty-net scores. Still, Kootenay is on a roll, having outscored Kamloops and Everett by a combined 20-6 in its last four games. The Ice also improved to 4-1 overall against the Silvertips this season with the home sweep.

"We played better tonight, but they're still a better team," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said after Saturday's loss.

Kootenay and Everett both survived challenges to reach the second round. The final four games of the Silvertips' 4-3 series win over Portland were decided by one goal, with two of them decided in overtime. The first four games of the Kootenay-Kamloops series were also one-goal decisions, three of them requiring an extra period, before the Ice caught fire.

[Chipper]

I have a couple of coments on the articles that if it was my coach would concern me If I were the coach I would never admit that my team was not as good as the compitition


"I thought we played a little better (than in Game 1)," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "But they're still a better team. We haven't found a way to hang in there that much. We hung around long enough to make it close, but still they're a much better team than us.

In my opinion when you pull your goaltender with 6 minutes left that to me is panic. I would have let my guys play there hearts out till one minute left and then pull him, what if they could have scored with three minutes left? after the empty net goal they were two goals down with 5 minutes left and almost no chance to get back in the game.

"If there's one thing the Silvertips have never done during two seasons worth of playoff hockey, it's panic. And being down 2-0 in their best-of-seven second-round series against the Kootneay Ice isn't going to change that.

Wht do you think?

[Tipped Off]

I actually thought Constantine pulle dthe goalie too early Twice. the first time was with the 6 minutes to go. the second was in game 2 when the tips got a PP with 2:30 to go or so. Why pull for a 6 on 4? the Tips had a man advantage and with no fear of icing your just setting yourself up for disaster. At least play the first minunte full strength then pull if your not getting any shots.

Ah well, Coach Constantine has done that many times over the past two seasons...it's just his style & you have to take the good with the bad. I don't think this team is where it is today with very many other people at the helm. At some point Everett will be a more "talented" team and will need to move on from C's style of play. I think we may be a year or so away from that, though.