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Tipped Off
04-13-2005, 10:05 AM
It was a "different" night as I walked into the EEC. Although I got there a bit early, the atmosphere was strange. It's like everyone knew this was not the same team as last year that was capable of pulling off a "miracle."

I walked onto the concourse in time to see the players come out for warm-ups. To my surprise I see Mitch Love AND Tyler Dietrich warming up. I'm not only shocked, but a sense of hope comes over me. Just as I am about to turn to my wife and tell her we've got a fighting chance, I catch a Tips player out of the corner of my eye with a sling around his neck/arm and wearing his suit (how could I miss him in that pink shirt). It's one of our top scorers Torrie Wheat. What happened? I never heard anything about this injury... anywhere. My hope sunk back down. One half hour later it sunk even farther when they announced the scratches....#2 Mitch Love. Apparently he warmed up, but couldn't go. Still....Dietrich is back...although he's only played one game in 2 months.

That rust showed early when, 45 seconds into the game, Dietrich tried to flip the puck out of the zone but instead flipped it right to Russell who fed Cracknell for the quick goal. My heart sank further. If that wasn't bad enough, almost 3 minutes later, Russell scored a goal of his own to make it 2-0 Ice.

So here we are...down 3-0 in the series, down 2-0 in the game five minutes into it, we've got 9 sixteen year olds suited up, our goalie, who's been the savior thus far, has allowed 2 goals on 2 shots and our Captain and Assistant Captain are in street clothes. I think it could have been very easy for this team to pack it in, get in a couple fights and call it a season.

Instead this team shows me why no matter what the detractors say about Everett's style of play, no matter what people say about how "lucky" Everett is, this team comes to play and play hard. They will not quit. In other words, they have integrity and heart. A team that took 19 shots just the night before in the entire game, regrouped to take 19 shots in the first period against the team with the most points in the WHL this year...against arguably the best goalie...and despite giving up four power play opportunites (worth about 7 minutes of game time) to tie up the score at 2-2 after one period.

At one piont about mid-way through the 2nd period the Tips had 7 penalties to the Ice's 2. Without sounding like a homer all I can say is the penalties called were, in fact, penalties. That being said, there were plenty of worse activities by both sides going on which could have been called. In the end the PP only added to the drama as the Tips held the Ice to 0 for 7. The Tips had 4 of their own, although two of them lasted less than 30 seconds due to an "offsetting" penalty against the Tips. Still, no scoring in the 2nd.

The third was interesting. Just like the night before it was completely dominated by the Ice, yet somehow the Tips found a way to score to take a 3-2 lead. Unfortunatley this woke up the Ice. Wall just got peppered with shots for the last 8 minutes of the game and wound up missing a save on a knuckleball type floater which, in all rights, should have never gotten by him. Being from the Seattle area I can only compare it to a Jamie Moyer fastball. Which is to say... to call it a fastball is an oxymoron. That tied it up with under two minutes to go and you knew, at that point, the Tips didn't have the guns to win it. We needed Love & Wheat to help slam the door.

During the intermission between the third and the OT I met a celebrity. Probably not a Celebrity to Ice fans, but a celebrity to me. I spotted a guy talking on his cell phone sitting all by himself in a suit in section 204 (or was it 205?). I moved in for a closer look. It was none other than Brett Sutter's dad, Darryl Sutter...coach of the Calgary Flames. I introduced myself & told him how his sons team was breaking our hearts the past two days (to which he replied, "But they've been two very good games."). I thanked him for his time and got him to sign my ticket to the game. It was very cool.

A few minutes into overtime a glimmer of hope. The puck got behind Glass and sat less than an inch away from the line. Two Tips players waived at it to no avail. No Goal. Fifteen minutes later, a sweet pass from the corner across the front of the net to a racing in Nigel Dawes ended the Tips season. This one was a beautiful goal which no goalie would have stopped.

The most painful sight to see was our Mike Wall, down on his face on the Ice wondering what happened. How did it end this way? The Mike Wall who saved 89 shots in 2 games (150 minutes in net) in two nights. At the handshake ceremony afterwards almost every Ice player not only slapped Mike Wall's hand, but either patted him on the chest or gave him a hug. They knew he was the Tip player they were battling most.

So it's over. The better team of hockey players won this series 4-0. The team with the most heart of any team in any sport I've ever witnessed now packs it's bags and heads home. For a few (Love, Dietrich, Leavitt) they move on out of Everett.

Thanks for the memories of this second season. Thanks for the memories of this game 4. This game in particular will be one I will never forget.

BTW, here's the (bad) pic of Sutter's autograph: Click Here (http://www.network54.com/Forum/thread?forumid=274007&messageid=1113409147&lp=1113409147)

Chipper
04-13-2005, 11:13 AM
Great post and I enjoyed reading it. To bad your team didn't win one at home, your fans deserved to get one of those overtime goals. Well now you can cheer for the Ice.

-kristine-
04-13-2005, 04:11 PM
All I have to say is your guys played a great game. I'm also glad you guys didn't chuck things at us when we were cheering for the ice :laugh: You guys came out last night and gave it a good fight, I was on the edge of my seat the during third and OT luckly we pulled through. Great game though I would say it was the best two games I have seen in the whl. Go Ice Go :clap: