Spokane @ Evt - Recap

[Tipped Off]

Watt was nothing short of spectacular tonight. The Tips had 7 or 8 point blank opportunities and all you'd see is goalie skates go up in the air...next thing you know, Watt has the puck in his glove. Just awesome.

anyway, here is the press release....

SPOKANE SHUTS OUT EVERETT
Silvertips Lose 1-0
Everett Silvertips Press Release

Everett, WA - The Everett Silvertips skated away with a disappointing loss tonight against the Spokane Chiefs at home in the Everett Events Center. The Chiefs earned their first shutout of the year against the Silvertips with a score of 1-0. Everett drops their record to 1-3 while Spokane betters theirs to 2-1.

The hockey game ended with only one goal being scored by either team. That goal came midway through the first period on a Spokane power play. David Schultz got the tally while Chad Klassen and Joe Logan earned the assists. Everett did not score but also did not lack scoring opportunities this game.

Leland Irving started in goal for Everett and played a vast majority of the game. He was briefly pulled late in the third so rookie Matt Esposito could see some action. Irving managed to stop 23 of 24 shots while Esposito did not have a chance to make any saves because there were not any shots on goal while he was between the pipes. Spokane veteran Jim Watt was solid and earned his first shut out of the year by making 31 saves on the night.

On the power play Everett went 0 for 7 and Spokane converted on 1 of 4 chances. The Silvertips out shot the Chiefs 31-24.

On Saturday, October 8th, the Silvertips will travel to the Tri-Cities where they will battle the Americans for the first time in the regular season this year. The game begins at 7:05pm.

Silvertips Box Scores

Leland Irving: 23 saves on 24 shots
Matt Esposito: 0 saves on 0 shots
Power Play: Everett 0/7, Spokane ¼
Shots on Goal: Everett 31, Spokane 24
Attendance: 3,867

3 Stars of the Game

1. Jim Watt (SPO)
2. Leland Irving (EVT)
3. Johannes Salmonsson (SPO)

[Bob in Everett]

I had a free shot from the far blue line but missed by about 4" to the right. My goals were to not fall on my ass and at least hit the board, which I did. Best shot of the year so far, I didn't really want a minivan anyway. It would clash with my Harley and classic Mopars. It was fun to be a part of the show. Now I just need to be selected Season Ticket Holder of the game on december 31 my picture is on the ticket.

Bob

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b115/Badbob4/ticket2.jpg

[Tipped Off]

Watt turns out the lights
Spokane goalie Jim Watt shuts out the Silvertips in the Chiefs' 1-0 win Wednesday.

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer

EVERETT - There are may reasons why a team that seems to be playing well offensively will struggle to score goals.

Kevin Nortz / The Herald

Sometimes fate reaches down and causes the puck to bounce in unfortunate ways.

Sometimes the opposing goaltender stands on his head and puts a lock on the net.

When both of those things happen, it's a recipe for disaster, which the Everett Silvertips discovered Wednesday night.

Spokane Chiefs goaltender Jim Watt turned in an incredible performance in goal, stopping all 31 shots he faced, and the Silvertips were shut out 1-0 before a crowd of 3,867 at the Everett Events Center.

Everett (1-3) controlled much of the play, particularly in the final two periods, and the Silvertips outshot Spokane 31-24. But Watt made a series of spectacular saves, and the ones he couldn't get either drew iron or trickled wide. As a result, David Schulz's first-period goal proved enough for the Chiefs (2-1).

" (Watt) played great," Everett captain Torrie Wheat said. "He played unbelievable. And their defense played well, too, clearing pucks and clearing rebounds in front of the net. They made it pretty difficult to get in there and bang in rebounds.

"That could be one of the most frustrating games I've ever played in," Wheat added. "We're doing everything right and you can be happy with that. But how long can you go without putting the puck in the net? We've got to figure something out."

One thing the Silvertips couldn't figure out Wednesday was Watt, who took some heat last season when the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs.

"When you want something as bad as I did tonight, it's hard just to let it go," Watt said. "I wanted that win. The shutout wasn't necessarily as important to me as the win was, but the only way we were going to win was with a shutout. I know our team wanted it just as bad as I wanted it, and we don't let things go that we want."

Wednesday's game was the second straight in which Everett had the run of play, but wasn't able to convert that into goals. Sunday the Silvertips lost 3-1 to Kelowna despite outshooting the Rockets 29-11, and in many ways Wednesday's game was an instant replay.

"It was very similar to our last two games," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "We generated a lot of scoring opportunities. The last couple games we haven't had the finish to those scoring opportunities. But we're generating a lot of chances, which is good. We seem to be offensively more dynamic than we have the last two years and it's showing up in the way of scoring chances. We've got to finish them, of course, to win."

Leland Irving made 23 saves in goal for Everett. The Tips finished 0-for-7 on the power play, including what was essentially four consecutive minutes late in the third period.

Everett found itself scrambling on the penalty kill midway through the first period and the Chiefs took advantage at 11:03. Chad Klassen had missed an open net earlier in the sequence, but Spokane kept the puck in the zone and Schulz one-timed a shot from the left point into the upper corner, giving the Chiefs a 1-0 lead.

Everett had all kinds of scoring chances in the second period, but Watt, playing out of his mind, kept everything out. The pick of the saves was a diving glove save on a John Lammers rebound try.

Then in the third period Jason Fransoo hit the post with a shot while sneaking in from the point, Ondrej Fiala had a redirect try go just wide after a two-on-one with Zach Hamill, and Watt made a reaction glove save to deny Mark Kress.

Slap shots: Wheat returned to the lineup Wednesday after a two-game layoff. The 20-year-old right wing missed the previous two games because of a foot injury. Left Wing Kyle Annesley was the scratch among Everett's four overagers. ... During the final 71 seconds of the first period, the Silvertips fielded a power-play unit consisting of five forwards.

Chiefs 1, Silvertips 0

Spokane 1 0 0-1

Everett 0 0 0-0

First Period-1, Spokane, Schulz 1 (Klassen, Logan), 11:03 (pp).

Second Period-No goals.

Third Period-No goals.

Shots on goal-Spokane 8-10-6-24. Everett 5-15-11-31. Power-play opportunities-Spokane 1 of 4. Everett 0 of 7.

Goalies-Spokane, Watt 2-1 (31 shots, 31 saves). Everett, Irving 1-3 (24 shots, 23 saves).