Tips Topple Chiefs

[Tipped Off]

SILVERTIPS TOPPLE CHIEFS
Wheat Tallies Two in 4-2 Everett Win
Everett Silvertips Press Release

Everett, WA - Tonight at the Everett Events Center the Everett Silvertips toppled the Spokane Chiefs by a score of 4-2. This moves Everett into second place in the US Division with a record of 3-3 and 6 points.

The Silvertips got on the board quickly in the first period when Jim Watt, Spokane's netminder, kicked out a rebound right to Mark Kress who popped the puck right back into the posts. This is Kress's sixth goal on the year while both Zack Dailey and Jesse Smyke received their second WHL assists. Everett scored again on an early second period power play. Watt almost had his hand on the puck when Torrie Wheat snatched it and sent it over his hand and into the back of the net. Shaun Heshka and Peter Mueller earned both the assists on that tally. The Silvertips then propelled themselves to a 3-0 lead at 13:02 when Ondrej Fiala received his first tally as a Silvertip. Heshka was there to earn his second assist on the night.

Despite being down 3-0 Spokane rallied and scored to goals within six minutes to bring it to a one point game. Late in the second Chad Klassen sent a puck past an already down Irving on a Spokane power play. Then at 5:09 of the third period Chris Bruton caught a rebound off of Leland Irving and sent the puck between the pipes. On Spokane's goals Joe Logan received two assists while Jeff Lynch and Chad Klassen both earned one.

Everett had one more in them. A minute and a half after Spokane's second goal, Torrie Wheat waited on the Spokane doorstep when Peter Mueller sent him a pass which he then put into the back of the net. That goal finalized the game at 4-2. On the power play both teams went one for four. Final shots on goal were Spokane 31 and Everett 27.

In between the pipes for Everett was Leland Irving. Irving jumps his record to an even 3-3 with the win and managed to make 29 saves on 31 Chief shots tonight. Jim Watt, in the posts for Spokane, stopped 23 of 27 shots and falls to 2-4.

The Everett Silvertips are back in action on Sunday, October 16th, in Kamloops BC. It's an early game so set your alarms for 2pm.

Silvertips Box Scores

Torrie Wheat (4,5) 2 G
Mark Kress (6) 1 G
Ondrej Fiala (1) 1 G
Peter Mueller 2 A
Shaun Heshka 2 A
Zack Dailey 1 A
Jesse Smyke 1 A
Leland Irving (3-3): 29 saves on 31 shots
Power Play: Everett 1 for 4, Spokane 1 for 4
Shots on Goal: Everett 27, Spokane 31
Attendance: 4,169

3 Stars of the Game

1. Peter Mueller (EVT)
2. Torrie Wheat (EVT)
3. Chad Klassen (SPO)

[Tipped Off]

Tips team up for victory
After Spokane goalie Jim Watt shut them out a week ago, the Everett Silvertips score four goals against him Wednesday night, including two by Torrie Wheat to beat the Chiefs 4-2.

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer


EVERETT - Peter Mueller didn't think he deserved the No. 1 star from Wednesday night's game between the Everett Silvertips and the Spokane Chiefs. He thought his linemate, Torrie Wheat, deserved the honor. So after Mueller skated onto the ice to accept the crowd's ovation and receive the trophy that comes with the award, the two of them signed the trophy and Wheat presented it to a waiting fan.

It was just another example of the budding teamwork developing between the two.

Wheat scored two goals and Mueller had two assists, leading the Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs before an Everett Events Center crowd of 4,169.

"It's rare that you find three guys who jell right away," Wheat said, referring to the line of himself, Mueller and Karel Hromas. "I've always known we have the potential to do a little damage. It's just a matter of time and hopefully this is just the start of things to come."

Mark Kress and Ondrej Fiala also scored goals - Fiala netting his first in the Western Hockey League - Shaun Heshka added two assists and Leland Irving made 29 saves in goal for Everett (3-3), which avenged its 1-0 loss to Spokane seven days earlier.

In that previous meeting, Everett dominated play but was stymied by Spokane goaltender Jim Watt. This time the Tips found their way around Watt, then held on after seeing their 3-0 lead cut to a single goal.

"We might have played a better game territorially the last time we played," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "The difference tonight the puck went in the net for us.

"I didn't think we played very well with a lead," Constantine added. "The game was way too wide open for the way you should play with a lead."

Chad Klassen had a goal and an assist, Chris Bruton also scored and Watt made 23 saves in net for Spokane (2-4).

"I don't think we competed as hard for the full game as we should have," Spokane captain Jeff Lynch said. "We had some good periods and some good plays in general. But for the whole 60 minutes we didn't compete as hard as we should have."

Wheat and Mueller were paired together the moment they arrived for preseason training camp, the Silvertips hoping the duo could produce some offensive magic. That hadn't happened yet, in large part because Mueller was suspended for Everett's first game and Wheat missed the next two because of an injury.

But Wednesday night they finally showed what they are capable of.

The best example came early in the third period. Spokane had just scored to cut the deficit to 3-2. But Mueller stole the puck from a Spokane defensemen, arced toward goal and fed a perfect backdoor pass for Wheat to one-time in at the far post to restore Everett's two-goal lead.

The goals were the first points of the season for Wheat, who led the Tips in scoring last season.

"Every practice we get a little bit better," Mueller said of the chemistry developing with Wheat. "We talk before every practice and every game, figure out what we're going to do out there and I think every day we get a little better."

After getting nothing past Watt a week earlier, Everett needed just 4:45 to beat Watt on Wednesday, Kress hacking in a rebound from Zack Dailey's speculative shot from the point.

Everett made it 2-0 1:51 into the second period on the power play as Wheat grabbed Heshka's deflected shot behind the net and stuffed it past Watt at the post.

The lead grew to 3-0 at 17:02 as Fiala's shot from the right circle banked in off Watt's pad while Watt was falling to the ice. Watt protested, claiming goalie interference, but the goal stood for Fiala's first in the WHL.

Spokane got a goal back on the power play with 49.3 seconds remaining in the third, Klassen picking out a corner as the trailer on a rush to make it 3-1. Then Bruton scored on a rebound 5:09 into the third period to cut the lead to one.

Slap shots: For the second straight game Everett missed a penalty shot when John Lammers was stopped by Watt at 16:05 of the second period. Peter Mueller was stoned by Tri-City's Carey Price on Saturday. ... Left wing Kyle Annesley was again the healthy scratch among Everett's four overagers. It was the fourth time in Everett's first six games that Annesley was scratched. The deadline for cutting down to three overagers is today. ... Spokane scratched two players who had played in each of the Chiefs' first five games - defenseman Matt McCue and toughman left wing Myles Stoesz.

Spokane 0 1 1-2

Everett 1 2 1-4

First Period-1, Everett, Kress 1 (Dailey, Smyke), 4:45.

Second Period-2, Everett, Wheat 1 (Heshka, Mueller), 1:51 (pp). 3, Everett, Fiala 1 (Heshka), 17:02. 4, Spokane, Klassen 4 (Je. Lynch, Logan), 19:10 (pp).

Third Period-5, Spokane, Bruton 2 (Logan,, Klassen), 5:09. 6, Everett, Wheat 2 (Mueller), 6:36.

Shots on goal-Spokane 5-11-15-31. Everett 15-5-7-27. Power-play opportunities-Spokane 1 of 4. Everett 1 of 4.

Goalies-Spokane, Watt 2-4 (27 shots, 23 saves). Everett, Irving 3-3 (31 shots, 29 saves).

[Tipped Off]

Silvertips defeat Chiefs

By Jim Riley

Special to The Seattle Times

EVERETT — Torrie Wheat and Peter Mueller grew up in different countries, but they looked like identical twins at times last night.

Wheat had a pair of goals and Mueller assisted on both of them to push the Everett Silvertips to a 4-2 victory over the Spokane Chiefs.

"Every practice we get a little bit better," Mueller, a rookie from Bloomington, Minn., said. "We talk before every practice and every game and figure out what we're going to do out there."

Mark Kress and Ondrej Fiala also scored as Everett evened its Western Hockey League record at 3-3-0-0.

Wheat, from Nanaimo, B.C., who has five goals this season, and said he didn't know if he's ever had an easier one after a perfect pass from Mueller for his second score.

"I had a four-by-six cage to shoot into," Wheat said. "I had great feeds from my line. I've always known we have the potential to do a little damage. It was just a matter of time."

The international line, which also consists of Karel Hromas of the Czech Republic, has only played a few games together due to injuries.

Everett coach Kevin Constantine expects the production to continue to grow as they log more ice time together.

"I think it's still going to take another month," Constantine said. "The more they're together the more chemistry they are going to develop."

Mueller was selected the top star in the game by the media, but felt he didn't deserved it so he gave it to Wheat. Both signed the memento and gave it to a fan.

Constantine had mixed feelings about the game — pleased with the number of scoring chances but unhappy about the number of defensive lapses.

"We didn't play too good with the lead," Constantine said. "Things were way too wide open and we gave them a lot of good chances and that's not really a formula for success."

NOTES

• Former Everett captain Mitch Love has signed a professional contract with the Colorado Avalanche and is playing in the American Hockey League for the Lowell Lock Monsters. That brings the number of former Silvertip players in the minors to seven. Others in the AHL are Michael Wall (Portland), Riley Armstrong (Cleveland) and Ivan Baranka (Hartford). Bryan Nathe (Dayton), Barry Horman (Utah) and Alex Leavitt (Alaska) are in the ECHL.

SILVERTIPS 4, CHIEFS 2

Spokane 011 — 2
Everett 121 — 4
First — 1. Everett, Kress 1 (Dailey, Smyke) 4:45. Second — 2. Everett, Wheat 4 (Heshka, Mueller) 1:51 (pp). 3. Everett, Fiala 1 (Heshka) 17:02. 4. Spokane, Klassen 4 (Lynch, Logan) 19:11 (pp). Third — 5. Spokane, Bruton 2 (Logan Klassen) 5:09. 6. Everett, Wheat 5 (Mueller) 6:34. Att — 4,169.)