Tipped Off
11-22-2005, 10:46 AM
Where did all their offense go?
Tips find goals, wins are scarce without injured Wheat, Heshka
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - During their three years of existence, the Everett Silvertips haven't exactly been an offensive juggernaut. The success the franchise experienced was based on tough defense and strong goaltending, thus keeping the score just low enough for Everett's limited offense to scrounge up enough goals to win.
But even in those offensively-challenged seasons the Silvertips never experienced an offensive power outage anything like this.
The Everett offense is suffering through a drought worthy of a John Steinbeck novel. The Tips have scored just six goals in their last seven games and were shut out the previous two. Everett's power play, which was scoring at nearly a 30-percent clip three weeks ago, went just 2-for-37 in the past seven contests.
As a result, the Tips have lost six of their past seven, including their past four. The lone victory required a shootout.
And this from a team that had supposedly put its image as offense suppressors behind it.
So the question begs: What happened to Everett's offense?
"Everyone's a little upset about our production on offense," Everett right wing Brady Calla said. "It's just a little hole we're in right now. We're all working hard at practice to try to get it going again."
Injuries have been the main culprit. The Tips have been playing without three of their top forwards - including last season's leading scorer Torrie Wheat - and three of their top defensemen - including power-play point man Shaun Heshka. Their absence has been a severe drain on Everett's offensive resources.
Heshka's absence in particular has been troublesome. When he was injured during Everett's 4-2 loss at Lethbridge on Nov. 5, Everett had the best power play in the league. Without Heshka, whose shot from the point and ability to move the puck quickly are invaluable on the power play, Everett has been dismal with the man advantage. In the space of two weeks the Tips have fallen to fourth in the league on the power play at a merely-human 19-percent success rate.
"No, we haven't had an offensive stretch like this in franchise history," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "But we haven't had a stretch in franchise history where we've taken six really good offensive players out of the lineup, either. What's real evident through this stretch is we're not deep yet. We have good young players, but not guys who are ready to carry a team."
But injuries aren't the only reason for Everett's offensive woes. Even with the missing players the Tips still have talented offensive players available. On paper the cobbled-together line of John Lammers, Peter Mueller and Calla, which includes Everett's first-, second- and fifth-leading scorers, looks formidable. But so far the line has yet to click, the three combining for just one goal and two assists during their six games together.
Constantine also hasn't been satisfied with the effort the Tips put into the last six games, the type of effort that creates turnovers and leads to scoring chances.
"What we judge ourselves by is not necessarily whether we're scoring goals, but whether every player is giving what he should based on his abilities," Constantine said. "We've had four of six games I'd say we didn't put a very good effort in - the Kootenay game I'd throw out because it was the fourth game in five nights at the end of a long road trip. So I think our overall effort as a team can be better."
Therefore the Tips are getting back to basics. When Everett's offense was running at full steam, many of the goals were created through intricate passing and attractive play. But now the Tips want to get back to creating offensive by winning battles for the puck and getting shots on goal.
"We can't work on trying to score pretty goals," Lammers said. "We have to get back to the dirty goals, just getting it on net, greasing it out and banging in some rebounds.
"Sometimes when you get yourself into a little slump you start thinking yourself into that slump," Lammers added. "You can't do that. You just have to stay positive and go at every day like it's a new day.
It's not all bleak for Everett's offense. As Constantine put it, "there's light at the end of the tunnel" regarding the injury situation. Heshka and fellow defenseman Eric Doyle - who would have been a top candidate to fill Heshka's shoes at the point on the power play - have both been cleared to play and are available tonight. Wheat and forward Ondrej Fiala remain on track to return soon from their knee injuries, with Fiala perhaps being ready by the weekend and Wheat within two weeks. Defenseman Jonathan Harty is getting good rest for his groin injury. Even center Zach Hamill, who was sent home with a bout with mononucleosis, has recovered enough that he returned to Everett on Monday night and was expected to return to school today.
But until everyone returns, Constantine is looking for someone to step up.
"We have to have the guys who go on the ice feel some responsibility for winning, no matter what the lineup is," he said. "Especially the guys who have the capabilities of being difference makers in games. They're going to have to find a way to win us a game until we're back to full health."
Tips find goals, wins are scarce without injured Wheat, Heshka
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - During their three years of existence, the Everett Silvertips haven't exactly been an offensive juggernaut. The success the franchise experienced was based on tough defense and strong goaltending, thus keeping the score just low enough for Everett's limited offense to scrounge up enough goals to win.
But even in those offensively-challenged seasons the Silvertips never experienced an offensive power outage anything like this.
The Everett offense is suffering through a drought worthy of a John Steinbeck novel. The Tips have scored just six goals in their last seven games and were shut out the previous two. Everett's power play, which was scoring at nearly a 30-percent clip three weeks ago, went just 2-for-37 in the past seven contests.
As a result, the Tips have lost six of their past seven, including their past four. The lone victory required a shootout.
And this from a team that had supposedly put its image as offense suppressors behind it.
So the question begs: What happened to Everett's offense?
"Everyone's a little upset about our production on offense," Everett right wing Brady Calla said. "It's just a little hole we're in right now. We're all working hard at practice to try to get it going again."
Injuries have been the main culprit. The Tips have been playing without three of their top forwards - including last season's leading scorer Torrie Wheat - and three of their top defensemen - including power-play point man Shaun Heshka. Their absence has been a severe drain on Everett's offensive resources.
Heshka's absence in particular has been troublesome. When he was injured during Everett's 4-2 loss at Lethbridge on Nov. 5, Everett had the best power play in the league. Without Heshka, whose shot from the point and ability to move the puck quickly are invaluable on the power play, Everett has been dismal with the man advantage. In the space of two weeks the Tips have fallen to fourth in the league on the power play at a merely-human 19-percent success rate.
"No, we haven't had an offensive stretch like this in franchise history," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "But we haven't had a stretch in franchise history where we've taken six really good offensive players out of the lineup, either. What's real evident through this stretch is we're not deep yet. We have good young players, but not guys who are ready to carry a team."
But injuries aren't the only reason for Everett's offensive woes. Even with the missing players the Tips still have talented offensive players available. On paper the cobbled-together line of John Lammers, Peter Mueller and Calla, which includes Everett's first-, second- and fifth-leading scorers, looks formidable. But so far the line has yet to click, the three combining for just one goal and two assists during their six games together.
Constantine also hasn't been satisfied with the effort the Tips put into the last six games, the type of effort that creates turnovers and leads to scoring chances.
"What we judge ourselves by is not necessarily whether we're scoring goals, but whether every player is giving what he should based on his abilities," Constantine said. "We've had four of six games I'd say we didn't put a very good effort in - the Kootenay game I'd throw out because it was the fourth game in five nights at the end of a long road trip. So I think our overall effort as a team can be better."
Therefore the Tips are getting back to basics. When Everett's offense was running at full steam, many of the goals were created through intricate passing and attractive play. But now the Tips want to get back to creating offensive by winning battles for the puck and getting shots on goal.
"We can't work on trying to score pretty goals," Lammers said. "We have to get back to the dirty goals, just getting it on net, greasing it out and banging in some rebounds.
"Sometimes when you get yourself into a little slump you start thinking yourself into that slump," Lammers added. "You can't do that. You just have to stay positive and go at every day like it's a new day.
It's not all bleak for Everett's offense. As Constantine put it, "there's light at the end of the tunnel" regarding the injury situation. Heshka and fellow defenseman Eric Doyle - who would have been a top candidate to fill Heshka's shoes at the point on the power play - have both been cleared to play and are available tonight. Wheat and forward Ondrej Fiala remain on track to return soon from their knee injuries, with Fiala perhaps being ready by the weekend and Wheat within two weeks. Defenseman Jonathan Harty is getting good rest for his groin injury. Even center Zach Hamill, who was sent home with a bout with mononucleosis, has recovered enough that he returned to Everett on Monday night and was expected to return to school today.
But until everyone returns, Constantine is looking for someone to step up.
"We have to have the guys who go on the ice feel some responsibility for winning, no matter what the lineup is," he said. "Especially the guys who have the capabilities of being difference makers in games. They're going to have to find a way to win us a game until we're back to full health."