Delay Doesn't Stop Tips Train

[Tipped Off]

Silvertips outshoot Americans
Backup Tips goalie Esposito stops two shots during shootout for 3-2 Everett win

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer


EVERETT - A very long night at the Everett Events Center was ended by a very short guy.

Goaltender Matt Esposito - all 5-foot-7 of him - made two saves in the shootout, including the deciding save on Jason Beeman, and the Everett Silvertips defeated the Tri-City Americans 3-2 Monday night.

"I loved it," Esposito said about winning in a shootout. "I was a little nervous coming in because it was my first start at home, but the guys played well in front of me."

In a game that was delayed 1 hour, 10 minutes because Tri-City's bus was slowed by snow in Snoqualmie Pass and didn't end until about 10:40, Everett prevailed in a shootout 2-1, thanks to Esposito and goals by Zach Hamill and Karel Hromas. Everett is a perfect 5-0 in shootouts this season.

Hromas also scored in regulation and Brennan Sonne added his first career WHL goal for Everett (27-15-2-0), which won despite playing severely short-handed. The Tips were minus key forwards Peter Mueller, Brady Calla and Ondrej Fiala and No. 1 goaltender Leland Irving, who all departed for the Wednesday's Canadian Hockey League Top Prospects Game. Esposito finished with 25 saves.

"I thought it was good for the fans to get a game like that, considering they had to put up with waiting for an hour-and-a-half," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said.

"When you combine the fact that we were missing so many guys with the fact that we didn't score first and were down going into the third period, that was a pretty good win."

Ian McDonald scored a pair of short-handed goals and Carey Price made 19 saves in goal for Tri-City (18-17-3-3). Juraj Gracik was the only played to find a way past Esposito in the shootout.

"We were only given 15 minutes from when we walked into the door to having to take the ice for warm-ups, so I was concerned that we were rushed," Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur said. "But I thought we played well enough to win the game. We knew they were short-handed, but they work hard and it was a good game. Both teams wanted it."

The 1 hour, 10 minute delay to start the game seemed to affect everyone, as both teams came out sluggish, and even the officials had an interesting time, calling 20 minor penalties in the first two periods and none in the third or overtime.

Tri-City was the first team to capitalize on the other's lethargy. Everett was on the power play when the Americans broke away two-on-one. McDonald took the shot himself and found the top corner, giving Tri-City a 1-0 lead at 15:10. The Americans outshot the Tips 10-3 in the period.

Everett improved in the second period, and the Tips tied it up on a four-on-three power play at 8:06. John Lammers received the puck at the right point worked his way left looking for a shot, then pulled a pass back to Hromas at the right post, and Hromas fired it in behind Price to make it 1-1.

But McDonald struck again with the Americans short-handed at 17:39. Juraj Gracik caused all kinds of problems on the forecheck, and the puck slipped out front with Esposito out of position. McDonald lifted the puck over a diving Esposito to restore Tri-City's lead.

Everett quickly tied it in the third. Sonne, on the rush, skated the puck into the zone on the left and wristed a shot on the fly that found the far-upper corner, making it 2-2.

Everett had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but Price was able to deny Karel Hromas at point blank.

Slap shots: Everett defenseman Shaun Heshka was named the WHL Player of the Week for Jan. 9-15. Heshka had a goal, six assists and a plus-6 rating in helping the Tips go 3-0. He is the third Everett player to receive the honor this season, following Peter Mueller and John Lammers. ... Everett's scheduled game in Seattle on Sunday has been changed because of the Seattle Seahawks' playoff game. It is now scheduled for Feb. 8. ... Tri-City was without center Matt Schneider because of a shoulder injury.

Silvertips 3, Americans 2 (SO)

Tri-City 1 1 0 0-2

Everett 0 1 1 0-3

Everett won shootout 2-1

First Period-1, Tri-City, McDonald 23, 15:10 (sh). Penalties-Bacek, Tri-City (hooking), 1:31; Jones, Tri-City (hooking), 4:45; Everett bench (too many men, served by Sonne), 7:49; Thoring, Everett (hooking), 11:13; Gracik, Tri-City (goaltender interference), 11:55; Wheat, Everett (hooking), 12:11; Knudsen, Tri-City (holding), 13:48; Boogaard, Tri-City (tripping), 16:34; Stephenson, Tri-City (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:45; Sonne, Everett (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:45.

Second Period-2, Everett, Hromas 10 (Lammers, Heshka), 8:06 (pp). 3, Tri-City, McDonald 24 (Gracik), 17:39 (sh). Penalties-Swaby, Tri-City (high sticking), 3:38; Wheat, Everett (cross-checking), 4:10; Boogaard, Tri-City (holding), 7:09; Harty, Everett (diving), 7:09; Gracik, Tri-City (goaltender interference), 7:31; Thoring, Everett (goaltender interference), 8:24, Harty, Everett (clipping), 10:45; Hamill, Everett (interference), 12:56, Knudsen, Tri-City (cross-checking), 15:46; Sonne, Everett (interference), 18:22.

Third Period-4, Everett, Sonne 1, 0:38. Penalties-None.

Overtime-No goals. Penalties-None.

Shootout-Everett 2 (Hamill G, Hromas G); Tri-City 1 (McDonald NG, Gracik G, Beeman NG).

Shots on goal-Tri-City 10-9-7-1-27. Everett 3-11-5-2-21. Power-play opportunities-Tri-City 0 of 8. Everett 1 of 7.

Goalies-Tri-City, Price 14-12-3-3 (21 shots, 19 saves). Everett, Esposito 3-2-1-0 (27 shots, 25 saves).

[Tipped Off]

Ams brave conditions, fall 3-2 in SO
This story was published Tuesday, January 17th, 2006

By the Herald staff

EVERETT -- The Tri-City Americans survived eight hours on the bus in a snowstorm, but they couldn't hold off the Everett Silvertips once they finally got on the ice.

Zach Hamill and Karel Hromas each scored in the shootout to lead Everett to a 3-2 Western Hockey League victory over Tri-Cities on Monday night at Everett Events Center.

The game, which started an hour and 15 minutes late because the Americans' bus was delayed by adverse weather conditions over Snoqualmie Pass, was tied at 2 after overtime. The Silvertips outscored the Americans 2-1 in the shootout.

Tri-Cities (18-17-3-3, 42 points), with points in three straight, keeps its hold on third place in the U.S. Division, and has a two-point lead in fourth-place Seattle.

"I thought we battled through the adversity and played well enough to win," said Americans coach Don Nachbaur, who said his team left at 11:30 a.m. and arrived at the rink 45 minutes before the drop of the puck at 8:16 p.m. "We are a much different team than we were a long time ago. We are battling harder, competing harder and playing as a team."

The Silvertips (27-15-2-0), who were without starting goalie Leland Irving and forwards Peter Mueller, Brady Calla and Ondrej Fiala, who were in Ottawa for Wednesday's CHL Top Prospects Game, have won four straight and lead the division with 56 points.

Ian McDonald, who had a hat trick Saturday night against Spokane, had two short-handed goals for the Americans, including one at 15:10 of the first as Tri-Cities led 1-0 after the first period.

Hromas tied the game at 8:06 of the second with a power-play goal, but McDonald answered 9 1/2 minutes later for a 2-1 lead heading into the third.

Brennan Sonne scored just 16 seconds after coming out of the penalty box, beating Carey Price glove side to tie the game at 2 just 38 seconds into the third.

Price finished with 19 saves, while Matt Esposito turned in his best performance of the season for Everett with 25 saves for his third win.

The Americans will play in Kamloops tonight. Tri-Cities leads the season series 3-0 and can sweep the Blazers for the first time in franchise history with a win.