Chiefs @ Tips: 2/10

[Tipped Off]

Silvertips update



Today's game Opponent: Spokane Chiefs

When: 7:05 p.m.

Where: Everett Events Center

Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)

Scouting report

Tonight's game between Everett (30-20-2-1) and Spokane (20-27-4-2) pits the teams in first and last place in the U.S. Division. Everett dominated the last meeting 5-1 at home on Jan. 29 and leads the season series 5-2.

Spokane was given up for dead following the trade deadline, when the Chiefs dealt leading scorer Chad Klassen and No. 1 goaltender Jim Watt to Saskatoon for 17-year-old goaltender Kevin Armstrong. However, with the rest of the division cooling off a bit, Spokane finds itself back in the playoff hunt. The Chiefs now trail Portland by just one point for the division's final playoff spot.

Spokane is led by hometown boy Derek Ryan. The 19-year-old center leads the team in scoring with 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists). Michael Grabner, an 18-year-old right wing, has picked up his play as the season progressed and now leads the Chiefs in goals with 21. Armstrong is 3-6-0-1 with a 3.45 goals against average and .887 save percentage since joining Spokane.

The Chiefs are still without captain Jeff Lynch. The 20-year-old left wing has been laid up with a shoulder injury. Spokane is also without enforcer Myles Stoesz, serving a four-game suspension for an elbowing major against Tri-City last Saturday.

Everett might get captain Torrie Wheat back. Wheat, who missed the past two games with a bruised foot, skated in practice Thursday. However center Zach Hamill, who missed the last game with the flu, was still unable to practice Thursday.

Nick Patterson, Herald writer

[Tipped Off]

Irving shines in goal
His effort anchors Tips' 2-1 shootout win over Spokane

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer


EVERETT - Everett Silvertips goaltender Leland Irving has been solid all season. But the one thing he hadn't yet done was steal a game all by himself.

That changed Friday night.

Irving turned in an immense performance, building a brick wall in front of the Everett goal, and his efforts were largely responsible for the Silvertips' 2-1 shootout victory over the Spokane Chiefs.

"For some reason I felt fairly calm and confident out there," said Irving, who turned in the performance despite battling the effects of a cold. "I was solid enough to give the guys a chance to win and we were able to get the two points."

Two points Irving can claim as his own. Irving was in a zone, stopping breakaway after breakaway, then continued that form right into the shootout, saving all three of Spokane's attempts. He finished with 24 saves.

And with Everett's skaters still not quite up to snuff, Irving's performance was necessary to stunt a lull that caused Everett (31-20-2-1) to lose three of its past four.

"He was by far our best player," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said of Irving. "We come in after the game and talk as coaches about who should get the hard hat, which we award to the best player on our team every win. Some nights you kind of think about it for a while, talk about four or five guys. But tonight it was unanimous, all three coaches instantly said, 'That's easy, it's Leland tonight.' He was awful good. The more the game went on the better he got."

John Lammers scored a short-handed goal and Peter Mueller scored in the shootout for Everett, which has 6-1 record in shootouts. But the Tips did not play with the kind of passion Constantine called for following Wednesday's 2-1 loss at Seattle, and Everett spent the entire third period and overtime back on its heels. Spokane (20-27-4-3) easily could have won it, if not for Irving.

"I thought (Everett's passion) was improved, but our team is really battling the flu," Constantine said. "Guys like Lammers and (Zach) Hamill played without skating yesterday and there's no way they're going to be that energized when that's the case. I think we really tried to be more into the game tonight, but we're still limited by the health of our guys as far as how much energy we're going to have every night. It was a positive step, but I think we can play a lot better than we did tonight."

Derek Ryan scored Spokane's goal - on a third attempt after Irving made the first two stops - and Thomas Stehr made 25 saves in goal for the Chiefs.

"We played hard and did a good job," Spokane coach Bill Peters said. "We had some chances five-on-five I thought we should have capitalized on. You've got to give Leland Irving credit there. Overall I thought the effort was good, but we need a little bit more to get the result we want."

Lammers broke a scoreless tie at 14 minutes, 57 seconds of the second period. The short-handed Tips broke up a Spokane rush at the blue line and Hamill poked the puck ahead to Lammers for a breakaway. Lammers deked right and lifted a backhand shot into the top corner to give the Tips the lead.

However, much like in the Wednesday's loss, Everett surrendered the tying goal late in the second under poor circumstances. Spokane had just taken a penalty to nullify a Chiefs power play. But moments into the ensuing four-on-four, Spokane put shots in on Irving and although he stopped the first two, Ryan scored on the third at 17:37 to tie it.

In the third period Irving made big saves on Judd Blackwater right in front and Michael Grabner on a short-handed breakaway, then in overtime he stopped Brad Erickson on a breakaway and Grabner again after an Everett giveaway deep in its own zone, forcing the shootout.

Slap shots: Everett welcomed Hamill (flu) and captain Torrie Wheat (foot) back to the lineup Friday after brief absences. However, right wing Brady Calla was scratched because of the flu. ... With enforcer Myles Stoesz out suspended, and forwards Jeff Lynch and David Linsley and defenseman Phil Magistrale all injured, Spokane dressed just 19 players.

Silvertips 2, Chiefs 1 (SO)

Spokane 0 1 0 0-1

Everett 0 1 0 0-2

Everett won shootout 1-0

First Period-No goals. Penalties-Hobson, Spokane (interference), 0:25; Dailey, Everett (holding), 4:35; Ja. Lynch, Spokane (tripping), 7:52.

Second Period-1, Everett, Lammers 28 (Hamill), 14:57 (sh). 2, Spokane, Ryan 21 (Mercer, Salmonsson), 17:37. Penalties-Bruton, Spokane (cross-checking), 0:29; Bowman, Spokane (hooking), 8:26; Harty, Everett (interference), 10:54, Harty, Everett (slashing), 14:19; Heshka, Everett (interference), 16:53; Bowman, Spokane (roughing), 17:17; Falk, Spokane (hooking), 18:21.

Third Period-No scoring. Penalties-Erickson, Spokane (delay of game), 7:13; Heshka, Everett (slashing), 7:55.

Overtime-No goals. Penalties-None.

Shootout-Everett 1 (Mueller G, Hamill NG); Spokane 0 (Ryan NG, Grabner NG, Erickson NG).

Shots on goal-Spokane 4-11-5-5-25. Everett 11-6-7-2-26. Power-play opportunities-Spokane 0 of 5. Everett 0 of 7.

Goalies-Spokane, Stehr 6-6-2-2 (26 shots, 25 saves). Everett, Irving 28-18-1-1 (25 shots, 24 saves).