Tipped Off
02-22-2006, 12:11 PM
Published: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - Everett Herald
No rest for the Silvertips
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - It was all business for the Everett Silvertips when they returned to practice Tuesday. There were no excess smiles, no air of accomplishment or self satisfaction.
No, there was little indication the Silvertips were coming off a pivotal week that went about as well as possible.
A perfect 3-for-3 week may have extended Everett's lead atop the WHL's U.S. Division, but the Tips don't want to rest on their laurels.
"When you play three games and get six points, you can't get any better than that," Everett center Mark Kress said. "Everyone's still pretty jacked, but there's still 14 games left and anything can happen. It's always good to have a little bit of a cushion, but it can change in a heartbeat. You want to keep going, you never want to look back at a cushion."
Everett went into last week peeking over its shoulder. Seattle had pulled within seven points, had a game in hand, and the T-birds had five more cracks at Everett, beginning last Tuesday.
But once the week was over, Everett had snapped its three-game losing streak to Seattle, the T-birds' game in hand was gone, and the Tips had stretched their lead to 11.
"It was an important week," Constantine said. "Our guys did a good job. The games were all close, but we did what we needed to do to win."
Perhaps as important as the results was Everett's improved play. The Tips went into the week in a rut, playing lethargic and losing four of their previous six. But Everett upped its energy level to re-establish its double-digit lead atop the division.
"It's always good to improve and get the results, but the ultimate goal is just improving our game," Kress said. "I think we played pretty good, and we had the results we wanted as we improved."
However, Constantine was quick to caution against reading too much into last week's results.
"We were a little healthier and we were at home, and that barely got us wins," he said. "Now we're headed into a stretch where we play more on the road and I don't know about our health. We still have lots of hurdles to get over here before we can settle down. We have a long road ahead of us yet."
And Seattle still has four more chances head-to-head to eat into Everett's lead, beginning Friday in Seattle.
Hat trick: Ever wonder what the players do with the hats that come cascading onto the ice after scoring a hat trick?
Peter Mueller provided a little insight after he scored three goals in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs.
"I don't get them, I think they give them to charity," Mueller said following his third hat trick of the season. "They gave me one at the beginning of the year and it was a University of Minnesota hat. They put it at my stall the next day and gave me some grief for that."
Of course, Mueller was originally committed to play for Minnesota before forfeiting his NCAA eligibility to play for Everett.
Around the WHL: Everett remained entrenched in seventh in this week's Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association poll. Vancouver, Medicine Hat and Calgary remained in the top three spots, respectively, with the Giants earning all 14 first-place votes. ... Vancouver center Gilbert Brule was named the WHL Player of the Week for Feb. 13-19. Brule had five goals and five assists in three games, helping the Giants go 3-0. ... Portland center Brandon Dubinsky had three assists in his first two games back from his knee injury. Dubinsky, who had been out since Jan. 7, helped the Winter Hawks earn two points, though Portland lost both games in a shootout. Portland won just twice in 18 games without Dubinsky. "He's coming," Portland coach Mike Williamson said following Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss at Everett. "His conditioning is still a little off, as well as his timing and sense of where people are. But he's an elite player, one of the best in the league, and I think he's going to get better and better with each game. I think he's already helped our team and I think he'll continue to give us a big boost. ... Seattle's Bryan Bridges and Calgary's Justin Pogge continue to jockey for the WHL record for career shutouts by a goalie. Bridges' 1-0 blanking of Tri-City on Sunday gave him 21, pulling one ahead of Pogge.
No rest for the Silvertips
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - It was all business for the Everett Silvertips when they returned to practice Tuesday. There were no excess smiles, no air of accomplishment or self satisfaction.
No, there was little indication the Silvertips were coming off a pivotal week that went about as well as possible.
A perfect 3-for-3 week may have extended Everett's lead atop the WHL's U.S. Division, but the Tips don't want to rest on their laurels.
"When you play three games and get six points, you can't get any better than that," Everett center Mark Kress said. "Everyone's still pretty jacked, but there's still 14 games left and anything can happen. It's always good to have a little bit of a cushion, but it can change in a heartbeat. You want to keep going, you never want to look back at a cushion."
Everett went into last week peeking over its shoulder. Seattle had pulled within seven points, had a game in hand, and the T-birds had five more cracks at Everett, beginning last Tuesday.
But once the week was over, Everett had snapped its three-game losing streak to Seattle, the T-birds' game in hand was gone, and the Tips had stretched their lead to 11.
"It was an important week," Constantine said. "Our guys did a good job. The games were all close, but we did what we needed to do to win."
Perhaps as important as the results was Everett's improved play. The Tips went into the week in a rut, playing lethargic and losing four of their previous six. But Everett upped its energy level to re-establish its double-digit lead atop the division.
"It's always good to improve and get the results, but the ultimate goal is just improving our game," Kress said. "I think we played pretty good, and we had the results we wanted as we improved."
However, Constantine was quick to caution against reading too much into last week's results.
"We were a little healthier and we were at home, and that barely got us wins," he said. "Now we're headed into a stretch where we play more on the road and I don't know about our health. We still have lots of hurdles to get over here before we can settle down. We have a long road ahead of us yet."
And Seattle still has four more chances head-to-head to eat into Everett's lead, beginning Friday in Seattle.
Hat trick: Ever wonder what the players do with the hats that come cascading onto the ice after scoring a hat trick?
Peter Mueller provided a little insight after he scored three goals in Friday's 6-3 victory over the Spokane Chiefs.
"I don't get them, I think they give them to charity," Mueller said following his third hat trick of the season. "They gave me one at the beginning of the year and it was a University of Minnesota hat. They put it at my stall the next day and gave me some grief for that."
Of course, Mueller was originally committed to play for Minnesota before forfeiting his NCAA eligibility to play for Everett.
Around the WHL: Everett remained entrenched in seventh in this week's Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association poll. Vancouver, Medicine Hat and Calgary remained in the top three spots, respectively, with the Giants earning all 14 first-place votes. ... Vancouver center Gilbert Brule was named the WHL Player of the Week for Feb. 13-19. Brule had five goals and five assists in three games, helping the Giants go 3-0. ... Portland center Brandon Dubinsky had three assists in his first two games back from his knee injury. Dubinsky, who had been out since Jan. 7, helped the Winter Hawks earn two points, though Portland lost both games in a shootout. Portland won just twice in 18 games without Dubinsky. "He's coming," Portland coach Mike Williamson said following Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss at Everett. "His conditioning is still a little off, as well as his timing and sense of where people are. But he's an elite player, one of the best in the league, and I think he's going to get better and better with each game. I think he's already helped our team and I think he'll continue to give us a big boost. ... Seattle's Bryan Bridges and Calgary's Justin Pogge continue to jockey for the WHL record for career shutouts by a goalie. Bridges' 1-0 blanking of Tri-City on Sunday gave him 21, pulling one ahead of Pogge.