Tipped Off
03-15-2006, 11:32 PM
Tips have time to savor this U.S. title
But Everett players understand there's more work to do
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - Tuesday's Everett Silvertips practice at the Everett Events Center community rink seemed just like any other, with the players being run through a thorough gamut of drills.
The only difference was that for the first time, the Silvertips took to practice under the guise of U.S. Division champions.
Everett clinched the title during its three-game road trip over the weekend, giving the Tips a full week to celebrate before the end of the regular season.
"It's a great feeling," Everett center Mark Kress said about winning the title. "That's one of your goals, to win your division and win a banner. For us it's awesome, but there's a lot of goals left."
Everett secured the title Friday, when the Tips won 4-1 at Prince George and Seattle, which still had an outside shot of catching Everett, lost 3-2 at Kelowna.
"It feels unreal," left wing Brennan Sonne said. "I've never won a division before, this is my first time, so I'm really excited. Obviously we want to take it far into the playoffs."
The division title is Everett's second in its three-season existence. The Tips also won the title their inaugural season in 2003-04.
"We play in a strong division with a lot of great players and competitive teams, and it's hard," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "It's hard to win a regular-season title. It's a lot of work, you have to battle through injuries, you have to play great teams, so it's nice for our guys to be able to hang a banner and have something to symbolize how good an effort was put in."
John Lammers scored a hat trick in the game that put the Tips over the top. For Lammers, who arrived via trade during the offseason, it was a particularly gratifying moment. In his three seasons with Lethbridge he never played for a banner-winning team.
"I got the opportunity to get some goals, I ended up getting a couple backdoor passes, which worked out good," Lammers said. "But it's all about the team.
"Team success is something everyone wants, and it's a lot of fun when you have team success," Lammers added. "We've had a lot off fun this year, but we have a lot more work to do."
This year's title is substantially different from the one won two years earlier. That season Everett was an expansion team that wasn't expected to contend for the playoffs, let alone the division title. And that year Everett didn't secure the title until the second-to-last day of the season.
"The first year we only had one game left, so we did it at the last second," Kress said. "This year we had a few games left, so there's not as much pressure. But it's good to get it either way, they're both special in their own ways."
Just four players - Kress, Torrie Wheat, Shaun Heshka and Cody Thoring - remain from that first division-winning team. So for the rest of the team it's a new experience to be savored.
"That's why I came here," said Sonne, who arrived midseason. "I talked to a few other teams, but this is the team that really has a tradition - albeit a short one - of excellence. That's the type of organization any player wants to go to."
Everett not only has the division's top seed wrapped up, the Tips are also locked into fourth place in the conference. Therefore, the only thing left for Everett to determine the final week of the season is who the Tips face in the first round of the playoffs.
Tri-City, currently in fourth, would be Everett's opponent if the season ended today. However, the Americans can still catch Portland, which they trail by three points, with both teams having four games remaining. It's even mathematically possible - though highly improbable - that second-place Seattle could slide into fourth.
During the regular season, Everett was 7-2-1-0 against Tri-City, 7-2-0-2 against Portland (with one game remaining), and 4-5-0-1 (with one game remaining) against Seattle.
But the Tips are unconcerned about potential first-round matchups.
"Whoever we play is going to be a good hockey team, no matter who they are," center Zach Hamill said. "Any team we play is going to work hard and they're in the playoffs for a reason."
But whichever team that ends up being will have to contend with a champion.
But Everett players understand there's more work to do
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - Tuesday's Everett Silvertips practice at the Everett Events Center community rink seemed just like any other, with the players being run through a thorough gamut of drills.
The only difference was that for the first time, the Silvertips took to practice under the guise of U.S. Division champions.
Everett clinched the title during its three-game road trip over the weekend, giving the Tips a full week to celebrate before the end of the regular season.
"It's a great feeling," Everett center Mark Kress said about winning the title. "That's one of your goals, to win your division and win a banner. For us it's awesome, but there's a lot of goals left."
Everett secured the title Friday, when the Tips won 4-1 at Prince George and Seattle, which still had an outside shot of catching Everett, lost 3-2 at Kelowna.
"It feels unreal," left wing Brennan Sonne said. "I've never won a division before, this is my first time, so I'm really excited. Obviously we want to take it far into the playoffs."
The division title is Everett's second in its three-season existence. The Tips also won the title their inaugural season in 2003-04.
"We play in a strong division with a lot of great players and competitive teams, and it's hard," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "It's hard to win a regular-season title. It's a lot of work, you have to battle through injuries, you have to play great teams, so it's nice for our guys to be able to hang a banner and have something to symbolize how good an effort was put in."
John Lammers scored a hat trick in the game that put the Tips over the top. For Lammers, who arrived via trade during the offseason, it was a particularly gratifying moment. In his three seasons with Lethbridge he never played for a banner-winning team.
"I got the opportunity to get some goals, I ended up getting a couple backdoor passes, which worked out good," Lammers said. "But it's all about the team.
"Team success is something everyone wants, and it's a lot of fun when you have team success," Lammers added. "We've had a lot off fun this year, but we have a lot more work to do."
This year's title is substantially different from the one won two years earlier. That season Everett was an expansion team that wasn't expected to contend for the playoffs, let alone the division title. And that year Everett didn't secure the title until the second-to-last day of the season.
"The first year we only had one game left, so we did it at the last second," Kress said. "This year we had a few games left, so there's not as much pressure. But it's good to get it either way, they're both special in their own ways."
Just four players - Kress, Torrie Wheat, Shaun Heshka and Cody Thoring - remain from that first division-winning team. So for the rest of the team it's a new experience to be savored.
"That's why I came here," said Sonne, who arrived midseason. "I talked to a few other teams, but this is the team that really has a tradition - albeit a short one - of excellence. That's the type of organization any player wants to go to."
Everett not only has the division's top seed wrapped up, the Tips are also locked into fourth place in the conference. Therefore, the only thing left for Everett to determine the final week of the season is who the Tips face in the first round of the playoffs.
Tri-City, currently in fourth, would be Everett's opponent if the season ended today. However, the Americans can still catch Portland, which they trail by three points, with both teams having four games remaining. It's even mathematically possible - though highly improbable - that second-place Seattle could slide into fourth.
During the regular season, Everett was 7-2-1-0 against Tri-City, 7-2-0-2 against Portland (with one game remaining), and 4-5-0-1 (with one game remaining) against Seattle.
But the Tips are unconcerned about potential first-round matchups.
"Whoever we play is going to be a good hockey team, no matter who they are," center Zach Hamill said. "Any team we play is going to work hard and they're in the playoffs for a reason."
But whichever team that ends up being will have to contend with a champion.