Tips lose 3rd straight

[Tipped Off]

Posted : : 03/16/2006
Everett Loses Late in the Third
Winterhawks Slip by Silvertips 2-1
Everett Silvertips Press Release

Portland, OR - Tonight at the Rose Garden in Portland, OR the Everett Silvertips fall to the Portland Winterhawks by a final score of 2-1. This was the last meeting in the regular season for these two clubs and the Silvertips win the series 7-3-0-2. Everett, the 2005-06 US Division Champions, now has a 39-26-2-3 record and 83 points. Portland, 3rd in the division, has 68 points and a 30-31-3-5 regular season record.

After a scoreless first period, Portland Captain Brian Woolger put the first goal on the scoreboard at 17:48 of the second after he beat Graham Potuer to the puck and swept it under Leland Irving. Eight minutes into the third, Damir Alic earned the tying goal. Torrie Wheat, behind the Winterhawks' net, stripped the puck from Lenny Thunderchild and sent it out front to Alic. This was Alic's fifth goal on the year. Then with five minutes to go in the game, Brandon Dubinsky caught a rebound off of a Jannik Hansen shot.

Leland Irving, in between the pipes for the Silvertips, turned away 20 shots on 22 but drops his record to 36-22-1-3. Kurtis Mucha, the Portland netminder, stopped all but one of Everett's 18 shots and boosts his short record to 12-9-1-3. Both teams had three chances on the extra man advantage but neither team was able to convert. The Winterhawks out shot the Silvertips 22-18.

The Everett Silvertips are home for the last time during the 2005-06 regular season on Saturday, March 18th. The puck drops against the Vancouver Giants at 7:05pm.

Silvertips Box Scores

Damir Alic (5) 1 G
Torrie Wheat 1 A
Leland Irving (36-22-1-3): 20/22 saves
Shots on Goal: Everett 18, Portland 22
Power Play: Everett 0/3, Portland 0/3
Attendance: 5,429

[nelson951]

Bums

Is this your revenge on Seattle for winning the season series?

[sTIPulation]

:wave:Yes, we is Bums... we let the new young-uns play, we showed up, we went thru the motions... *yawn* we gotta go rest now, wake us up when the the playoffs start...

[Tipped Off]

On the Tips board...a good commentary which mirrors my position:

It was bad enough when these guys had just the 'light-switch' mentality (turning it "ON" one game, turning it "OFF" another), but suddenly they aren't playing with focus or intensity during any game. Not a good way to enter the playoffs.

I understand about resting some guys before the playoffs, but we've still had many quality players out there the past three games so that can't be used as an excuse. Winning the division so early and being one of the very few teams in the WHL 'locked' into a conference seed (i.e. Everett is stuck at fourth in the conference) might come back to haunt our team, as they seemingly are no longer focused with nothing to play for except possibly pride. Seattle, Portland, Tri-City, Vancouver, Kelowna, Kootenay, and Prince George are ALL still playing their "A" games, as they are still jockeying for playoff positions, which could be a major factor when the playoffs begin. The Silvertips, on the other hand, could be playing their "A" game (or even their "B" game), demonstrating just why they are one of the four-best seeds in the conference, but just don't seem to want to.

Our team's power plays have quickly gone into the toilet: 1 for our last 25 opportunities = 4%. 4%!!! It's hard to imagine that it could get worse than that... Oh, wait... there are still two more regular-season games that the team could flounder even further. Even Keith Gerhart mentioned on the radio last night that the Silvertips are not passing well, and not paying attention a lot.

I'm happy that the team is in the playoffs, and I am definitely happy that we won the division, but I am not happy with a team that does not play with focus & intensity every game. What good is it to go to the playoffs and win your division, if you just take an early exit in the First Round by a lower-seeded team that is playing hard every game?

With only two regular-season games left and the playoffs right around the corner, the Silvertips don't have much time to re-group & re-focus. And THAT is what has me, along with many other fans, concerned.

In some strange way, when thinking about it, the only reason I might be glad that Portland won & Tri-City lost last night is that it virtually locks the Americans into fourth-place when the playoffs begin. That's not a bad thing.

Currently, the WinterHawks are on a hot streak, going 7-2-0-1 in their past ten games. They are the hottest team in the division. Conversely, the Americans have gone 3-7 in their past ten games. Because of the ways that our team has been stumbling lately, and how Portland has been surging, facing the WinterHawks in the First Round would probably quickly turn into a nightmare.

I have a lot more enthusiasm going into the First Round against Tri-City. Everett has a great record against their team, and most of the wins for the Silvertips have been blowouts. Sure, the Americans play a tough, physical game, but I'm sure that players like Sonne, Harty, and Alic are up to the task. And if Beach is able to join our team in the First Round... watch out! He's big, physical, and a major scoring threat. Plus, not many opposing teams have seen him or know what to expect.
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I do want to say "good job" to Mitch Wall & Matt Ius last night. Wall was even one of only two Silvertip players (Eric Doyle was the other) who had a 'positive' rating, at a +1. I hope to see more from these players in the future.