Pre Game 3 articles

[Tipped Off]

Tips care little about loss of home ice
Everett players say they're not worried about having to win at least one road game.

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer


EVERETT - One of the Everett Silvertips' stated goals during the regular season was to earn some form of home-ice advantage for the playoffs. They accomplished that by finishing first in the WHL's U.S. Division.

Then two games into their opening-round series against Tri-City they coughed it up.

With the series moving to the Toyota Center in Kennewick tonight, Everett is looking to get that home-ice advantage back.

"I guess you could look at it as a best-of-five now," Everett goaltender Leland Irving said. "We're looking towards the next game and we'll do our best to come out on top."

Everett and Tri-City split the first two games of the series at the Everett Events Center, with Everett winning 4-0 in Game 1 and Tri-City prevailing 2-1 in Game 2. Therefore, Everett will have to win at least one game in Kennewick to secure the best-of-seven series.

However, while the Americans believed they needed to win one of the first two games to have a chance in the series, the Tips seemed unconcerned with losing the home-ice advantage they fought so hard for during the regular season.

"I don't really care much about that," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "It's seven games. The first team to four wins the series. Other than that you just go play hockey. That's not very material to us."

There's no reason for Everett to panic yet. The Tips had their share of success at Tri-City this season, winning two of their five meetings at the Toyota Center. The last time Everett played in Kennewick on Feb. 26 the Tips were in complete control in a 3-0 victory.

"It's never nice to lose home-ice advantage, but playoffs are about winning at home and winning on the road," Everett left wing John Lammers said. "That's what you've got to do. We're going to face adversity and you can't get too high or too low. We have to stay on an even keel and work through all the little things."

If any team should know how to survive without home-ice advantage, it's Everett. Their first two seasons the Tips won three playoff series without having home-ice advantage, including last season's dramatic seven-game first-round series against Portland. In the only two series losses in franchise history, home-ice advantage didn't even come into play because they were both over in four games.

And Everett isn't alone. Of the eight first-round playoff series, six split the opening two games.

"If you're going to win the league and go to the Memorial Cup, you're going to have to win in other teams' rinks," Everett captain Torrie Wheat said. "It's unlikely if we make it past this round we'll have home ice in the second, so for the rest of the playoffs we'd have to win in other teams' buildings. So it's not a big deal, it's just something we have to figure out and be able to do."

Flu bug persists: The flu that's plagued the Tips since the start of the playoffs continues to cycle its way through the team, and it's likely that bug will affect Everett's lineup again tonight.

"It's not really pretty," Constantine said. "For some guys it kind of broke, but a couple other guys just got it in the last two days."

The good news for Everett is two players who missed Saturday's game because of the flu - defenseman Shaun Heshka and right wing Brady Calla - were well enough to practice Monday. They could return tonight.

However, the latest player stricken was defenseman Jonathan Harty, who along with holdover Ondrej Fiala was unable to practice Monday.

Beach trip?: Perhaps the Tips will get a look at Kyle Beach in the playoffs after all.

Beach, Everett's first-round pick in the 2005 Bantam Draft, is scheduled to join the team today in Kennewick and could dress for either Game 3 or Game 4.

Beach's midget team, the Okanagan Rockets, won the British Columbia Major Midget League and advanced to face the Alberta champions at the Telus Cup Regionals. Beach is ineligible to join the Tips full time until his midget season is over.

However, because the Telus Cup Regionals aren't until Apr. 7-9, Beach has some free time - and he also has one game remaining of the five games 15-year-olds are allowed to play in the WHL. He had two goals and an assist in his previous four games with Everett.

"He might play," Constantine said. "His midget team has the week off and he still has one game of eligibility left. He's going to join us there, but we really don't know if he's going to play or not."

[Tipped Off]

Ellington's streak comes to an end
Silvertips defenseman had played 118 games before scoring a goal in Game 1 of WHL playoff series against Tri-City

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer


EVERETT - Taylor Ellington's job for the Everett Silvertips has never been to score goals. The rugged defenseman's role is to be sound in his own end, and any offense that comes from him is a bonus.


Michael O'Leary / The Herald

Tri-City goaltender Casey Price deflected this Silvertips shot in Game 1. The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1.
But even stay-at-home defensemen generally chip in with a handful of goals each season. Not so Ellington, who hadn't found the net for two full seasons.

So when Ellington broke a scoreless tie in Game 1 of Everett's first-round playoff series against Tri-City on Friday night, it was understandable when the celebrations were even a little more raucous than the circumstances dictated.

"Oh my God, I couldn't have asked for a first goal in a better way," said Ellington, whose goal proved to be the game winner in a 4-0 Everett victory. "But it was all (Shaun) Heshka. He controlled the point and shot the puck in, and I just got the rebound. It was pure luck."

The goal came early in the second period. A delayed penalty was called on Tri-City, allowing Ellington to carry the puck deep into the offensive zone and remain down low. Everett moved the puck to Heshka at the point and although his shot was saved by Tri-City goaltender Carey Price, the rebound came out to Ellington in the left slot, where he banged it into the open net.

"The goal looked big," Ellington said. "I've never seen it that close. I was shocked. First of all (John) Lammers grabbed me and I was like, 'Oh my God!' "

The 17-year-old Ellington hadn't scored in his previous 110 regular season and eight playoff games. And as happy as Ellington was to finally break through, his teammates were even happier.

"Ellington, who would have thought?" Heshka said of his defensive partner. "I'm really happy for him. I've gotten a lot of points this year, but for him to get a key goal like that, a game-winning goal, I'm really happy for him and I hope it continues for him."

Everett captain Torrie Wheat agreed: "I'm so happy for him. He's a guy who for the last two years has battled so hard for us every night. He's an intense kid and wants nothing more than what's good for the team. For him to do something like that is really special for him and huge for our hockey team as well."

While seeing Ellington's name on the scoresheet may be a bit of a surprise, Everett coach Kevin Constantine was not surprised to see some sort of unusual name there.

"We talked about how unusual people end up being heroes in the playoffs as encouragement that all our guys prepare," Constantine said. "That happens in the playoffs. Guys who maybe don't figure prominently in the regular season become goal scorers in the playoffs, and that's an example."

Great debut: Leland Irving may have witnessed his share of playoff games from a good vantage point, but prior to Friday Everett's No. 1 goaltender had yet to experience one from the ice.

So no one was more surprised than Irving to see his playoff register begin with a shutout.

"I never expected this," Irving said following Friday's 4-0 victory. "I go into every game just trying to give the guys a chance to win. I know I can count on them to battle every night, work hard and take care of their end. I just have to make sure I take care of mine. The guys were blocking shots and clearing rebounds. Without them there's no way I could have had a game like this."

The 17-year-old Irving, who served as Michael Wall's backup in Everett's 11 playoff games last season, finished with 27 saves to earn the shutout.

Tough game: Wheat has a pair of the best hands among the Tips. They helped the 21-year-old right wing lead Everett in scoring last season, then average more than a point per game this season.

So it was surprising to see Wheat struggle the way he did in Everett's 2-1 loss in Saturday's Game 2.

Wheat was fighting the puck all night, having difficulty controlling it, then being able to do what he wanted with it when he did. The toughest moments for Wheat came during a sequence early in the second period. The Tips had a golden opportunity to go up two goals while on the power play, but Wheat three times was unable to score from in close with the net gaping, once fumbling the puck and twice shooting wide.

"I had a few empty nets that I just fanned on or missed," Wheat acknowledged.

"They battle hard and compete hard, and when a team does that you don't get much time or much space," Wheat added. "You're not going to feel like you have that time to make plays that you sometimes have. You have to change your game a bit and some of us maybe didn't do that."

Missing person: Everett was also hindered in Game 2 by the absence of defenseman Shaun Heshka. Heshka, who mans the point on Everett's power play and finished second in the league in scoring among defensemen, had two assists in Game 1 as Everett went 3-for-5 on the power play. However, without Heshka in the lineup because of the flu, Everett was just a touch off on the power play in Game 2 and finished 1-for-6.

"We're better with him," Constantine said. "The guys who went out there got some pretty good chances. But you get a little out of rhythm and a little out of position, so you're not quite in as natural a spot as you would be with Shaun back there. So I think it was a factor."

[Tipped Off]

THIS WEEK IN SILVERTIPS HOCKEY
First Round Series Continues in Kennewick
Everett Silvertips Press Release




Everett, WA - The scene will shift to the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Washington for games three and four of the Silvertips first round quarter final series against the Tri-City Americans. The series is currently tied at 1-1 with the Americans tying up the first round series with a 2-1 victory over the Silvertips at the Everett Events Center on Saturday, March 25. Game 3 will take place on Tuesday, March 28 at 7:05 p.m. in Kennewick and Game 4 will begin at 7:05 p.m. on Wedsday, March 29 at the Toyota Center.

SILVERTIPS PLAYOFF LEADING SCORERS
The Silvertips are led in playoff scoring by Zach Hamill (1 goal, 1 assist), John Lammers (1 goal, 1 assist), Torrie Wheat (2 assists) and Shaun Heshka (2 assists) with 2 points. Goaltender Leland Irving has posted a 1.01 GAA, 96.2% SP and 1 Shutout in two playoff contests.

SPECIAL TEAM SERIES STATS
Currently in the series, the Silvertips are 4 for 11 (36.36%) on the power play in the series while the Americans are 0 for 6 against the Tips' on the extra man advantage. The Silvertips have scored 4 of their 5 goals in the post season on the power play.

SILVERTIPS RECORD AT TRI-CITY
During the 2005-2006 regular season, the Silvertips posted a 2-2-1 record at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, WA. The Silvertips are 6-8-2 (OTL) all time in Tri-City.

SILVERTIPS AND AMERICANS SEASON SERIES RUNDOWN
This will be the first time in franchise history the Everett Silvertips will battle the Tri-City Americans in a playoff series. During the 2005-2006 regular season, the Silvertips posted a 7-2-1-0 record against the Americans this season. Everett went 5-0 against Tri-City at the Everett Events Center this season and 2-2-1 (OTL) at the Toyota Center in Kennewick, WA. The Silvertips lead the all time regular season series with a 14-12-3 (ties)-2 (OTL) against the Americans (8-4-3-0 all time @ Everett, 6-8-0-2 all time @ Tri-City). In the season series, the Silvertips out scored the Americans 34-15 in ten meetings. Torrie Wheat (4 goals, 11 assists) and Shaun Heshka (2 goals, 13 assists) led the Silvertips in scoring against Tri-City with 15 points. In goal, Leland Irving posted a 6-2-1 record against the Americans this season and recorded a 1.43 Goals Against Average and a .935% Save Percentage against the Ams'. Tri-City defenseman Logan Stephenson (2 goals, 5 assists) led the Americans in scoring against the Silvertips with 7 points this season. Ian McDonald (2 goals, 3 assists) finished with 5 points against the Silvertips in the season series. In goal, Carey Price posted a 2-4-0-1 record against the Silvertips and finished with a 2.90 Goals Against Average and a .881% Save Percentage and a shutout against Everett.

The Silvertips went 16 for 77 on the power play against the Americans this season while Tri-City went 5 for 45 against the Silvertips on the extra man advantage. The Silvertips finished the 2005-2006 season 4th on the power play (81 of 420, 19.30%) and 5th on the penalty kill (295 of 343, 86.00%). The Tri-City Americans finished the regular season 7th in the WHL on the power play (73 for 389, 18.80%) and 13th on the penalty kill (371 for 447, 83.00%).

GAME #5 TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
Game #5 of the 1st Round series between the Silvertips and the Americans will take place on Friday, March 31 at the Everett Events Center at 7:05 p.m. Good seats are available by logging on www.everettsilvertips.com or by calling the Everett Events Center Box Office at 1-866-332-8499. For groups of 10 or more, contact the Silvertips office at (425) 252-5100.

SILVERTIPS VS. AMERICANS FIRST ROUND SERIES SCHEDULE
GAME 3: Tuesday, March 28, Everett Silvertips vs. Tri-City Americans @ Toyota Center, 7:05 p.m.
GAME 4: Wednesday, March 29, Everett Silvertips vs. Tri-City Americans @ Toyota Center, 7:05 p.m.
GAME 5: Friday, March 31, Tri-City Americans vs. Everett Silvertips @ Everett Events Center, 7:05 p.m. (Game C Ticket)
GAME 6: Saturday, April 1, Everett Silvertips vs. Tri-City Americans @ Toyota Center, 7:05 p.m. If Necessary
GAME 7: Tuesday, April 4, Tri-City Americans vs. Everett Silvertips @ Everett Events Center, 7:05 p.m. (Game D Ticket) If Necessary

[Tipped Off]

One strong character: Beeman leads Ams tonight vs. Everett
This story was published Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

By Annie Fowler, Herald staff writer

It's Monday morning at Stinger Collision Center in Fontana, Calif., and all the employees know they will be herded into the office to watch highlights of the Tri-City Americans games from the weekend via the Internet.

The Western Hockey League's Internet broadcasts, which debuted this season, have enabled Mike and Joy Beeman to watch their son, Jason, play every game this season without the expense of a plane ticket, and they want to share every goal and big hit with everyone.

"You watch every game, every practice, you spend hours at the rink for years and then they leave," Joy Beeman said. "You miss them so much, but now we have the computer and we put it up on the big screen. It has been a good year for him."

Indeed it has.

The 20-year-old right wing from Diamond Bar, Calif., had a career-best 28 goals and 58 points during the regular season, but to think what he could have done had he not been suspended four times for a total of 10 games this season by the Western Hockey League.

"A couple of the suspensions were a little weak," said Beeman, who was second in the league with 17 power-play goals. "But I have to deal with it and move on. I can't let it affect the way I play out there."

Actually, the suspensions paid dividends. When Beeman returned from the suspensions, he was productive on the ice. The most recent suspension was handed out by league disciplinarian Rick Doerksen for a hit on Portland's Jon Bubnick on March 10.

Beeman missed two games, then returned to score two goals and hand out two assists in two home games against Prince George the last weekend of the regular season.

"He's been great," said Tri-Cities coach Don Nachbaur. "Not only is he a good kid, but he's been a real leader and he can score. He's displayed that this year. I can't say enough about our overagers. They have been very good for us this year."

Beeman scored the first goal of the Americans' 2-1 win Saturday, helping Tri-Cities even its first-round series with Everett at one game apiece. Game 3 will be at 7:05 p.m. today at Toyota Center.

Joy Beeman and her daughter, Jamie, will be at tonight's game and plan to stay through the weekend. Mike, who shares a July 2 birthday and an off-the-wall personality with his son, plans to come north for the second round of the playoffs.

Jamie, 10, is an accomplished singer and will perform the National Anthem tonight.

"They are so close," Joy said of Jason and Jamie. "He has adored her since the day she was born. She just stole his heart."

Beeman said he credits his productivity this season to linemates Ian McDonald and Juraj Gracik. During the regular season, the trio combined for 87 goals.

"It helps playing with Ian for five years," Beeman said. "You know where each otheris all the time on the ice. Juraj was a good addition to the line, and playing first unit power play doesn't hurt."

It's a good thing Beeman has his hockey skills to back him up. Being one of only two American-born players (the other is rookie Kyle Peters) on the Tri-Cities roster, he gets almost as much flak for that as he does from Doerksen.

"They try to bug me," said Beeman, who spent a couple years as the team's only American-born player. "I block them out and tell them we have as many people in California as they do in all of Canada -- and our girls are hotter. Canada has beautiful scenery and nice people, just not a lot of them."

His outgoing personality helps him brush aside the snide remarks by his teammates, but it also draws their ire.

"I'm down for anything," Beeman said. "Sometimes they get sick of me. I'm too outgoing. I wake up too happy some days."

And that plays in his favor when he visits area schools and reads to the students.

"I can act myself around them," said Beeman, who won the team's Community Leader and Unsung Hero awards this season. "I love kids. They are fun and they are happy, most of the time."

He always lets the children pick the books he reads. His favorite? Captain Underpants. "It was hilarious," he said. "I tried to read it fast, but I never got to finish it."

Beeman grew up playing the typical American sports. He and his older brother Justin, 22, played baseball and soccer.

Jason discovered hockey when he was 8, but Justin went on to play football and wrestle in high school (he was a Sierra League champion at 189 pounds in 2001) and now is a fireman for the Los Angeles County Forest Service.

Beeman's younger brother Jeremy, 17, is a tight end/linebacker at Diamond Bar High School.

And while Justin and Jeremy took to football, Jason's love for hockey grew.

"I love hitting people. I like the physical play," said Jason, who had 115 penalty minutes this season. "And it was cold in the rink -- it was a chance to get out of the heat."

Beeman left home at 14 to play at Delphi Academy in Langley, British Columbia, and was playing for the Spokane Braves when he was drafted by the Americans in the second round of the WHL bantam draft in 2001. But he remains undrafted and unsigned by an NHL team.

"I'd like to play on TV one day, and I'd like to repay my parents for everything," Beeman said. "They have sacrificed personal things they have wanted for me to play hockey."

His mother said no such payment is expected.

"When we see how much he's accomplished and what a wonderful young man he's become, there is no payback in the world than for him to fulfill his dream," Joy said. "It takes a very strong person to not give up when the phone doesn't ring off the hook."

A strong showing in the playoffs could have scouts punching in a 509 area code.

"I definitely want the phone to ring," Beeman said. "I don't think the U.S. teams get looked at as much as the Canadian teams. You have to work hard on the road. Coach says the road builds character."

And no one has more character than Jason Beeman.

[ihlemic10]

Wheat scored in overtime for the Tips to win the game 2-1. The Tips also lead the series. Lets see if we can get another win in TC and get the in at home. Good effort boys.