Tipped Off
04-05-2006, 10:32 AM
Tips face 'cream of the crop'
Kelowna, Everett's second-round foe, is a playoff-tested team.
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - The Everett Silvertips wasted little time in putting the Tri-City Americans away in the first round of the WHL playoffs.
Everett's reward? Just the greatest WHL dynasty of the last decade.
The Silvertips realize they have their work cut out for them if they're to overcome the Kelowna Rockets in their second-round series, which begins Friday in Kelowna.
"Kelowna's the cream of the crop in this league the last four years," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "We know we have a playoff-tested opponent that's going to be extremely challenging to get by."
Kelowna is currently the WHL's model franchise. The Rockets, who defeated a quality Kootenay team in six games in the first round, is the defending league champ. The Rockets also won the league title in 2003, and in between they just happened to lift the Memorial Cup after qualifying as the host team in 2004.
The Rockets were just as good this season, earning 96 points and finishing second in the B.C. Division, the most-competitive division in the league. With a roster that's been through the playoff wars, Kelowna is considered perhaps the favorite to win it all again this year, despite finishing just fourth in the league during the regular season.
"It's something you look forward to because they're the team to beat in the Western Hockey League," center Zach Hamill said. "They're a hard-working team - I don't think any team can match Kelowna for hard work - so it's going to be tough."
Though Kelowna is closer geographically than Kootenay or Prince George - therefore meaning a tolerable five-hour bus ride as opposed to double that for either of the other two destinations - the Rockets may have been the most daunting.
"It didn't surprise me," defenseman Shaun Heshka said about drawing the Rockets in the second round. "They have a great team with some great players like (Blake) Comeau, (Troy) Bodie and (Mike) Card. Those guys can hurt you and we're going to have to be prepared."
In many respects Kelowna is a mirror image to Everett. The Rockets have skilled forwards, led by 19-year-olds Justin Keller (51 goals, 37 assists during the regular season) and Comeau (21 goals, 53 assists); they have a defense marshaled by Card (12 goals, 43 assists) that gives up little; and they have a good goaltender in 19-year-old Derek Yeomans (30-16-0-2, 2.30 goals against average, .914 save percentage).
"I think we match up pretty well," Heshka said. "They have a lot of high-skill forwards and so do we. We're pretty solid on the back end and they have solid guys as well. I think we match up almost equally. It's going to be who wants it more."
The difference during the regular season between the two teams was Yeomans, who won all three of his starts against Everett this season, giving up just three goals in the process. Everett's only victory against Kelowna came when backup goaltender Kristofer Westblom was in net.
But the regular-season matchups are also a little misleading. At least one of the teams was missing key players because of injury in each of the first three matchups, and the final meeting came less than 48 hours after Everett clinched the U.S. Division title.
So even though Everett goes into the series as the underdog, the Tips are confident they can compete.
"We're both pretty honest, hard-working teams," Everett captain Torrie Wheat said. "That's the way they've won the league and gone to the Memorial Cup the last three years. They've got champions on their team, so they know how to win. We have the makings of that, and hopefully we can start our own dynasty."
Flu update: The worst appears to be over concerning the flu bug that hit Everett just in time for the playoffs. With the exception of defenseman Zach Sim, who's out for the duration with a shoulder injury, Everett practiced a full squad Tuesday, with everyone having recovered enough to participate at full speed.
"I don't know if it's done making its circuit through the team, I know I'm still feeling the effects of it myself," Constantine said. "But I think it's not to the degree it was."
Constantine said left wing Ondrej Fiala, who missed the entire first round, should be ready for Game 1 against Kelowna.
Time change: The start time for the if -necessary Game 6 on Apr. 16 at the Everett Events Center has been changed from 5:05 p.m. to 6:05 p.m. The game was pushed back an hour so fans would be able to spend more time with their Easter Sunday activities.
Everett's front office also announced it has acquired 800 full-tournament packages for the 2007 Memorial Cup in Vancouver, B.C. Packages are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, contact the Silvertips at 425-252-5100.
Around the WHL: Vancouver center Gilbert Brule was named the WHL Player of the Week for Mar. 27-Apr. 2. Brule had four goals and three assists in three games, helping the Giants defeat Prince George in the first round. Everett goaltender Leland Irving received honorable mention. ... The Moose Jaw Warriors were fined $2,500 and Brandon defenseman Theran Yeo was suspended one game for an incident following Brandon's 2-1 victory on Mar. 25. As the Wheat Kings were leaving the ice, a confrontation arose between the Brandon players and the Moose Jaw fans, culminating in Yeo throwing a punch. The Warriors were fined for inadequate security. ... Calgary defenseman Jeff Schultz owes a debt of gratitude to teammate Ryan Letts. According to the Calgary Herald, Letts, a former teammate of current Tips Shane Harper and Jonathan Milhouse on the California Wave midget team, saved Schultz from choking by administering the Heimlich manuever during the team's post-game meal on Mar. 28.
Kelowna, Everett's second-round foe, is a playoff-tested team.
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - The Everett Silvertips wasted little time in putting the Tri-City Americans away in the first round of the WHL playoffs.
Everett's reward? Just the greatest WHL dynasty of the last decade.
The Silvertips realize they have their work cut out for them if they're to overcome the Kelowna Rockets in their second-round series, which begins Friday in Kelowna.
"Kelowna's the cream of the crop in this league the last four years," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "We know we have a playoff-tested opponent that's going to be extremely challenging to get by."
Kelowna is currently the WHL's model franchise. The Rockets, who defeated a quality Kootenay team in six games in the first round, is the defending league champ. The Rockets also won the league title in 2003, and in between they just happened to lift the Memorial Cup after qualifying as the host team in 2004.
The Rockets were just as good this season, earning 96 points and finishing second in the B.C. Division, the most-competitive division in the league. With a roster that's been through the playoff wars, Kelowna is considered perhaps the favorite to win it all again this year, despite finishing just fourth in the league during the regular season.
"It's something you look forward to because they're the team to beat in the Western Hockey League," center Zach Hamill said. "They're a hard-working team - I don't think any team can match Kelowna for hard work - so it's going to be tough."
Though Kelowna is closer geographically than Kootenay or Prince George - therefore meaning a tolerable five-hour bus ride as opposed to double that for either of the other two destinations - the Rockets may have been the most daunting.
"It didn't surprise me," defenseman Shaun Heshka said about drawing the Rockets in the second round. "They have a great team with some great players like (Blake) Comeau, (Troy) Bodie and (Mike) Card. Those guys can hurt you and we're going to have to be prepared."
In many respects Kelowna is a mirror image to Everett. The Rockets have skilled forwards, led by 19-year-olds Justin Keller (51 goals, 37 assists during the regular season) and Comeau (21 goals, 53 assists); they have a defense marshaled by Card (12 goals, 43 assists) that gives up little; and they have a good goaltender in 19-year-old Derek Yeomans (30-16-0-2, 2.30 goals against average, .914 save percentage).
"I think we match up pretty well," Heshka said. "They have a lot of high-skill forwards and so do we. We're pretty solid on the back end and they have solid guys as well. I think we match up almost equally. It's going to be who wants it more."
The difference during the regular season between the two teams was Yeomans, who won all three of his starts against Everett this season, giving up just three goals in the process. Everett's only victory against Kelowna came when backup goaltender Kristofer Westblom was in net.
But the regular-season matchups are also a little misleading. At least one of the teams was missing key players because of injury in each of the first three matchups, and the final meeting came less than 48 hours after Everett clinched the U.S. Division title.
So even though Everett goes into the series as the underdog, the Tips are confident they can compete.
"We're both pretty honest, hard-working teams," Everett captain Torrie Wheat said. "That's the way they've won the league and gone to the Memorial Cup the last three years. They've got champions on their team, so they know how to win. We have the makings of that, and hopefully we can start our own dynasty."
Flu update: The worst appears to be over concerning the flu bug that hit Everett just in time for the playoffs. With the exception of defenseman Zach Sim, who's out for the duration with a shoulder injury, Everett practiced a full squad Tuesday, with everyone having recovered enough to participate at full speed.
"I don't know if it's done making its circuit through the team, I know I'm still feeling the effects of it myself," Constantine said. "But I think it's not to the degree it was."
Constantine said left wing Ondrej Fiala, who missed the entire first round, should be ready for Game 1 against Kelowna.
Time change: The start time for the if -necessary Game 6 on Apr. 16 at the Everett Events Center has been changed from 5:05 p.m. to 6:05 p.m. The game was pushed back an hour so fans would be able to spend more time with their Easter Sunday activities.
Everett's front office also announced it has acquired 800 full-tournament packages for the 2007 Memorial Cup in Vancouver, B.C. Packages are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, contact the Silvertips at 425-252-5100.
Around the WHL: Vancouver center Gilbert Brule was named the WHL Player of the Week for Mar. 27-Apr. 2. Brule had four goals and three assists in three games, helping the Giants defeat Prince George in the first round. Everett goaltender Leland Irving received honorable mention. ... The Moose Jaw Warriors were fined $2,500 and Brandon defenseman Theran Yeo was suspended one game for an incident following Brandon's 2-1 victory on Mar. 25. As the Wheat Kings were leaving the ice, a confrontation arose between the Brandon players and the Moose Jaw fans, culminating in Yeo throwing a punch. The Warriors were fined for inadequate security. ... Calgary defenseman Jeff Schultz owes a debt of gratitude to teammate Ryan Letts. According to the Calgary Herald, Letts, a former teammate of current Tips Shane Harper and Jonathan Milhouse on the California Wave midget team, saved Schultz from choking by administering the Heimlich manuever during the team's post-game meal on Mar. 28.