Tipped Off
04-13-2006, 09:13 AM
Key to playoff success? Silvertips are 97.5 percent on penalty kills
By John Sleeper
Herald columnist
EVERETT - Troy Ofukany really knows how to ruin a great party.
No only did the Kelowna Rockets center score two goals against the Everett Silvertips Wednesday night, he blew up one of the more impressive streaks in the WHL playoffs - in this or any season.
With 41/2 minutes left in the second period, Ofukany poked the puck past Tips goalie Leland Irving to give the Rockets a 2-0 lead.
Before that, the Silvertips were perfect in their penalty kill. The streak reached better than 81/2 games. Thirty-five straight times a man down without having given up a goal.
Wow.
The true bummer for Everett: Ofukany scored with three seconds remaining in Peter Mueller's hooking penalty.
It was that close. It was the only power-play goal Kelowna got in four chances.
"It was tough," Tips wing Brady Calla said. "But you just go back to the bench, talk to your teammates, go back out and work hard again."
In the long run, it means little. The Rockets, rightfully playing the part of a team playing desperately for its playoff existence, nevertheless gave up three straight goals, lost 3-2 and now find themselves down 3-1 in the series, with Game 5 scheduled for Kelowna on Friday night.
So now for the playoffs, the Tips are 35-for-36 on penalty kills, or 97.5 percent.
Not bad.
"Guys are working hard; we've been pressuring," Tips center Mark Kress said. "Our D-line gets on the puck every time they fumble it. Guys are working hard. It's just a hard-working crew."
The Tips' penalty kill during the entire five-game series against the Tri-City Americans: Perfecto. They continued the streak until Ofukany slipped one through traffic and hit the back of the net.
Whether the Rockets' breakthrough on Everett's seemingly impenetrable penalty kill ignites Kelowna on the man advantage the rest of the series is anyone's guess. Even though the streak is history, Everett's play with a man down in the playoffs has been nothing less than spectacular.
Coaches can reasonably expect their teams to average a 75- to 85-percent success rate on the penalty kill. Although less sharp Wednesday night, the Tips' flawless performance through eight games is simply ridiculous.
And, said Tips coach Kevin Constantine, not entirely expected.
"Our penalty kill this year is the weakest of the three years that we've been here as far as percentage," he said. "Not that it was bad. It was fourth or fifth in the league. I don't know. I would never have predicted it went on as long as it did before giving up a goal. Guys are just working hard and we've gotten good goaltending. There's nothing special we're doing. There aren't really any changes we've made.
"We just ran into a string of doing things pretty good."
They've done it by clogging the passing lanes. They pressure the puck and disrupt the Rockets' initial passes in their own zone, often preventing them from mounting any kind of attack. They also must lead the WHL in bruise quotient from sprawling on the ice and blocking shots with various body parts.
"That's one of our team's strategies, is to block a lot of shots," said defenseman Jason Fransoo, who banged in the gam-winning goal with a slap shot with 1:20 left. "All those blocked shots count. Any one of those shots could have gone in. ''
It's a perfect use of the Tips primary advantage in the series: speed and quickness. The advantage was obvious against the plodding Americans. While less so against the Rockets, the advantage still exists.
Then there's Irving, who's become a human brick wall between the pipes in the post-season.
Ask the Americans. They know all about it.
Down 3-1, the Rockets are close to joining them.
By John Sleeper
Herald columnist
EVERETT - Troy Ofukany really knows how to ruin a great party.
No only did the Kelowna Rockets center score two goals against the Everett Silvertips Wednesday night, he blew up one of the more impressive streaks in the WHL playoffs - in this or any season.
With 41/2 minutes left in the second period, Ofukany poked the puck past Tips goalie Leland Irving to give the Rockets a 2-0 lead.
Before that, the Silvertips were perfect in their penalty kill. The streak reached better than 81/2 games. Thirty-five straight times a man down without having given up a goal.
Wow.
The true bummer for Everett: Ofukany scored with three seconds remaining in Peter Mueller's hooking penalty.
It was that close. It was the only power-play goal Kelowna got in four chances.
"It was tough," Tips wing Brady Calla said. "But you just go back to the bench, talk to your teammates, go back out and work hard again."
In the long run, it means little. The Rockets, rightfully playing the part of a team playing desperately for its playoff existence, nevertheless gave up three straight goals, lost 3-2 and now find themselves down 3-1 in the series, with Game 5 scheduled for Kelowna on Friday night.
So now for the playoffs, the Tips are 35-for-36 on penalty kills, or 97.5 percent.
Not bad.
"Guys are working hard; we've been pressuring," Tips center Mark Kress said. "Our D-line gets on the puck every time they fumble it. Guys are working hard. It's just a hard-working crew."
The Tips' penalty kill during the entire five-game series against the Tri-City Americans: Perfecto. They continued the streak until Ofukany slipped one through traffic and hit the back of the net.
Whether the Rockets' breakthrough on Everett's seemingly impenetrable penalty kill ignites Kelowna on the man advantage the rest of the series is anyone's guess. Even though the streak is history, Everett's play with a man down in the playoffs has been nothing less than spectacular.
Coaches can reasonably expect their teams to average a 75- to 85-percent success rate on the penalty kill. Although less sharp Wednesday night, the Tips' flawless performance through eight games is simply ridiculous.
And, said Tips coach Kevin Constantine, not entirely expected.
"Our penalty kill this year is the weakest of the three years that we've been here as far as percentage," he said. "Not that it was bad. It was fourth or fifth in the league. I don't know. I would never have predicted it went on as long as it did before giving up a goal. Guys are just working hard and we've gotten good goaltending. There's nothing special we're doing. There aren't really any changes we've made.
"We just ran into a string of doing things pretty good."
They've done it by clogging the passing lanes. They pressure the puck and disrupt the Rockets' initial passes in their own zone, often preventing them from mounting any kind of attack. They also must lead the WHL in bruise quotient from sprawling on the ice and blocking shots with various body parts.
"That's one of our team's strategies, is to block a lot of shots," said defenseman Jason Fransoo, who banged in the gam-winning goal with a slap shot with 1:20 left. "All those blocked shots count. Any one of those shots could have gone in. ''
It's a perfect use of the Tips primary advantage in the series: speed and quickness. The advantage was obvious against the plodding Americans. While less so against the Rockets, the advantage still exists.
Then there's Irving, who's become a human brick wall between the pipes in the post-season.
Ask the Americans. They know all about it.
Down 3-1, the Rockets are close to joining them.