Tipped Off
04-22-2006, 07:09 AM
Giants squash toothless Tips
Everett gets off just six shots in first two periods
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
VANCOUVER, B.C. - What can one say about Game 1 of the WHL's Western Conference finals?
On the one hand, the Everett Silvertips were so dominated for much of the game that the Vancouver Giants made them look like a midget team.
On the other hand, despite the one-sided nature of the game, the Silvertips still found themselves with a chance at the end.
But either way, it still equaled a 4-2 loss Friday night in a game that saw Everett players dropping like flies.
"We hung around a little bit by scoring and made the third period interesting," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "But they were definitely way better than us."
Everett learned before the game that No. 1 goaltender Leland Irving was out with a pulled groin. Then left wingers Ondrej Fiala and Karel Hromas were both knocked out of the game with possible concussions.
Stuart Davis / The Vancouver Sun
Vancouver's Brett Parker celebrates behind rookie Everett goalie Matt Esposito after Mitch Bartley scored the Giants' second goal in the first period.
And all along the Giants pushed Everett around, outplaying, outskating and especially outhitting the Tips. After two periods Vancouver had outshot Everett 27-6.
Still, Everett trailed just 3-2 early in the third period and had some golden opportunities down the stretch to tie it up.
"We never came out the way we should have," Everett center Mark Kress said. "We're a hard-working team and that never showed in the first two periods. They took advantage of it, they hit our players - they had some clean hits and I thought some dirty hits. But they came out hitting hard and that's what we should have done."
Spencer Machacek scored two goals and Mitch Bartley and Kyle Lamb also scored for Vancouver, which took a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 is tonight in Vancouver. Dustin Slade finished with 13 saves.
"We knew we had to come out and set the tone," Vancouver defenseman Brett Festerling said. "We talked about how the first game sets the bar for the series and we knew we had to get on them early and not give them life.
"We think we bring a physical style to the hockey game," Festerling added. "It's going to be a long series and we want to wear them down, and the way we can do that is by playing hard."
Kress and Jonathan Harty scored for Everett. Matt Esposito, filling in for Irving, finished with 30 saves in a valiant effort.
"I thought he was pretty good," Constantine said of Esposito. "It's tough. He didn't play a lot during the year and hadn't played at all in the playoffs. He was thrown in there and wasn't real sharp at first, but what do you expect, he hasn't played in a long time. Then I thought he played real good. I'd say he was pretty good for not playing in a while."
The Tips were fortunate to find themselves trailing just 2-0 after the first period.
The first goal came on the power play at 7:45. Machacek was credited for the goal, but it was Paul Albers' shot from the left slot that found the net with J.D Watt causing problems in front. Exactly one minute later it was 2-0, the Giants this time scoring short-handed. Bartley skated the puck into the Everett zone on the right, then blew a slap shot past Esposito, a shot Esposito would probably like back.
Everett managed just two shots on goal in the first period, despite having four power plays.
It was more of the same in the second period, but Everett managed to survive, and the Tips gave themselves a lifeline at 16:39. Brady Calla won the puck behind the net and feathered a pass out front to Kress, who backhanded a shot into the far corner to make it 2-1.
But Vancouver quickly restored it's two-goal lead on a controversial power-play goal. Cody Franson's shot from the right point was tipped in by what appeared to be a high stick by Lamb. However, after a lengthy conversation with his linesmen, referee Kyle Rehman gave the goal, making it 3-1 and drawing the ire of Constantine.
Everett made it 3-2 4:32 into the third. Torrie Wheat took a Peter Mueller pass to the left side of goal, then fed Harty following down the middle for a one-timer.
The Tips then finally started playing, and had several chances in around the goal, but couldn't score. Machacek was credited with an empty-net goal at 17:47 after an Everett player threw his stick toward the puck.
Giants 4, Silvertips 2
Everett 0 1 1 - 2
Vancouver 2 1 1 - 4
First Period-1, Vancouver, Machacek 5 (Albers, Franson), 7:45 (pp). 2, Vancouver, Bartley 4 (Fistric), 8:45 (sh). Penalties-Machacek, Vancouver (checking from behind), 0:10; Watt, Vancouver (boarding), 5:16; Beach, Everett (interference), 6:29; Repik, Vancouver (hooking), 8:16; Hunt, Vancouver (tripping), 10:34; Fransoo, Everett (interference), 13:58; Ellington, Everett (interference), 19:10.
Second Period-3, Everett, Kress 2 (Calla, Harty), 16:39. 4, Vancouver, Lamb 3 (Franson, Bliznak), 17:17 (pp). Penalties-Wheat, Everett (tripping), 1:31; Dailey, Everett (delay of game), 4:35; Beach, Everett (roughing), 10:12; Fransoo, Everett (roughing), 10:12; Machacek, Vancouver (roughing), 10:12; Repik, Vancouver (interference), 14:54; Lammers, Everett (goaltender interference), 15:36; Mueller, Everett (high sticking), 19:27.
Third Period-5, Everett, Harty 1 (Wheat, Mueller), 4:32. 6, Vancouver, Machacek 6, 17:47 (en). Penalties-Fistric, Vancouver (roughing), 10:18; Beach, Everett (roughing-10-minute misconduct), 18:44; Hunt, Vancouver (roughing), 18:44; Parker, Vancouver (10-minute misconduct), 18:44.
Shots on goal-Everett 2-4-9-15. Vancouver 11-16-7-34. Power-play opportunities-Everett 0 of 6. Vancouver 2 of 8.
Goalies-Everett, Esposito 0-1 (33 shots, 30 saves). Vancouver, Slade 9-2 (15 shots, 13 saves).
A-9,018.
Everett gets off just six shots in first two periods
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
VANCOUVER, B.C. - What can one say about Game 1 of the WHL's Western Conference finals?
On the one hand, the Everett Silvertips were so dominated for much of the game that the Vancouver Giants made them look like a midget team.
On the other hand, despite the one-sided nature of the game, the Silvertips still found themselves with a chance at the end.
But either way, it still equaled a 4-2 loss Friday night in a game that saw Everett players dropping like flies.
"We hung around a little bit by scoring and made the third period interesting," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "But they were definitely way better than us."
Everett learned before the game that No. 1 goaltender Leland Irving was out with a pulled groin. Then left wingers Ondrej Fiala and Karel Hromas were both knocked out of the game with possible concussions.
Stuart Davis / The Vancouver Sun
Vancouver's Brett Parker celebrates behind rookie Everett goalie Matt Esposito after Mitch Bartley scored the Giants' second goal in the first period.
And all along the Giants pushed Everett around, outplaying, outskating and especially outhitting the Tips. After two periods Vancouver had outshot Everett 27-6.
Still, Everett trailed just 3-2 early in the third period and had some golden opportunities down the stretch to tie it up.
"We never came out the way we should have," Everett center Mark Kress said. "We're a hard-working team and that never showed in the first two periods. They took advantage of it, they hit our players - they had some clean hits and I thought some dirty hits. But they came out hitting hard and that's what we should have done."
Spencer Machacek scored two goals and Mitch Bartley and Kyle Lamb also scored for Vancouver, which took a 1-0 series lead. Game 2 is tonight in Vancouver. Dustin Slade finished with 13 saves.
"We knew we had to come out and set the tone," Vancouver defenseman Brett Festerling said. "We talked about how the first game sets the bar for the series and we knew we had to get on them early and not give them life.
"We think we bring a physical style to the hockey game," Festerling added. "It's going to be a long series and we want to wear them down, and the way we can do that is by playing hard."
Kress and Jonathan Harty scored for Everett. Matt Esposito, filling in for Irving, finished with 30 saves in a valiant effort.
"I thought he was pretty good," Constantine said of Esposito. "It's tough. He didn't play a lot during the year and hadn't played at all in the playoffs. He was thrown in there and wasn't real sharp at first, but what do you expect, he hasn't played in a long time. Then I thought he played real good. I'd say he was pretty good for not playing in a while."
The Tips were fortunate to find themselves trailing just 2-0 after the first period.
The first goal came on the power play at 7:45. Machacek was credited for the goal, but it was Paul Albers' shot from the left slot that found the net with J.D Watt causing problems in front. Exactly one minute later it was 2-0, the Giants this time scoring short-handed. Bartley skated the puck into the Everett zone on the right, then blew a slap shot past Esposito, a shot Esposito would probably like back.
Everett managed just two shots on goal in the first period, despite having four power plays.
It was more of the same in the second period, but Everett managed to survive, and the Tips gave themselves a lifeline at 16:39. Brady Calla won the puck behind the net and feathered a pass out front to Kress, who backhanded a shot into the far corner to make it 2-1.
But Vancouver quickly restored it's two-goal lead on a controversial power-play goal. Cody Franson's shot from the right point was tipped in by what appeared to be a high stick by Lamb. However, after a lengthy conversation with his linesmen, referee Kyle Rehman gave the goal, making it 3-1 and drawing the ire of Constantine.
Everett made it 3-2 4:32 into the third. Torrie Wheat took a Peter Mueller pass to the left side of goal, then fed Harty following down the middle for a one-timer.
The Tips then finally started playing, and had several chances in around the goal, but couldn't score. Machacek was credited with an empty-net goal at 17:47 after an Everett player threw his stick toward the puck.
Giants 4, Silvertips 2
Everett 0 1 1 - 2
Vancouver 2 1 1 - 4
First Period-1, Vancouver, Machacek 5 (Albers, Franson), 7:45 (pp). 2, Vancouver, Bartley 4 (Fistric), 8:45 (sh). Penalties-Machacek, Vancouver (checking from behind), 0:10; Watt, Vancouver (boarding), 5:16; Beach, Everett (interference), 6:29; Repik, Vancouver (hooking), 8:16; Hunt, Vancouver (tripping), 10:34; Fransoo, Everett (interference), 13:58; Ellington, Everett (interference), 19:10.
Second Period-3, Everett, Kress 2 (Calla, Harty), 16:39. 4, Vancouver, Lamb 3 (Franson, Bliznak), 17:17 (pp). Penalties-Wheat, Everett (tripping), 1:31; Dailey, Everett (delay of game), 4:35; Beach, Everett (roughing), 10:12; Fransoo, Everett (roughing), 10:12; Machacek, Vancouver (roughing), 10:12; Repik, Vancouver (interference), 14:54; Lammers, Everett (goaltender interference), 15:36; Mueller, Everett (high sticking), 19:27.
Third Period-5, Everett, Harty 1 (Wheat, Mueller), 4:32. 6, Vancouver, Machacek 6, 17:47 (en). Penalties-Fistric, Vancouver (roughing), 10:18; Beach, Everett (roughing-10-minute misconduct), 18:44; Hunt, Vancouver (roughing), 18:44; Parker, Vancouver (10-minute misconduct), 18:44.
Shots on goal-Everett 2-4-9-15. Vancouver 11-16-7-34. Power-play opportunities-Everett 0 of 6. Vancouver 2 of 8.
Goalies-Everett, Esposito 0-1 (33 shots, 30 saves). Vancouver, Slade 9-2 (15 shots, 13 saves).
A-9,018.