Tipped Off
08-28-2006, 10:21 AM
Rookie camp ends with a flurry of goals
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - The Everett Silvertips' first rookie training camp came to a raucous end Sunday afternoon.
In a Green vs. White rookie game that featured plenty of scoring and a fight involving one of Everett's first-round picks, the Gerry Holland-led Green Team defeated the White Team 7-4 at the Everett Events Center.
Holland scored two goals, including the one that eventually ended up being the game winner, and also hit a post as the Green Team scored three straight third-period goals to break a 3-3 tie.
"It was great fun," said Holland, a 1989-born forward who resides in Mill Creek. "We just kind of sat down in the locker room (before the third period) and based it off that we weren't going to go out there and have a one-man show. We were just going to go out there and play as a team, win as a team or lose as a team."
Before a crowd of several hundred, Paul Grenier, Jeff Regier and Travis Grewel also scored goals for the Green Team, Brett Chartier and Tyler Zepeda added empty-net goals and Ryno Linder dished out two assists. Green's third goaltender, J.P. Chapman, saved 15 of the 16 shots he faced in the third period to earn the win.
Scott McDonald, Tyler Eskesen, Kyle Stoumbaugh and Chris de la Lande scored goals for the White Team.
"I don't know what happened," de la Lande said. "I guess they just took it to us in the third period.
"But it was fun," the 1990-born defenseman added. "I love the atmosphere and all the fans."
The game also featured an unexpected moment when, in the third period, Kellan Tochkin dropped the gloves with Christopher Daniels. Tochkin, a silky-smooth but slight 1991-born forward who was Everett's first-round pick in this year's bantam draft, had never been in a fight before arriving for rookie camp. He was in two during camp.
"He was giggling about it more than anything," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "We figured we'd have a tough guy playing on his line to protect him. But we might have to put him with (veteran Zach) Hamill to protect Hamill."
Sunday's game concluded Everett's first rookie camp. In previous years the rookies trained with the veterans. The process allowed the coaches and scouts to evaluate the younger players against their own level of competition.
"The main thing for us is to get to know the players, and for the players it's to get to know us and the city and the coaches and the environment," Constantine said. "I think both those things were done. I think everyone got a feel for what we're like as an organization, and for the coaches who had never seen a lot of these kids play, we got a real good handle on the future of our team."
The coaches liked what they saw. A total of 14 players advanced from rookie camp to the main camp. They included - along with their birth years - goaltender Brett Gagnon (91); defensemen Matt Strong (90), Tyler Hlookoff (90), Brendon Wall (90), de la Lande (90) and Regier (91); and forwards Eric English (88), Brandon Worthley (88), Matt Ius (90), Ty Skauge (90), Eskesen (90), Zach Johnson (90), Tochkin (91) and Brody Moen (91).
Forward Kyle Beach (90), who didn't participate because of a shoulder injury, also advanced to the main camp. Defenseman Wade Zakaluzny (91) and forward Tyler Zepeda (91) were invited but could not attend because of other obligations.
"I thought Tochkin showed why he's a first-round pick," Constantine said. "He's a pretty exciting, dynamic little player. I though Regier was very good. He's very quick, very strong and has a great little shot from the point that was effective the whole training camp long. Then I thought the guys who were with us last year, Matt Strong and Matt Ius and those guys, have shown they're older, bigger, stronger and a little better players than they were last year, and that's good to see."
By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer
EVERETT - The Everett Silvertips' first rookie training camp came to a raucous end Sunday afternoon.
In a Green vs. White rookie game that featured plenty of scoring and a fight involving one of Everett's first-round picks, the Gerry Holland-led Green Team defeated the White Team 7-4 at the Everett Events Center.
Holland scored two goals, including the one that eventually ended up being the game winner, and also hit a post as the Green Team scored three straight third-period goals to break a 3-3 tie.
"It was great fun," said Holland, a 1989-born forward who resides in Mill Creek. "We just kind of sat down in the locker room (before the third period) and based it off that we weren't going to go out there and have a one-man show. We were just going to go out there and play as a team, win as a team or lose as a team."
Before a crowd of several hundred, Paul Grenier, Jeff Regier and Travis Grewel also scored goals for the Green Team, Brett Chartier and Tyler Zepeda added empty-net goals and Ryno Linder dished out two assists. Green's third goaltender, J.P. Chapman, saved 15 of the 16 shots he faced in the third period to earn the win.
Scott McDonald, Tyler Eskesen, Kyle Stoumbaugh and Chris de la Lande scored goals for the White Team.
"I don't know what happened," de la Lande said. "I guess they just took it to us in the third period.
"But it was fun," the 1990-born defenseman added. "I love the atmosphere and all the fans."
The game also featured an unexpected moment when, in the third period, Kellan Tochkin dropped the gloves with Christopher Daniels. Tochkin, a silky-smooth but slight 1991-born forward who was Everett's first-round pick in this year's bantam draft, had never been in a fight before arriving for rookie camp. He was in two during camp.
"He was giggling about it more than anything," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "We figured we'd have a tough guy playing on his line to protect him. But we might have to put him with (veteran Zach) Hamill to protect Hamill."
Sunday's game concluded Everett's first rookie camp. In previous years the rookies trained with the veterans. The process allowed the coaches and scouts to evaluate the younger players against their own level of competition.
"The main thing for us is to get to know the players, and for the players it's to get to know us and the city and the coaches and the environment," Constantine said. "I think both those things were done. I think everyone got a feel for what we're like as an organization, and for the coaches who had never seen a lot of these kids play, we got a real good handle on the future of our team."
The coaches liked what they saw. A total of 14 players advanced from rookie camp to the main camp. They included - along with their birth years - goaltender Brett Gagnon (91); defensemen Matt Strong (90), Tyler Hlookoff (90), Brendon Wall (90), de la Lande (90) and Regier (91); and forwards Eric English (88), Brandon Worthley (88), Matt Ius (90), Ty Skauge (90), Eskesen (90), Zach Johnson (90), Tochkin (91) and Brody Moen (91).
Forward Kyle Beach (90), who didn't participate because of a shoulder injury, also advanced to the main camp. Defenseman Wade Zakaluzny (91) and forward Tyler Zepeda (91) were invited but could not attend because of other obligations.
"I thought Tochkin showed why he's a first-round pick," Constantine said. "He's a pretty exciting, dynamic little player. I though Regier was very good. He's very quick, very strong and has a great little shot from the point that was effective the whole training camp long. Then I thought the guys who were with us last year, Matt Strong and Matt Ius and those guys, have shown they're older, bigger, stronger and a little better players than they were last year, and that's good to see."