Round 2 Vs. PG

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/07/...po_c1sl001.cfm

Published: Monday, April 16, 2007

Are the Silvertips done?


By John Sleeper
Herald writer

Admit it. You're all but certain the Everett Silvertips are dead.

It's OK. You're not a bad person for thinking it. You're also not alone.

Following Saturday night's 4-3 defeat to the Prince George Cougars, one in which the Tips blew a 3-0 third-period lead at home, that conclusion is difficult to avoid.

After all, the Tips are down 3-2 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series. They have to knock off the Cougars tonight in Prince George just to make it to Game 7, scheduled for Wednesday in Everett.

It won't be easy. Cougar right wing Devin Setoguchi leads everyone in the playoffs with nine goals in as many games. His 15 points tie him with Everett's Peter Mueller for the lead in the postseason.

Add Jared Walker and Nick Drazenovic and Prince George has three of the top five playoff scorers.

The Cougars are playing out of their minds. They deserve to be up and ready to close out the series. They nearly came back from a 3-0 deficit early in the series. When many teams mail it in under similar circumstances, the Cougars get even more jacked up.

Contrast that to the Tips' uneven effort in the series. They hardly showed up in a 5-1 loss in Game 3 and took the third period off Saturday night. Twice before in the playoffs, they took leads of at least three goals into the third period and nearly coughed them up.

Where does that leave Everett? Obviously, not in a great place.

These are kids. Physically, they can give the necessary effort. Kids bounce back faster than coaches. Ask any coach at any level.

It's on the emotional end where the Tips may have serious issues.

How will they react tonight to Saturday's embarrassment? As much credit as you have to give to Prince George for coming out on fire in the final period, such collapses shouldn't happen to a team that has the lofty expectations Everett has.

"It's as hard as they are mentally tough," Silvertips head coach Kevin Constantine said about the task ahead. "If you choose, your mind can say, 'Oh, geez, we blew two leads.' It doesn't have anything to do with how you're going to play your next game unless you let it."

Ah, mental strength - the great gray area. You can't measure it. You can't sense it from a player's appearance. You can't deduce it from statistics, height or weight.

So how mentally tough are the Silvertips?

Tough enough not to have lost back-to-back games until late February, when they dropped games at Seattle Feb. 24 and to, yes, Prince George three nights later.

They're tough enough to have won a franchise-record 54 games in the regular season, best in the Western Hockey League. Tough enough to have allowed just 142 regular-season goals, best in the league and fourth-lowest of all time.

In a way, though, the team's inarguably impressive regular season may have worked against it.

How often did the Tips have to reach down deep and pull out a crucial game when they absolutely had to? That doesn't happen when you wrap up the division title around Christmas.

The closest the Tips came was in Game 6 of the opening playoff series, a 4-1 victory in Spokane that put them into the conference semifinals. Lose, and Game 7 would have been here. Weird things can happen in seventh games.

In other words, we don't know how mentally tough this team is. Not now. Not in the playoffs, where toughness was invented.

"We've never been in a mode of desperation," right wing Moises Gutierrez said. "We had 54 wins. What's desperation when you win all the time? We'll see what desperation we play with now."

Tonight will be enormously fascinating, simply from that aspect.

Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com

[Tipped Off]

Nightmare ending
Prince George's come-from-behind victory Saturday night carries over to Game 6 as the Cougars score early and often in an 8-2 mauling of the Silvertips Monday night.

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer






PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. - And just like that the Everett Silvertips are gone.

Not with a bang, but a whimper.

In the most disheartening fashion imaginable, the top-ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League saw its season come crashing to an end Monday night as the Silvertips were demolished 8-2 by Prince George in Game 6 of their second-round playoff series.

"No doubt, this was rough," Everett captain Jason Fransoo said. "We definitely expected to come in here and get a win, but obviously it was the last thing from that. I guess you could say we just failed under pressure as a team."

Everett was a team that had aspirations of winning the Memorial Cup this season. Instead, the Tips lost their final four games to lose the the best-of-seven series 4-2, bringing the season to an unexpected premature end.

"By no means did anybody in this organization want to be heading home this early," Everett right wing Moises Gutierrez said. "Nobody's in any position to point fingers. We just have to think about what we accomplished. I'm not going to sit here and say it's not disappointing to be going home, but hats off to Prince George, they played phenomenal."

This was a train wreck of a season finale if ever there was one. Everett trailed 3-0 after 14 minutes and 6-0 after 26. Goaltender Leland Irving lasted less than 12 minutes before being pulled, and replacement David Reekie didn't fare any better.

Meanwhile the Cougars, playing before a sellout crowd at the CN Centre for the first time in nine years, were at their very best while the Tips were at their very worst.

Nick Drazenovic and Richard Rapac scored two goals apiece for Prince George, which won the series 4-2 and advanced to face Vancouver in the Western Conference finals.

Devin Setoguchi, Greg Gardner, Ty Wishart and Jared Walker also scored and Real Cyr made 28 saves in goal for the Cougars, who have the appearance of a team being fitted for Cindarella's slipper.

After a pedestrian regular season, the Prince George boulder is rolling downhill and gaining speed.

"I thought that was probably our best game of the playoffs to date," Prince George coach Drew Schoneck said. "We knew we were going to have a good crowd, we had lots of energy and we just came right after them. We got some goals early, that really got us going and I think it kind of took some wind out of their sails."

Prince George dominated right from the opening faceoff as Everett looked like a team that never recovered from surrendering a 3-0 third-period lead in losing Game 5. Rapac and Setoguchi scored in the first 11:14 to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead and chase Irving, and it snowballed from there.

"It reminded me of Super Bowl games or NCAA championship football games, where if one team gets a lead, the other team gets desperate and tries to do too much and you open the game up," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "That kind of happened. We gave up a goal and then everybody wanted to make up for it, and that kind of compounded things and made it worse.

"They did a good job, we couldn't stop a couple of their key guys and that was the difference."

Irving, counted on to hold the fort as Everett tried to weather the early Prince George storm, wasn't up to the task, giving up two goals on seven shots. That continued a rough stretch for Irving, who gave up 15 goals in the final three-plus games of the series. Reekie gave up the final six goals on 23 shots.

Peter Mueller and Taylor Ellington scored consolation third-period goals for Everett, but by then it was far too late.

"I still think we're going to go back and watch video," Everett center Peter Mueller said. "But it's done. No one would ever have expected us to be out this early, so it's tough to swallow.

"It's tough, but we have a bunch of great guys in there who kept working to the end," Mueller added. "It shows character that we didn't quit. I love the boys in that room right now."

Prince George couldn't have scripted a better first period. It began at 5:01 when the Tips were unable to jam the puck out of the zone along the boards. Rapac latched onto the loose puck and fired a shot from the right circle that found the far-upper corner to give the Cougars a dream start.

It was quickly 2-0. Playing four-on-four Setoguchi controlled the puck in the left corner and whipped a shot toward the goal from a tight angle that beat Irving at 11:14. That goal sent Irving to the bench in favor of Reekie.

But Reekie couldn't change Everett's fortune. A turnover by Dan Gendur in the offensive zone sent Drazenovic on a breakaway at 13:47, and Drazenovic put a shot between Reekie's legs to make it 3-0.

Later it was a comedy of errors by Everett early in the second period that turned it into a laugher. Gutierrez took a double-minor for butt ending, and the Tips were called for too many men on the ice shortly after, giving the Cougars a full two minutes of five-on-three. Drazenovic scored on the five-on-three and Rapac scored on the five-on-four.

Then a giveaway behind the net by Reekie led to a goal by Gardner, and after a mere 5:16 the score had gone from 3-0 to 6-0 - and the Tips were headed for the offseason.

[nivek_wahs]

Snohomish County Newshttp://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ertips18n.html


Silvertips' best not good enough
By JIM RILEY

Special to The Seattle Times

It may be hard to forget the shocking way their season ended, but the 2006-07 Everett Silvertips have to be remembered as the best team in franchise history.

The Silvertips were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals 4-2 by the Prince George Cougars on Monday night after a remarkable regular season in which they had the best record in the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Everett captain Jason Fransoo, a defenseman who is out of eligibility to play in the WHL, said it was a case of running into a talented team that caught fire at exactly the right time.

"Definitely, they are very talented," Fransoo said. "They played well and deserved it, but there's no reason we shouldn't have won the series. We made a lot of mistakes and give them credit because they capitalized on every one of them."

The Silvertips' downfall actually started when they failed to protect a lead in Game 4 that could have given them a 3-1 lead. Then, in Game 5 in front of a packed house in Everett, the Silvertips wasted a three-goal lead in the third period to lose 4-3.

"Game 5 was a real momentum change and that really turned things around," Fransoo said. "We went back to Prince George expecting to win, but they scored a couple of quick goals and we couldn't recover."

Fransoo, who played defense for two seasons in Everett after coming over in a trade from Swift Current, said he couldn't have had a better junior career.

"Everett is just unbelievable," Fransoo said. "It's just such a classy organization from the top right down to the bottom. People say it's like a mini-NHL and that's what it is."

The Silvertips also lost winger Moises Gutierrez and first-line defenseman Jesse Zetariuk.

Gutierrez, who was acquired in a trade with Kamloops before the season began, had a breakout season for the Silvertips. In 73 games in the regular season and the playoffs, Gutierrez had 40 goals and 26 assists and seems guaranteed to sign a pro contract.

This could also be the final season for Peter Mueller. A first-round pick of the Phoenix Coyotes in last year's National Hockey League draft, Mueller might make the Phoenix roster next season.

Mueller led the Silvertips with seven goals and 16 points in the playoffs. He had 21 goals and 78 points in 51 regular season games and also took time out in the middle of the season to play for Team USA at the World Junior Championships.

Leland Irving, the top pick of the Calgary Flames in the draft last season, is expected to return. He is also a good bet to again play for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships.

Zach Hamill, who led the WHL in scoring with 93 points that included 32 goals, is expected to be a top pick in next year's draft along with defenseman Taylor Ellington.

"Obviously, we had a great regular season, but you always want to go all the way," Fransoo said. "We accomplished a lot of things, things that you really can't forget. There are definitely a lot of positives that we can take out of the season. We just wish it would have lasted longer."

Silvertips leave Wednesday

The Silvertips left Prince George immediately after the game on Monday night for the 532-mile bus trip back to Everett.

The players were scheduled to have exit interviews on Wednesday before returning to their hometowns.

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/07/...ipswrap001.cfm

Tips still stunned following early exit
Two Everett players disagree on how much the collapse in Game 5 had to do with Monday's loss.

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer

EVERETT - A day later and it's still hard to believe the Everett Silvertips' season is already over.

The team that finished with the best record in the Western Hockey League and earned the No. 1 ranking in the Canadian Hockey League poll was supposed to make a lengthy playoff run and challenge for the Memorial Cup.

Instead the Tips will be undergoing exit meetings today, more than a month earlier than they hoped.

"You never would have thought that with what we accomplished, come April 16 we're done," overage right wing Moises Gutierrez said. "It's so weird getting home and there's no hockey.

"It's a tough way to finish a junior career," Gutierrez added. "I loved every minute here. I loved the fans, I loved the organization and I love my coaches and teammates. It's been a good year, but it was a tough finish."

Everett suffered its early demise at the hands of the Prince George Cougars, falling 4-2 in the best-of-seven second-round series that concluded with an ugly 8-2 defeat in Prince George on Monday.

"I can't even explain how I feel, I'm in shock right now," Everett captain Jason Fransoo said. "When you set your goals really high, and we obviously didn't meet them, it's kind of an abrupt end to the season."

But despite the earlier-than-expected exit, it was still a season of significant accomplishments for the Tips, who won their third U.S. Division title in four seasons and earned their first Scotty Munro Trophy for the league's best record during the regular season.

"I told (the players after Monday's game) how proud I was of them," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "That team in the locker room put up two banners and won more games than any team that's been here. That's something to be awful proud of. We can sit and second guess all night long about this series. The bottom line is this team accomplished a lot over the year, so we're real proud of them."

Unfortunately for the Tips, it all came cascading down in the final three games. Everett had a chance to take a 3-1 series lead, leading 3-2 late in the third period of Game 4 in Prince George only to lose in overtime. Then the Tips had a commanding 3-0 third-period lead at home in Game 5, only to lose 4-3.

The weight of those two losses was a heavy burden, though there were a variety of responses to how much the ghost of those defeats - Game 5 in particular - hung over the Tips in the decisive Game 6.

"I think it was too much to overcome," Everett center Peter Mueller said. "It was always a tough one to swallow. We bounced back, but they were on a roll. They were on fire and they got the bounces."

Fransoo disagreed: "I don't think it was the difference. Obviously it was a momentum shift. But we were down 3-2 and it's not a series until somebody wins or loses four games. That wasn't the issue."

Leave it to Constantine to take the Solomonic approach.

"Confidence is always an up-and-down thing," he said. "After we had a lead in Game 4 with seven minutes to go and gave that up, I thought our response to that in Game 5 was really good, we played a great first two periods in Everett. I think we responded to giving up a lead the first time really good, but giving it up two games in a row is taxing mentally. I don't think that was an issue going into (Game 6), but if you give up a couple goals like we did early, then all of a sudden that starts to come back."

And now the Tips are left wondering what could have been had they just been able to hold a lead.

"It's easy to say, 'what if?'" Gutierrez said. "It's going to eat me up the next two weeks. I'm going to question everything I did and didn't do. In Game 4 we had a 3-2 lead with seven minutes to go. In Game 5 we blew a 3-0 lead. It'll kill you if you keep questioning, 'what if?' It's over now."

Over just a little too soon for Everett.

[Tipped Off]

FROM THE EVERETT HERALD- SOMETHING TO REMEMBER, PG HAD 9 NHL DRAFT PICKS!!!!!


Well, I'm back from Prince George, and having had a night to think about it, I believe the Cougars were fully deserving of their second-round victory over the Silvertips. What I mean by that is that I believe Prince George won the series, as opposed to Everett losing it. There are many who wouldn't agree with that assessment, particularly given the substantial difference in regular season records between the two teams. But that's what I believe nonetheless.

I think there was a misconception that this was some sort of uber-talented Everett team that was head and shoulders above the rest when it came to ability. That's just not true, and there's many ways to illustrate this.

- Everett had four NHL draft picks on its postseason roster. Center Peter Mueller and goaltender Leland Irving were first-round picks, right wing Moises Gutierrez and defenseman Dan Crowley were sixth-round picks. The Tips also had two players (center Zach Hamill and defenseman Taylor Ellington) who will probably be taken in the early rounds of this year's draft, and another player (left wing Kyle Beach) who looks like a lottery pick in 2008. Let's compare that to Prince George. The Cougars have nine players who were selected in the NHL draft, including three first-round picks in right wing Devin Setoguchi and defensemen Ty Wishart and Vladimir Mihalik. Left wing Dana Tyrell could make that four first rounders this year. Any way you crunch those numbers and it's advantage Cougars. Even with Prince George losing center Eric Hunter early in the series, and even if the Tips had the services of injured left wing Ondrej Fiala, it wouldn't have matched up, at least as far as tne NHL scouts are concerned.

- Everett's much-beloved "Joes" line, consisting of center Damir Alic, right wing Jesse Smyke and left wing Brennan Sonne, did an admirable job all season long as the Tips' checking line. But let's not forget that all three were listed players, guys anyone in the league could have had if they wanted. Both Smyke (Saskatoon) and Alic (Seattle) had their chances to impress other teams before coming to Everett, but weren't able to stick. They developed into solid contributors with Everett, but they didn't exactly compose the most talented third line in the league.

- And despite their impressive record, the Tips never really blew anyone out during the regular season. There were two games -- an 8-0 victory over Chilliwack and a 9-0 victory over Portland -- where Everett outclassed the competition. But otherwise the season was built on a lot of one-goal victories as the Tips went 20-2-1-2 in one-goal games. That says Everett wasn't exactly imposing its superior talent on opponents.

Everett had a lot of talent on its team this season. But it really wasn't more than other good teams have. What happened was the Tips maxed out their talent night-in and night-out during the regular season better than anyone else did. But then they didn't have that extra gear for the playoffs, the way a team like Prince George, which underachiaved during the regular season, did.

The other thing that became clear watching the series' six games was that Everett wasn't the type of team that could exploit Prince George's biggest weakness, a lack of depth on the blue line. The Cougars only play four defensemen, and Wishart and Mihalik log a ton of ice time. The best way to wear down a thin defense is to lay big hits on them when they retrieve the puck along the boards in their own end. But Everett's forwards are smallish and not big hitters and therefore were unable to do much damage. (On a side note, it'll be a different story in the conference finals. Vancouver is all about punishing the opposing team's defense with a heavy-hitting forecheck. Getting hit by Milan Lucic, J.D. Watt and Kenndal McArdle is a lot different from fending off Sonne and Zack Dailey).

So congratulations Cougars, you earned it. Good luck in the next round against the Giants.

[nivek_wahs]

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpo...b-89550a3a92f3

Silvertips season ends early

Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
Published: Thursday, April 19, 2007
There are upsets, and then there are upsets.

The Everett Silvertips were victims of a monumental playoff shocker on Monday when they were eliminated from the postseason with an 8-2 pounding at the hands of the Prince George Cougars. Everett won the first two games of the series before losing four straight.

The talent-soaked Silvertips, ranked No. 1 in the CHL, were a favourite to win this year's Memorial Cup.

"I can't even explain how I feel, I'm in shock right now," captain Jason Fransoo told the Everett Herald. "When you set your goals really high, and we obviously didn't meet them, it's kind of an abrupt end to the season."

For some players, it was an abrupt end to their WHL careers.

"It's going to eat me up the next two weeks," offered graduating forward Moises Gutierrez. "I'm going to question everything I did and didn't do. In Game 4 we had a 3-2 lead with seven minutes to go. In Game 5 we blew a 3-0 lead. It'll kill you if you keep questioning, 'What if?' It's over now."

With that in mind, Everett head coach Kevin Constantine chose not to lament what might have been. Instead, he focused on the positive aspects of the Silvertips' season, including a third U.S. Division title in four seasons and their first Scotty Munro Trophy for the league's best record during the regular season (54-15-1-2).

"I told (the players) how proud I was of them," Constantine said. "That team in the locker room put up two banners and won more games than any team that's been here. That's something to be awful proud of. We can sit and second guess all night long about this series. The bottom line is this team accomplished a lot over the year, so we're real proud of them."