Tips Take Out Chiefs, Lights out for Beach

[Tipped Off]

Posted : : 01/16/2008
Silvertips Fend Off Chiefs
Strong team defense aids in win
Everett Silvertips Press Release

Spokane, Wash. - The Everett Silvertips held tough for a 2-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs in their Western Hockey League game on Wednesday night, January 16th, at Spokane Veteran's Memorial Arena in Spokane. Leland Irving posted 39 saves in a game that saw an all-around great defensive team effort. The Silvertips are now 2-1 this season against Spokane and have an overall record of 25-20-0-2 (52 pts.). They remain third place in the U.S. Division and fifth in the Western Conference.

Zach Hamill got things going for Everett early in the first period. Mike Alexander released a shot from the right point that Hamill deflected. Spokane goaltender Dustin Tokarski made the save, but Hamill put in his own rebound at 5:25. The rest of the period was highlighted by brilliant defensive play from the Silvertips and Irving including a successful 1-minute 5-on-3 penalty kill.

The Chiefs responded on the scoreboard with an early goal of their own in the second. Drayson Bowman put in a Mitch Wahl centering pass at 5:08. After that, Irving again was forced to make several big saves and Everett received several power play opportunities of their own to begin applying pressure at the other end.

Just past the third period's midway point it would all pay off. Lukas Vartovnik at 12:04 redirected a Dane Crowley right point shot past Tokarski to give the Silvertips a 2-1 lead. Spokane had several chances to tie things back up including 1-minute, 50-seconds of a two man advantage, however, the penalty killing unit held strong including Alexander who blocked several shots to help preserve the one goal victory over the division leaders.

The Silvertips now focus their sights on a pair of home games this coming weekend. On Friday night the Portland Winter Hawks make a visit to Comcast Arena at the Everett Events center for a scheduled 7:35 p.m. start time. Saturday will mark just the second time this season that Spokane has made a trip into Everett; face-off is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.



Silvertips Box Score

Zach Hamill (14) 1G
Lukas Vartovnik (7) 1G
Mike Alexander 1A
Clayton Bauer 1A
Dane Crowley 1A
Vitaly Karamnov 1A

Leland Irving (18-18) 39/40

Starting Line-up: Leland Irving (G), Dane Crowley (D), Taylor Ellington (D),
Kyle Beach (LW), Vitaly Karamnov (C), Jordan Mistelbacher (RW)

Scoring: Everett 2 (1-0-1) ; Spokane 1 (0-1-0)
Shots On Goal: Everett 22 (7-9-6); Spokane 40 (14-13-13)
Power Plays: Everett 0/6; Spokane 0/8

3 Stars
1. Leland Irving
2. Drayson Bowman (Spo)
3. Lukas Vartovnik

[Tipped Off]

from Jessica Brown's blog in the Spokane paper:
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/blogs...stID=6895#more

Chiefs drop 2-1 decision to Everett
Wow. This one had a dramatic finish to it. You hope suspensions won't come out of a situation like this, but who knows.

Read on to find out what I'm talking about in my game story. If you were there, you already know, and I'd be curious to hear what everyone thinks - so please, do share.

It’s not as bad as you think it might be. It’s certainly not as bad as it could be. But the Spokane Chiefs power play is costing them games lately.

They paid the price of failing to convert on seven advantages in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss to Tri-City and again on Wednesday night as the Everett Silvertips stopped eight Spokane power plays, including two 5-on-3’s, en route to a 2-1 victory over the Chiefs in front of 4,062 dumbfounded fans.

The question of what to do about the power play even has Spokane coach Bill Peters a little mystified.

“That’s the million dollar question,” Peters said after the game’s dramatic finish. “Obviously it’s something that’s hurt us here tonight and hurt us in the last game also, so we’ve got to get it going in the right direction.”

As time in regulation expired, Everett’s Kyle Beach gave Spokane forward Mitch Wahl a couple of shoves before Chiefs captain Chris Bruton stepped in to defend Wahl. According to Bruton, Beach threw the first punch before Bruton one-punched him, which laid Beach out on the ice for several minutes.

There are different versions of what happened depending on whose camp you talk to, but both Peters and Bruton, who was playing in his first game since a three-game suspension, seemed more than confident that the incident was provoked and should go unpunished.

“I saw two punches – one punch with a glove on and (another) punch with a glove on,” said Peters. “I’d be shocked if there’s (a suspension on Bruton) from that – absolutely shocked. Let’s not kid ourselves, you talk about acting 101.

“You get knocked down, you get up, that’s hockey.”

After Everett (25-20-0-2) took a 1-0 lead after the first courtesy of a Zach Hamill goal, Chiefs’ sniper Drayson Bowman tied the score 5 minutes and 25 second into the third.

Everett’s Lukas Vartovnik scored the final goal of the night late in the third to give the Silvertips the victory.

Despite their recent performance on the power play, the Chiefs (31-9-1-3) still rank eighth in the league when skating with an advantage.

“I just think some of the guys are trying to be too cute,” said Bruton. “Whether they’re just warming up for that big slot or what not, that’s not always what counts. What counts is getting in on the net and getting rebounds and opportunities and we’re not getting them through right now.”

The Chiefs hit the road for their next three games, beginning with Seattle on Friday. They face Everett again on Saturday and will play in Portland on Monday before returning to the Arena ice to take on Seattle again on Jan. 25.

NOTES

Spokane netminder Dustin Tokarski stopped 20 shots while Everett goalie Leland Irving turned away 39 of 40 shots. … Spokane remained one point behind Vancouver, which fell 2-1 to Saskatoon on Wednesday, for first in the Western Conference standings. The Chiefs are one point ahead of Tri-City, which did not play.

That's all for tonight, but I am heading to practice tomorrow and will have a notebook online for you tomorrow afternoon that will run in Friday's section. Of course I will follow up and elaborate on the above mentioned.

Posted by Jessica

[Tipped Off]

Tips fans take is Bruton Sucker punched Beach and Deserves a penalty.

Chiefs fans take is Beach was yakking all game, grabbed Wahl and punched Bruton first...therefore he got what he deserved.

We know Tips fans won't convince Chiefs fans...and vice versa.

Feel free to converse, but play nice! LOL.

[TriFan2005]

coming from a fan in tri-cities with a semi neutral view on the situation. i would have to say that beach more than likely did deserve what he got, but then again i didnt see it so maybe bruton hit him way too hard. on the other hand bruton is a complete idiot for yet again getting himself into trouble. he just got back from a suspension for a bad hit and now he will see another suspension for this situation. not a smart move by the captain of a team trying to win a banner.

stupid move on beach's part but definitely a worse move by bruton as he just got back from suspension. either way i take back my comments last week about beach being a smarter player lately and if peters had any smarts he'd take away the "C" that Bruton has. glad he stuck up for a teamate but he's just hurting the team in the long run as he'll miss more games to suspension

[Tipped Off]

..IT will be interesting to see what comes of this. Beach has a diving/faking reputation. If the video shows he threw the first punch, and both punches were thrown with gloves on, then I'm not sure a suspension is warranted. It was a HUGE punch by Bruton that landed squarely. That much is for sure.

Will Bruton be suspended?

Was Beach acting?

The league will let us know tomorrow in the form of a suspension, if any. If it's zero or 1 game, we know the league thinks it was a fake job. If it's 3+ games we know the league is sending a message to Bruton.

[Beaner]

There is a video up now on the local Chiefs News cast.

http://www.kxly.com/Global/category....av=menu683_4_4

I'm not sure what to think here.

After Beach gives Wahl the face wash, and Bruton steps in, Beach gives Bruton, what I would call, a "play-jab" to the face. Then Bruton just unloads on Beach knocking him out.

I guess you could call the Beach thing a "punch" but really it was nothing.

I wouldn't call the Bruton punch a sucker punch, Beach and Bruton are looking right at each other, I just don't think Beach was expecting a real punch.

I dont know if Beach took a dive, but I wouldn't put it past him. I dont think he is, looks like he got tagged real good.

I dont think this is worth a suspension or an attempt to injure. Double minor for roughing.

Beach grabbed Wahl to start, he then provoked Bruton. He should have been ready for a response.

[Tiger Trauma]

There is a video up now on the local Chiefs News cast.

I'm not sure what to think here.

I wouldn't call the Bruton punch a sucker punch, Beach and Bruton are looking right at each other, I just don't think Beach was expecting a real punch.

I dont know if Beach took a dive, but I wouldn't put it past him. I dont think he is, looks like he got tagged real good.

Agree.


Did anyone notice the chiefs player in the background? He hit his player roughly a second before Bruton hit beach. It did look like the tips player said something to him, but it also was sort of unexpected. Just suprised there wasn't a penalty, even though it was the end of the game

[Stay-Puft]

After watching the video, I don't think there should be a suspension. Looks like Bruton landed it pretty flush, but I wouldn't put it past Beach of hamming it up. Time will tell.

[Tipped Off]

Well, I just watched it and I saw Beach's "punch". IT was just as Beaner described...

I posted this on the white board and wanted to post it here as well...

Chiefs22, you are correct, Bech does punch Bruton. The kind of punch you see 20 times a game. where a guy extends his arm and puts in in your face. Normally not even called a penalty. Nothing to warrant that type reaction from Bruton on it's own....But.....

...as you pointed out last night, and we all know, Beach talks (there's an understatement). And Bruton is fed up with that and not being able to score and losing the game, I'm sure it all built up. So you can take this as my "apology" for saying Beach did not hit Bruton. I was wrong. There is a punch there.

I will say, however, that the reaction from the FEW Chiefs fans at the game who were booing is still disgusting. You never boo an injured player. I still would not boo if Bruton was laying on the Ice. If you are happy a 17 YO is laying on the Ice, at least have the decency to keep your mouth shut. Just my opinion

I think if this were a "normal" situation there would be no suspension, but since Bruton is one game removed from a lengthy suspension, the league may come down on him again to prove a point. In my personal opinion, no suspension is warranted here.

[TriFan2005]

well now that i've seen a video i would say beach is just back to his usual self always trying to provoke something. was bruton right for swinging back with his glove on? definitely not but everyone is tired of beach's mouth and "rough stuff". the punch by beach really was nothing but it's an ego thing. bruton didn't want to skate back to the locker room leaving beach to think bruton is scared of him. he should have dropped his gloves and done it the right way though. thats why i think we will see bruton suspended for at least a game because to swing that hard with a gloved punch is definitely dangerous (hence the intent to injure).

as far as beach being ko'd i definitely dont think it was an acting job. the way his head snapped back and how he kind of just crumbled shows it was real. yes he is a great actor but he isn't academy award material.