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Thread: Game 9 @ Vancouver

  1. #1
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    Default Game 9 @ Vancouver

    www.heraldnet.com
    Silvertips flourish when the end is near

    Team’s conditioning has paid off in third period

    By Nick Patterson
    Herald Writer

    EVERETT — Just think of the Everett Silvertips as the closers.

    In baseball, the ninth inning is the domain of the closer, the relief ace whose job is to ensure victory at the game’s end.

    And much in the same vein as closers, so far the third period has been the Tips’ domain.

    Through the first eight games of the season, Everett has been dominant in the third period, and the Tips’ proficiency late in games is a big reason why they’re off to a 6-2 start.

    “I don’t think we’d be 6-2 right now if we didn’t have good third periods,” Everett captain Zack Dailey said.

    Just how good have the Tips been in the third period? Everett has outscored its opponents 16-3 then and have outshot them 100-71. Three times Everett has trailed in the third period and come back to win. In both of Everett’s losses, the Tips trailed by three in the third only to come back and make it a one-goal game.

    Everett has scored the same number of goals as its opponents during the first and second periods. The third period is why the Tips are tied for the third-best winning percentage in the WHL.

    “We’ve stayed with it,” Everett coach Craig Hartsburg said. “There’s been some games where we haven’t been great, but we stayed with it and continued to work our way through things.”

    What makes those third-period numbers particularly surprising is that they are a complete reversal from last season. The Tips were a mess in the third last season, getting outscored 100-65. That carried over into overtime, where Everett was 0-7 in games decided in OT.

    What’s been the primary reason for the turnaround? Conditioning.

    “Right now we’re really focused on being well conditioned, and I think that’s definitely a factor,” said Tips winger Shane Harper, who leads the team in third-period points with eight. “Conditioning can’t get you goals, but it definitely can help you get the puck in the forecheck and outskate the other team. It’s not like we’re trying to do anything different in the third, it’s just been working for us.”

    Hartsburg has stressed conditioning during practices far more than his predecessors. Whereas in previous seasons end-of-practice skates were rare once the season began, this season they’ve been a regular occurrence.

    “Every coach will skate you, but now almost every practice at the end we’ll have a bag skate,” Dailey said. “That way is different. Usually (in the past), we would have maybe one a week or one every two weeks instead of three a week. I think it’s helped us a lot in the third.”

    Added Harper: “Working on stopping and starting is a big thing. When you stop and start it burns your legs really good, and when you do it over and over, it just conditions your legs so in the third you’re not as tired. You really notice it.

    “(Conditioning) is definitely a lot more focused this year than any other year I’ve been here,” added the fifth-year Silvertip. “I’ve seen that it’s affected my game in a good way so far.”

    Everett’s success in the third period isn’t all positive. One related cause of concern is that the Tips have needed those strong thirds. Everett’s trailed in the third period in five of its eight games. The Tips don’t want to form the habit of falling behind and needing strong third periods.

    “The game is 60 minutes and we’ve played a few games where we think we’ve played close to 60 minutes, but we don’t want to get in that situation (of being behind in the third),” Hartsburg said. “The first two periods, I think we can play better at times. The start of games is huge for us, and we want to have better starts.”

    But the strong finishes also have served as a confidence booster, as the Tips now know that should they fall behind, they’re capable of making a comeback.

    “We’d rather not go into the third down, but we know now that if we are it’s not like we’re going to panic,” Harper said. “We know we can come back.”

    All because the Tips are learning how to close out games.



    Silvertips Update: Everett aims to extend streak against Vancouver to 3-0

    Today's Game

    Opponent: Vancouver Giants

    When: 7:30 p.m.

    Where: Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C.

    Radio: KRKO (1380 AM)

    Live blogging: www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog

    Scouting report

    Tonight is the third of five meetings between Everett (6-2-0-0) and Vancouver (8-3-0-2) this season. The Tips won both of the previous meetings, most recently winning 4-3 in a shootout at home on Sept. 26.

    Vancouver, the league's premier franchise the past five seasons, comes into the game well rested, having not played since falling 5-3 at home to Tri-City last Saturday. Despite the loss, the Giants are again off to a good start. However, they are not dominating foes the way they did in previous campaigns.

    With star forwards Evander Kane and James Wright sticking in the NHL, Vancouver has been limited offensively early in the season, with 19-year-old left wing Craig Cunningham (seven goals, 12 assists) the team's only player averaging more than a point per game. In recent weeks the Giants acquired 20-year-old center Milan Kytnar (one assist in three games) and 19-year-old left wing Cass Mappin (three goals, six assists) to help fill the void.

    On defense the Giants feature a pair of puck movers in 19-year-old Kevin Connauton (five goals, seven assists) and 18-year-old Neil Manning (four goals, eight assists). Eighteen-year-old Jamie Tucker (5-3-0-2, 2.76 goals against average, .899 save percentage) holds down the goaltending duties.
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  2. #2
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    Default game notes

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