Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Have you Lost Faith?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Marysville, WA
    Posts
    2,269

    Default Have you Lost Faith?

    From the Seattle Times:

    Coaches often spend a lot of time searching for the smallest rays of light on the darkest of days.

    Not so for Kevin Constantine, who assesses the Everett Silvertips with the brutal honesty and calculating precision of a mathematician studying a column of numbers.

    As the Silvertips struggled with five forwards out of the lineup with injuries and ailments and lost four straight games for the first time in franchise history, Constantine freely conceded that his team's chances of successfully defending its U.S. Division title in the Western Hockey League were all but over.

    The virtual concession came with 27 games remaining in the regular season and the Silvertips sitting in second place in the division at 21-16-6-2. The Silvertips also have seven games remaining on the schedule with the Seattle Thunderbirds, the division leaders at 31-11-0-1.

    "I look at it in terms of hockey history, and to be talking about chasing Seattle for the title is a little far-fetched," Constantine said. "What I'm saying to the team is that window of opportunity is closing fast."

    Constantine said he wasn't throwing in the towel to win the division and that the ultimate team goal remains to win the Memorial Cup.

    "If you don't take an honest, straight-on approach as you go, you don't give yourself the chance to make the adjustments you need to make," Constantine said. "We've talked all year about trying to win the division two years in a row, but Seattle is so far ahead it's hard to keep saying that. You have to walk the talk, and in some cases we haven't done that."

    Constantine's clear-eyed view of reality also reveals that Everett is nearly as close to last place in the division (14 points ahead of Tri-City) as it is to first place (13 points behind Seattle).

    "The good news is through this stretch we've maintained second place and there are three teams behind us," Constantine said. "It's a lot harder for three teams to catch you because they play each other so many times."

    Everett is 4-8-2 over its past 14 games, but Constantine thinks it's a stretch that could pay dividends later because so many different players have gained valuable experience.

    "We'll be more versatile come crunchtime," Constantine said. "The sacrifice is we've lost ground to Seattle, but there have been both costs and benefits."

    One bright spot has been the increased production of forward Alex Leavitt, who had two goals and an assist in a 3-1 win against Spokane last Sunday to end the losing streak.

    Leavitt, a native of Edmonton, Alberta, who came to the Silvertips in a trade with Swift Current on Nov. 12, now has 23 points in 25 games with Everett and is tied with Torrie Wheat for the team scoring lead with 37 points.

    "I've definitely been unhappy with my offensive output since I got here," Leavitt said. "It's really been bothering me. I've tried to keep doing what I've been doing and blame it on luck or fate. Now I'm starting to get the bounces, and hopefully, I can get on a hot streak. We need a lot of guys to step up and produce more offensively."

    Leavitt, a clever passer especially adept at running the power play, also volunteered to kill penalties with so many other forwards unavailable.

    "We don't care who we have out of the lineup — we feel the guys we have out on the ice should be able to win hockey games," Leavitt said. "We really haven't been playing that bad, but we haven't been getting the bounces, and sometimes that comes with fatigue."

    The Silvertips expect to field a deeper lineup when they play in Spokane on Friday.

    Center Mark Kress will return from a fractured arm, and center Jeremy Creurer (illness), center Zach Hamill (eye infection) and left wing Tyler Dietrich (concussion) also might be cleared to play. It will be at least another week before center Brennan Zasitko (shoulder) will be ready to play.
    _____________________
    Tipped Off

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Everett, WA
    Posts
    563

    Default

    Im just glad we are getting this slump and injuries now and not during the playoffs. IMO once we get our guys back we will go on a streak and challenge Seattle for the Division Title. I'm not saying we will win it, but I think we will make it difficult for them.
    I take pride in not owning a cowbell!

  3. #3

    Default

    Wouldn't call it "losing faith", but a little bit of reality coupled with some good old fashioned strategery.

    Winning the US Division is getting closer and closer to being a pipe dream for us. What are we, 13 points out right now, and Seattle has one game in hand (2 after tonight).

    What's the best course of action? Throw everything you have at making a run at the Division Title, or work at staying in 2nd, while at the same time getting more and more guys playing time (and more and more guys rested and healthy) ??

    I think that if the team buckles down, focuses, and Kevin runs 3 lines, we can catch Seattle, but what do we get for that effort other than another banner? 3 Lines of tired guys ... perhaps a team that has nothing left for the playoffs? Young guys that haven't played 72 games before now having to run their spleens into the ice and then having to ramp it up even higher come playoffs ?

    What's the difference between finishing first and playing Tri-Cities, or finishing 2nd and playing Spokane ? Really, it's a no brainer, to me. Let's roll 4 lines, work in the new guys, give the 16's some rest, and make sure that the team is healthy, rested, and mentally ready for 4 7 game series, rather than completely expended and mentally drained ... with a group of 16's that end up being a hinderance instead of a help.
    Real Time WHL Score Updates ... Delivered to your Cell Phone, Pager or eMail

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Everett, WA
    Posts
    563

    Default

    One thing we need right now is our Defense to get a rest. I think that they are tired from being our forwards for a bunch of games. They just need to stop the turnovers and clear the rebounds.
    I take pride in not owning a cowbell!

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •