Games 31 & 32 - Vancouver (boo!)

[Knuckles Muldoon]

Lucic on Beach, Krause on Beach, who knows? Definitely someone on Beach, for sure!

Kraus? Fight? I'd give about 8,000,000:1 against that.

[HAF]

[QUOTE=
The move Hamill did is only a high stick if he carries it above a certain height. It has been done successfully in the NHL before.[/QUOTE]

As long the stick blade isn't above the cross bar of the goal its a clean goal.

[Tipped Off]

Posted : : 12/17/2006
Everett Takes Down Vancouver in OT
Silvertips Win 3-2
Everett Silvertips Press Release



Moises Gutierrez #1 Star Of The Game
Everett, WA - Tonight the two Western Conference powerhouses, the Everett Silvertips and the Vancouver Giants, met for a second time in as many nights. After a very tough and competitive game, the Silvertips came out on top of the Giants by a final score of 3-2. Everett moves up to 27-4-0-1, first place in the US Division, with 55 points. Vancouver falls to 25-5-3-3, first place in the BC Division, with 56 points.

The Giants drew first blood in the hockey game at 3:24 of the first period. Brendan Mikkelson earned his first tally on the year after he one-timed the puck from center point while his team was on a power play. Tim Kraus and Jonathon Blum earned the helpers. The Silvertips tied the game up at 14:51, while they had the extra man advantage. Moises Gutierrez waited in front of the net and poked it in after Tyson Sexsmith had lost track of the puck. Jesse Zetariuk and Ondrej Fiala received credit for the assists.

Early in the second Vancouver jumped ahead 2-1 after a shot was deflected in behind David Reekie. Kyle Lamb earned the Giants' second goal while again Tim Kraus and Jonathon Blum earned the helpers. The Silvertips came back to tie the game up again at 8:14. While on a power play, Kyle Beach popped a shot up and over Sexsmith's right shoulder. Zach Hamill and Moises Gutierrez tallied the assists.

After a scoreless third period the game progressed into overtime. At the 52 second mark Dan Gendur earned the game winner, his fifth on the year. Jason Fransoo had the lone assist. In between the pipes tonight for Everett was David Reekie. With the win and 22 saves, he moves up to 9-3, 8-1 with the Silvertips. Tyson Sexsmith, the Giants' netminder, stopped 22 shots as well but falls to 16-4-2-2. On the power play Everett converted on 2/6 while Vancouver scored on 1/4. The Silvertips out shot the Giants 25-24.

The Everett Silvertips play their last game before the holiday break tomorrow night, Sunday December 15th. They will face off against their I-5 rivals, the Seattle Thunderbirds, at 5:05pm at the Key Arena.

Silvertips Box Scores

Moises Gutierrez (17) 1 G, 1 A
Kyle Beach (18) 1 G
Dan Gendur (5) 1 G
Jesse Zetariuk 1 A
Ondrej Fiala 1 A
Zach Hamill 1 A
Jason Fransoo 1 A
David Reekie (9-4): 22/24 saves
Power Play: Everett 2/6, Vancouver 1/4
Shots on Goal: Everett 25, Vancouver 24
Attendance: 7,419

3 Stars of the Game

1. Moises Gutierrez (EVT)
2. Brendan Mikkelson (VAN)
3. Jesse Smyke (EVT)

[Tipped Off]

Giant question solved
Everett beats Vancouver for the second time in as many nights

By Nick Patterson
Herald Writer

EVERETT - These were the games that mattered.

Everything the Everett Silvertips accomplished the first three months of the season was ancillary to the pivotal question: How would the Silvertips stack up against the Vancouver Giants?

Based on the past two nights, it appears the Silvertips have found the right answer.

In the second meeting in two nights between the top two teams in the Canadian Hockey League, Everett prevailed again, winning 3-2 in overtime Saturday night at the Everett Events Center.

Dan Gendur scored the game winner in overtime as Everett (27-4-0-1), ranked No. 1 in the CHL, completed a home-and-home sweep of second-ranked Vancouver (25-5-3-3).

However, the manner of those games indicate that any margin between the two teams wouldn't fit on the edge of a razor blade.

"Those are huge points," Gendur said. "Not just in the Western Hockey League standings but also in the CHL rankings. You can see the 1-2 in the rankings and how similar our records are, for sure."

On the winning goal, Gendur took the puck coast to coast down the left side, then attempted a centering pass to Zach Hamill, only for the puck to deflect in off the stick of Vancouver defenseman Brendan Mikkelson.

Moises Gutierrez and Kyle Beach also scored and David Reekie made 22 saves in net for Everett, which took the first step toward exorcising the demons from last season's sweep in the WHL Western Conference finals at the hands of the Giants.

"It's huge," said Everett center Zack Dailey, who played a fantastic game filling in for the suspended Peter Mueller. "We just wanted to show we were one of the top teams in the league. They're a great team and we kind of had a grudge against them ever since they swept us out of the playoffs. We just wanted to prove we were a contending team this year."

Mikkelson and Kyle Lamb scored and Tyson Sexsmith made 22 saves in net for the Giants.

If this weekend's games are any indication, the race between Everett and Vancouver for supremacy in the Western Conference should be a dandy. Even with both teams missing key players to the World Junior Hockey Championships, suspension or injury, the games were hotly contested and played with playoff intensity.

In the final breakdown, the teams played to a virtual dead heat - Friday's game also was tied at the end of regulation and was won by Everett in a shootout. Both games were decided as much by luck as by ability.

"I thought both teams played well in both games," Vancouver captain Brett Festerling said. "Both teams had opportunities to win both games. It was hard fought, it was a playoff mentality and I think both teams enjoy playing in those kind of games. They came out on top, but we got two points."

The biggest development for Everett this weekend was Everett's ability to compete with the Giants physically. Last season in the playoffs, Vancouver plowed through Everett by physically manhandling the Tips. But in these two games Everett showed a much better ability to match the Giants' physical play.

"We were the youngest team in the league last year," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. "Younger bodies are not as big or as strong or as heavy. We're an older team this year and with that age comes confidence, size, weight, strength. So we haven't felt this year physically anything is a problem."

Everett twice had to come from behind. Vancouver took the lead just 3:24 into the game when, on the power play, Mikkelson wristed a shot from the center point that slipped past Reekie into the right corner.

However, Everett tied it up at 14:51 when, on a five-on-three advantage, Gutierrez was able to poke in a rebound to make it 1-1.

Vancouver regained the lead 2:26 into the second period when Jonathan Blum's wrister from the right circle hit off Lamb's body and in at the far post. But Everett again tied it on the power play, this time Beach roofing a shot from a tight angle on the left side.

In the third period, Vancouver had a golden opportunity with a five-on-three power play, but Everett's penalty kill held the Giants without a shot on goal.

Slap shots: Everett fielded the same lineup it used Friday. Right wing Brandon Campos (hip) and defenseman Eric Doyle (leg) remained on the sidelines because of injuries. Vancouver made one change, inserting 17-year-old left wing Mike Piluso ofor 15-year-old center Evander Kane. ... The ice surface was less than ideal. An excess of snow built up because the ice was thicker from the ice cycles that were at the Everett Events Center on Friday.

At Everett Event Center

Vancouver 1 1 0 0 - 2

Everett 1 1 0 1 - 3

First Period-1, Vancouver, Mikkelson 1 (Kraus, Blum), 3:24 (pp). 2, Everett, Gutierrez 17 (Zetariuk, Fiala), 14:51 (pp). Penalties-Vartovnik, Everett (interference), 3:15; Festerling, Vancouver (holding), 3:47; Hamill, Everett (cross-checking), 7:34; Fransoo, Everett (holding), 12:05; Cunningham, Vancouver (hooking), 13:07; Mikkelson, Vancouver (cross-checking), 14:39; Festerling, Vancouver (interference), 17:27; Flatters, Vancouver (delay of game), 18:00.

Second Period-3, Vancouver, Lamb 12 (Blum, Kraus), 2:26. 4, Everett, Beach 18 (Hamill, Gutierrez), 8:14 (pp). Penalties-Watt, Vancouver (fighting), 1:52; Harty, Everett (fighting), 1:52; Blum, Vancouver (tripping), 7:38; Lamb, Vancouver (boarding-roughing), 9:03; Smyke, Everett (roughing-roughing), 9:03; Watt, Vancouver (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:19; Smith, Everett (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:19.

Third Period-No goals. Penalties-Ellington, Everett (hooking), 11:14; Hamill, Everett (hooking), 11:28.

Overtime-5, Everett, Gendur 5 (Fransoo), 0:52. Penalties-None.

Shots on goal-Vancouver 6-9-7-2-24. Everett 12-7-5-1-25.

Power-play opportunities-Vancouver 1 of 5. Everett 2 of 6.

Goalies-Vancouver, Sexsmith 16-4-2-2 (25 shots, 22 saves). Everett, Reekie 9-4-0-0 (24 shots, 22 saves).

A-7,419.

[Tipped Off]

The weekend's best part: It was just a sneak peek


By John Sleeper
Herald writer






VERETT - We could get used to this.

And if there's any justice in hockey, we'll get our fill in April.

The Everett Silvertips and Vancouver Giants completed a two-game, home-and-home series Saturday and the only issue they settled is that their fans deserve more, more, more.

Saturday night's 3-2 overtime victory by the Silvertips at the Everett Events Center, coupled with Everett's 2-1 shootout win Friday at Pacific Coliseum only cemented the notion that these are the Western Hockey League's best two teams and should meet in the Western Conference finals.

Those who witnessed Friday's and Saturday's games won't soon forget them - this, in the days following the Pacific Northwest's most powerful wind in 50 years.

But if you think this was cool, just wait.

Regular-season repeats are Jan. 19 in Everett and Jan. 21 in Vancouver, but the real storm figures to hit in April's playoffs.

The games fit the considerable hype. The Giants and Silvertips have dominated the opposition all season, together having won 51 of 66 games leading up to Saturday night.

Barring a massive injury outbreak or the Apocalypse, their respective playoff paths are set for a most glorious collision.

And THAT will be more fun than a clown on fire.

Friday's first meeting started with Everett's Brennan Sonne and Vancouver's Garet Hunt getting into it just three seconds into the game and didn't end until the Giants' Kyle Lamb's shot hit the crossbar, which made newly acquired Carter Smith's shootout goal hold up for the winner.

On Saturday, the 7,419 at EEC were strangely quiet, as if content to simply sit and watch great minor-league hockey. They became even more pensive when the Giants' Brendan Mikkelson slipped a shot through from the point, past David Reekie less than four minutes into the game.

Yes, the explosions came when Dan Gendur scored the game-winner, when Moises Gutierrez and Kyle Beach each scored game-tying goals and when Jonathan Harty took down J.D. Watt for a unanimous decision.

Still, something was missing.

Too many frontline players, for one thing.

The Silvertips were without Leland Irving, who only happens to be the league's best goalie. Although Reekie fills in admirably, Irving is simply outstanding, which is the reason he is in Sweden, playing for Canada in the World Junior Hockey Championships.

Then, too, was Everett's lamentable loss of Peter Mueller, arguably the league's best player, serving the last of a two-game suspension for a major boarding penalty Wednesday against Spokane.

Injuries also knocked out Silvertip regulars Brandon Campos and Eric Doyle.

Likewise, the World Juniors stole Vancouver's Cody Franson, Kenndal McArdle, Michal Repik and Mario Bliznak.

That's a lot of unusable talent, unfortunately.

Even with the missing bodies, however, one aspect made the games especially interesting.

In neither game did Vancouver bully Everett into submission, a decided departure from the circumstances that led to last season's Giants sweep of the Silvertips in the Western Conference finals.

Much of the change can be traced to Everett acquisitions since the playoffs. With Gutierrez (6-foot-4, 227 pounds) and new Tips Jesse Zetariuk (6-3, 202) and Smith (6-0, 200) on the roster, Everett can now protect its skill players.

Make no mistake: Those moves were made with Vancouver in mind. The real result will come in the playoffs.

By that time, all missing players will be back. New Silvertips will be accustomed to playing with their teammates. The Giants, too, will be at their peak.

We can hardly wait.