| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2010 7:20 am |
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Sports 
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Just how good are the Silvertips? Everett will find out tonight when it plays Tri-City, the Western Conference’s top team. EVERETT — It’s taken two months, but the Everett Silvertips are finally getting their first look at the team they’re trying to chase.Everett heads to Kennewick today for its first meeting of the season with the U.S. Division- and Western Conference-leading Tri-City Americans, and it should serve as a good gauge of just where the Tips stand in the division and conference races. “I’m really excited to play them,” Everett center Byron Froese said. “Everyone wants a crack at the big guys, eh, and it’s going to be a hard game. They’re a good team at home, so it’s going to be a good test for us.” Tri-City is off to the best start of any team in the Western Conferece. The Americans opened 17-5-0-0, are a perfect 8-0 at home and have a seven-point advantage over the third-place Tips, though Everett has two games in hand. Tri-City was ranked sixth in the latest Canadian Hockey League poll, which spans each of the three major-junior leagues. Everett, which is off to a solid start of its own at 13-6-1-0, already has demonstrated its ability to compete with every other top team in the conference. The Tips have beaten Vancouver, Portland and Spokane. But perhaps the toughest opening test was saved for last. “We haven’t seen them yet, but obviously right now they’re the best team (in the Western Conference) by record,” Everett coach Craig Hartsburg said. “The start they’ve had is impressive, so it will be a tough test for us.” Tri-City’s ascendancy is a bit of a surprise. The Americans might be two-time defending U.S. Division champions, but they lost three high-scoring overagers (Taylor Procyshen, Jason Reese, Mitch Fadden) to graduation, a two-time WHL goaltender of the year (Chet Pickard) to the professional ranks, and also had their head coach (Don Nachbaur) depart for the pros. With the loss of that key personnel, the preseason consensus was Tri-City would take a step back this season. That hasn’t been the case. The Americans have remained a force under new coach Jim Hiller, who took over after being fired in Chilliwack. Drew Owsley, who was the team’s No. 3 goaltender last season, has taken up the reins in goal and leads the league in wins. Brendan Shinnimin came out of nowhere and is among the league leaders in scoring, and Tri-City once again has one of the best offensive teams in the league. “I think a lot of people don’t realize we have 18 players returning from last year, so there’s a lot of continuity,” Tri-City general manager Bob Tory said. “I think the structure of our program hasn’t changed,” Tory added about the smooth transition between coaches. “It’s the same program that’s been in place the past six years and our expectations are always the same. Don did a tremendous job here, but Jim has been here before (as an assistant under Nachbaur), so he understands the style we like to play and came in with a familiarity with the program.” Those Tips who were were a part of the team that was dismantled by Procyshen, Reese and Fadden in the first round of the playoffs last season were surprised to see the Americans back atop the division standings. “I think everyone is surprised,” Everett right wing Kellan Tochkin said about the extent of Tri-City’s early success. “But it just goes to show you that you don’t need all the skill in the world to be good. If you follow the coach’s gameplan and work hard you can be just as good as a team with all the skill in the world.” One thing the Americans have had plenty of during their recent run is speed. Tri-City used its speed and quickness to skate rings around the Tips during last spring’s playoff series. That speed is still a central part of Tri-City’s game, and the Americans have found the best ways of using that speed to their advantage. “I think we expect a lot of hard-working forecheck (from the Americans),” Tochkin said. “Just looking at their roster they have a lot of former fourth-line guys who know how to grind and get really greasy down low. Those are the guys who have 30 points right now, so I think we can expect a pretty intense forecheck from them.” And the Tips just might find out how far away — or how close — they are to being a legitimate contender in the Western Conference. Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog |
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- Technology tips for launching your own business
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- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
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