Published: Monday, February 6, 2012
Silvertips sail to Victoria
Team takes ferry for key two-game road trip
EVERETT -- The WHL is a bus league, where teams travel by road from destination to destination.
But for the first time in franchise history, the Everett Silvertips are not traveling on the road, but rather on the water.
The Tips traded in their bus for a ferry for their two-game trip to Vancouver Island to face the Victoria Royals.
So instead of watching the miles of pavement churn past, the Tips were treated Monday to the picturesque one-and-a-half hour ferry ride that departs from Tsawwassen, B.C., winds through the Gulf Islands, then arrives in Swartz Bay just outside Victoria.
"Maybe some of our guys have never experienced it," Everett coach Mark Ferner, who made the trip as a player in the WHL in the 1980s and as a coach in the British Columbia Hockey League the previous four seasons, said before the team departed Monday morning from Comcast Arena. "It's going to be a great trip. We're going to enjoy the trip and a lot of guys are going to experience the ferry for the first time. It's spectacular."
For most of Everett's players it's the first time they've taken a boat to play games during their WHL careers. That includes overage defenseman Josh Caron, who hails from the Vancouver Island town of Campbell River and has spent four seasons in the WHL riding the buses.
"It's good to go back to the home island," Caron said. "I'm pretty excited, I haven't been there for a long time. It's going to be good to get these guys on the boat. A lot of them haven't experienced to ferry."
But this isn't a leisurely vacation to a resort town for the Tips. These two games have enormous importance with regards to Everett's playoff chances. The Tips are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference with 33 points. However, Everett is just seven points behind seventh-place Victoria, with two games in hand. The Tips need these two games to keep their hopes alive for making the playoffs for the ninth straight season.
"We know why we're going there," Ferner said. "We're going there with the intention of winning two hockey games.
"We're chasing this hockey team and have them four more times. These are the two biggest games of the season right now for our team."
Victoria has scored its share of goals this season. The Royals' problem has been preventing them. Victoria has allowed a league-high 264 goals, which is nearly five per game. No other team has allowed more than 230 goals.
Everett is one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league, but the Tips have improved offensively of late, scoring three or more goals in seven of their past eight games.
"I think we just have to play our game," Caron said. "We can't get away from it, we have to play consistent. We have to stick to our gameplan, play defensive first rather than offense first. But I think we're coming along."
The circumstances are nearly identical to those the Tips faced 11 days earlier, when Everett headed to Prince George for back-to-back games against another team chasing a playoff spot. The Tips won both games to begin their playoff drive in earnest.
Everett could be without overage defenseman Brennan Yadlowski for both games. Yadlowski was suspended by the league for a time yet to be determined for unspecified actions following Friday's 7-3 loss at Portland. Everett was expecting to learn the length of the suspension today.
Around the WHL
Ferner on Everett's firing of general manager Doug Soetaert last Thursday: "Doug is a great man and a great hockey person. We all feel terrible what happened, no question. He brought us all here. As a coach and as players we have to take some of that responsibility in that we haven't done a good enough job as a group. Unfortunately, someone lost their job because of it." ... The first two teams have clinched playoff spots as B.C. Division leader Kamloops and U.S. Division leader Tri-City both have booked tickets to the postseason. ... Spokane's Dominik Uher was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 19-year-old forward had six goals and three assists as the Chiefs went 2-2. ... Regina's Jordan Weal was named the WHL Player of the Month for January. The 19-year-old forward had nine goals and 17 assists in 12 games.
League leaders
Points -- Ty Rattie (Portland) 87; goals -- Emerson Etem (Medicine Hat) 48; assists -- Jordan Weal (Regina) 55; penalty minutes -- Cody Beach (Moose Jaw) 186; wins -- Mac Carruth (Portland), Tyler Bunz (Medicine Hat) 31; goals against average -- Ty Rimmer (Tr-City) 2.28; save percentage -- Rimmer .927.
Check out Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
But for the first time in franchise history, the Everett Silvertips are not traveling on the road, but rather on the water.
The Tips traded in their bus for a ferry for their two-game trip to Vancouver Island to face the Victoria Royals.
So instead of watching the miles of pavement churn past, the Tips were treated Monday to the picturesque one-and-a-half hour ferry ride that departs from Tsawwassen, B.C., winds through the Gulf Islands, then arrives in Swartz Bay just outside Victoria.
"Maybe some of our guys have never experienced it," Everett coach Mark Ferner, who made the trip as a player in the WHL in the 1980s and as a coach in the British Columbia Hockey League the previous four seasons, said before the team departed Monday morning from Comcast Arena. "It's going to be a great trip. We're going to enjoy the trip and a lot of guys are going to experience the ferry for the first time. It's spectacular."
For most of Everett's players it's the first time they've taken a boat to play games during their WHL careers. That includes overage defenseman Josh Caron, who hails from the Vancouver Island town of Campbell River and has spent four seasons in the WHL riding the buses.
"It's good to go back to the home island," Caron said. "I'm pretty excited, I haven't been there for a long time. It's going to be good to get these guys on the boat. A lot of them haven't experienced to ferry."
But this isn't a leisurely vacation to a resort town for the Tips. These two games have enormous importance with regards to Everett's playoff chances. The Tips are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference with 33 points. However, Everett is just seven points behind seventh-place Victoria, with two games in hand. The Tips need these two games to keep their hopes alive for making the playoffs for the ninth straight season.
"We know why we're going there," Ferner said. "We're going there with the intention of winning two hockey games.
"We're chasing this hockey team and have them four more times. These are the two biggest games of the season right now for our team."
Victoria has scored its share of goals this season. The Royals' problem has been preventing them. Victoria has allowed a league-high 264 goals, which is nearly five per game. No other team has allowed more than 230 goals.
Everett is one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league, but the Tips have improved offensively of late, scoring three or more goals in seven of their past eight games.
"I think we just have to play our game," Caron said. "We can't get away from it, we have to play consistent. We have to stick to our gameplan, play defensive first rather than offense first. But I think we're coming along."
The circumstances are nearly identical to those the Tips faced 11 days earlier, when Everett headed to Prince George for back-to-back games against another team chasing a playoff spot. The Tips won both games to begin their playoff drive in earnest.
Everett could be without overage defenseman Brennan Yadlowski for both games. Yadlowski was suspended by the league for a time yet to be determined for unspecified actions following Friday's 7-3 loss at Portland. Everett was expecting to learn the length of the suspension today.
Around the WHL
Ferner on Everett's firing of general manager Doug Soetaert last Thursday: "Doug is a great man and a great hockey person. We all feel terrible what happened, no question. He brought us all here. As a coach and as players we have to take some of that responsibility in that we haven't done a good enough job as a group. Unfortunately, someone lost their job because of it." ... The first two teams have clinched playoff spots as B.C. Division leader Kamloops and U.S. Division leader Tri-City both have booked tickets to the postseason. ... Spokane's Dominik Uher was named the WHL Player of the Week. The 19-year-old forward had six goals and three assists as the Chiefs went 2-2. ... Regina's Jordan Weal was named the WHL Player of the Month for January. The 19-year-old forward had nine goals and 17 assists in 12 games.
League leaders
Points -- Ty Rattie (Portland) 87; goals -- Emerson Etem (Medicine Hat) 48; assists -- Jordan Weal (Regina) 55; penalty minutes -- Cody Beach (Moose Jaw) 186; wins -- Mac Carruth (Portland), Tyler Bunz (Medicine Hat) 31; goals against average -- Ty Rimmer (Tr-City) 2.28; save percentage -- Rimmer .927.
Check out Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
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