EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips are two days away from heading home for the holidays.
They want to make sure they’re free to celebrate in full.
Everett has two games remaining before the Christmas break arrives, and the Tips are determined to head home on a winning note.
Everett’s final two games before the WHL shuts down for the Christmas break are Tuesday at Vancouver and Wednesday at home against Victoria. After that the Tips take nine days off, giving the players the opportunity to return to their homes for some rest and relaxation over the holidays.
“(The Christmas break) is something that creeps into your mind when you’re grinding away every day,” Everett overage winger Brayden Low said. “You look forward to seeing friends and family you haven’t seen in a while. But for us it’s a matter of going out and getting the job done against a couple of good teams.”
The Tips are heading toward the break, which serves as the unofficial midpoint of the season, in good position. Currently they are 19-8-3-1 and in first place in the U.S. Division with 42 points. Everett is just one point ahead of second-place Portland, but the Tips have played five fewer games. The Winterhawks have already completed their first-half schedule, meaning Everett will enter the break in first regardless of how the games Tuesday and Wednesday unfold.
“It’s gone really well, I think,” Low said about Everett’s first half. “We’re leading the U.S. Division and hopefully we’ll carry that into the break. That’s nothing short of really good. We’ve slipped a little the past month, but we started well enough to be on top at this point.”
Nevertheless, the Tips are looking to win these last two games, and thus be able to head home on a high.
“(Finishing the first half strong) is very important,” Low said. “Not just team wise, but I think in terms of the fact teams have made up ground on us. Another four-point separation can’t hurt. We need all the points we can get to help to keep building a lead, and maybe we can catch teams when they’re already thinking about the Christmas break.”
The Tips are also cognizant of the dangers of the midseason doldrums. Last season Everett opened the season 20-4-4-0 and had the best record in the league. However, beginning in December the Tips fell into a swoon that carried over into the second half. Between Dec. 3 and Feb. 8 Everett was 6-17-3-1 and found itself fighting for its playoff life. Only a late rally, in which the Tips went 11-0-0-2 to finish the season, ensured a spot in the postseason.
This season Everett has followed a similar pattern. The Tips opened 14-2-2-1 to build a lead in the U.S. Division. But the Tips are just 5-6-1-0 since. They want to make sure the pattern from last season doesn’t hold.
“That’s in our minds,” Low acknowledged. “For some guys the thoughts started creeping in. Last year it had a lot to do with injuries. This year I think it’s about being mentally ready to start every period. It’s been more of a mental thing than missing guys. Hopefully we can finish off strong and carry that over after the break.”
The second half of the season begins on Dec. 27 when the Tips play host to Vancouver. That’s followed by a busy January in which Everett has both a six-game road trip through the East Division and a four-game road trip through Prince George and Kelowna.
Slap shots
Everett overage defenseman Ben Betker did not take part in Monday’s practice. Betker, who is dealing with a concussion suffered in Everett’s 5-3 loss at Portland on Dec. 6, is doubtful to play Tuesday in Vancouver. Defenseman Tristen Pfeifer and winger Logan Aasman remain unavailable because of upper-body injuries. … On Tuesday the Tips face the hottest team in the WHL. The Giants were 9-16-0-0 and plummeting when head coach Troy Ward was fired. Claude Noel took over after the Giants returned from a four-game road trip through the Central Division, and Vancouver has won all five contests under his tutelage. Overall the Giants have won six straight. … The WHL’s trade moratorium began Monday. It is lifted Dec. 26.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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