EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips are blessed with having two quality goaltenders.
But now it means there’s a decision to be made.
Everett’s first-round playoff series against the Kelowna Rockets begins in two days and the Tips still haven’t determined whether Thomas Heemskerk or Kent Simpson will be between the pipes for Friday’s Game 1 at Comcast Arena.
“We haven’t decided yet,” Everett coach Craig Hartsburg said when asked Tuesday about the goaltending situation. “All year we’ve felt very comfortable with who’s in net.”
Heemskerk and Simpson posted nearly identical numbers during the regular season. In 42 games Heemskerk was 24-12-2-2 with a 2.34 goals against average and .927 save percentage. In 34 games, Simpson was 22-9-1-0 with a 2.26 goals against average and .925 save percentage. Simpson finished second in the league in goals against average, Heemskerk third. Heemskerk led the league in save percentage with Simpson second.
So while it may be a difficult decision, there doesn’t appear to be a wrong answer.
“Not many teams in the league have what we’ve got with our two guys,” Hartsburg said. “We’re obviously in a different situation. There’s no other team that had two goaltenders that had the success our two had, so maybe it’s different ground.”
There are some signs that point towards Heemskerk receiving the nod. The 19-year-old Heemskerk has two years on the 17-year-old Simpson. Heemskerk received more time down the stretch, starting seven of Everett’s final 10 games — including the all-important season finale when the Tips had the opportunity to claim the U.S. Division title and top seed in the Western Conference. And Heemskerk has playoff experience, having backstopped the Tips in their first-round series against Tri-City last year.
However, Hartsburg has played the hot hand all season long, and he hinted that also might be the case during the playoffs.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Hartsburg said. “I think we have to do the same thing we’ve done all season, which is read the situation and if one guy looks like he’s playing better than the other, then we play him for a little bit. It’s a unique situation and I think we can use it to our advantage. If one guy plays great, then obviously we’ll leave him in there.
“It’s a good problem to have,” Hartsburg added, “and it’s not something I’m going to lose sleep over, I’ll tell you that, because they’re both good goalies.”
Hairy proposition
In years past the Tips have celebrated the start of the playoffs by doing some wild things with their hair. This year Everett is taking a subtler approach as the coaching staff got buzz cuts, with the players following suit. Wingers Scott MacDonald and Dan Iwanski even got buzzed live on the air during Tuesday’s Silvertips Radio Show.
It’s a contrast to the traditional hockey routine, where players tend to grow out their hair throughout the playoffs.
“I’ve always done this in the past with our teams, and some of the kids are following suit,” Hartsburg explained. “I started it in Ontario with our group as an honor to the greatest team in the world, and that’s the military. They commit themselves, they sacrifice, they’re all on the same page more than any sports team in the world. I hate when people say we’re going to war. We’re not going to war. The people in the military, they put their lives on the line every day. To me we just want to emulate the fact they’re the greatest team in the world.”
Said captain Zack Dailey: “I think it’s pretty cool. Some of the guys are going to look a little goofy, but it should be fun all-around. It shows we’re a team. Even if they like their hair they’re cutting it off for the playoffs. It shows there’s a commitment to the team.”
Tips sign prospect Boyd
Everett signed prospect Jordyn Boyd to a WHL education contract, the team announced Tuesday.
Boyd, a 15-year-old forward from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who is the younger brother of current NHLer Dustin Boyd, was Everett’s sixth-round pick in the 2009 bantam draft. Playing this season for the Winnipeg Hawks of the Winnipeg AAA Midget League, Boyd had 27 goals and 35 assists in 36 games.
Boyd became the fourth player from the 2009 bantam draft signed by the Tips, joining defenseman Nicholas Walters (first round), forward Jari Erricson (second round) and goaltender Andy Desautels (fifth round).
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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