The Everett Silvertips announced their 2016-17 preseason schedule Wednesday.
The Tips will open the preseason by playing host to the annual Holiday Inn Preseason Classic over Labor Day weekend Sept. 2-4.
All five U.S. Division teams will participate in the Holiday Inn Classic with the Tips playing the final game each night at 7 at Xfinity Arena. Everett takes on U.S. Division rival Seattle on Friday, Vancouver on Saturday and division rival Portland on Sunday.
The Silvertips travel to Tri-City on Sept. 7-8 for games against Spokane and Portland. Both those games begin at 3 p.m. at the Toyota Center.
The preseason wraps up with a 7:35 game against Seattle at ShoWare Center on Sept. 16 followed by a home game the next night at 7.
In other news, the WHL concluded its annual meeting Wednesday in Vancouver. The big takeaways are that the league will now go to hybrid icing, new video replay systems will be installed in each arena by Hawk-Eye Innovations before the start of next season, and any goal that goes in off a skate outside the crease will count as a goal, thus eliminating the “kicking” judgment call.
Here is the full explanation on hybrid icing:
“Successfully proven in the National Hockey League, the WHL will introduce hybrid icing next season.
There are two decisions a linesman must make under hybrid icing rules. First, he must determine that the shot from a player’s own side of center ice will cross the icing line in the attacking zone. Second, he must determine whether a defending skater or attacking skater would be the first to touch the puck.
This second decision must be made no later than the instant the first of the players reaches the end zone faceoff spots, although the decision can be made earlier. The skates of the skaters are the determining factor.”
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