EVERETT — It’s been a rough couple weeks for Tyler Maxwell on the health front, and it has nothing to do with injuries.
Maxwell, Everett’s leading scorer, missed time each of the past two weekends because of two separate illnesses. And Maxwell was just one of the Everett players laid up
last weekend because of sickness.
However, the Tips emerged from a difficult weekend without suffering too much damage in the standings, and it appears Maxwell and the rest of the Tips have survived the worst of it.
“I think we’re over the bouts we had last week,” Everett coach Craig Hartsburg said Wednesday. “But you never know at this time of year, it always has a chance of coming back.”
The Tips were hit by a case of the flu last weekend that affected several key players. In addition to Maxwell, who leads Everett with 25 goals and 44 points, No. 1 goaltender Kent Simpson and minutes-eating defenseman Rasmus Rissanen were among those forced to sit out games.
But no one was hit worse than Maxwell. Two weekends ago Maxwell missed time after coming down with a case of pneumonia. He recovered enough to resume practicing during the week, but then was stricken by the stomach flu that kept him bedridden last weekend.
“(Pneumonia and flu) wasn’t a good mixture,” Maxwell quipped. “I don’t recommend it.
“I’m feeling a lot better,” added Maxwell, who practiced at full speed Wednesday. “It was good to get some rest. I had an illness and tried to come back too soon and got something that was going around. It’s good to be back at 100-percent healthy.”
The flu going around the team came at a particularly inconvenient time. Last weekend was among Everett’s most-difficult of the season, with the Tips playing three games in three nights in three different cities. The opponents in those contests just happened to be the top three teams in the Western Conference.
By the weekend’s final game, last Sunday at Portland, the Tips were worn down to the point where they dressed just 16 skaters, two fewer than normal. Simpson, who had yet to recover fully, was asked to play goal.
“It was a little bit of adversity, but it gives young guys a chance to step up and play some bigger roles,” said defenseman Brennan Yadlowski, who was asked to log a lot of minutes over the weekend. “(Tyler) Giebel and (Cody) Fowlie both got two points (against Portland), so it was good for them.
“You take it in stride, take it positively,” Yadlowski added about the heavy workload. “You always want to get more ice time, you never want to not have more ice time, right?”
Despite the difficult schedule, and despite a depleted roster, Everett still managed to come away with three points from the weekend. Everett opened with a 3-2 home victory against Tri-City, hung close before falling 4-2 at Spokane, then lost 5-4 in a shootout at Portland.
Hartsburg was pleased with the way the Tips maintained their energy level despite the circumstances.
“I thought it was outstanding,” Hartsburg said. “To me it shows that your mind can overcome a lot of things. We dressed 16 players (against Portland) and probably played with the most energy we had all weekend, especially in the first period. Give the guys credit, they got themselves ready to play.”
Harrison arrives late
Center Ryan Harrison, whom the Tips acquired at Monday’s trade deadline from Medicine Hat, finally arrived in Everett on Wednesday evening. Harrison’s flights in and out of his hometown of Kelowna, B.C., experienced weather-related delays. As a result, Harrison was not able to practice with his new team Wednesday.
Everett coach Craig Hartsburg said this about the trade, which sent the team’s second-leading scorer Kellan Tochkin and defenseman Alex Theriau to Medicine Hat in exchange for Harrison and a second-round bantam pick: “Doug (Soetaert, Everett’s general manager) thinks (Harrison) is the type of player for the type of team we’re trying to build. He’s got skill, it’s not like we’re bringing in a guy who doesn’t have any skill. He makes some plays and gets some points — he’s had points every year in the league. He’s supposed to be a really competitive kid who plays hard and plays for the team.”
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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