EVERETT — It was so nearly a definitive moment for an unheralded Everett Silvertips duo.
The Tips were on the penalty kill during a game in Portland on Jan. 13. Matt Ius, forechecking aggressively, forced a turnover that gave him a run at goal. Ius’ shot was saved, but the rebound kicked straight out to Jesse Burt who put the puck in the net.
Alas, the goal was waved off as the officials ruled Burt kicked the puck in. However, it was a good illustration of of the type of low-visibility impact Burt and Ius have had with the Tips this season.
Burt, an 18-year-old center, and Ius, a just-turned-18 right wing, aren’t the type of players who receive a lot of headlines. Both have been featured primarily on Everett’s fourth line this season, and they’ve tallied just 10 points between them.
But what they’ve done is made themselves key parts of Everett’s always-effective penalty kill, carving themselves a role that doesn’t often receive its due credit.
“We may not get all the glory, but at the end of the day it’s pretty rewarding keeping the puck out of your own net,” Ius said.
Since beginning play in 2003 Everett has always had one of the league’s best penalty killing units. In their first four seasons, the Tips never finished worse than fifth in the league in penalty killing, once finishing first and twice finishing second.
That trend has continued this season as the Tips currently rank second in the league in penalty killing, snuffing out 87.1 percent of opponents’ power plays. That includes the current stretch, during which Everett has killed off 33 straight opposing advantages.
Much of the credit for that history of success belongs with Everett’s goaltenders as Jeff Harvey, Michael Wall and now Leland Irving have all been standouts. Everett’s defensemen — this season primarily Dane Crowley, Taylor Ellington, Jonathan Harty, Graham Potuer and Mike Alexander — also do heavy duty, racing from corner to corner whenever there’s a battle for the puck.
But a successful penalty kill also requires forwards who are willing to put in a lot of work for little reward, and Burt and Ius are a less-than-likely pair who have stepped up to fill that role.
“They’ve done really well, especially for being young guys and being inexperienced,” Everett coach John Becanic said. “When you get the opportunity like that to be at the forefront of your team as a young guy you really relish it. Those guys thrive on it.”
Burt and Ius have been one of Everett’s primary forward pairings on the penalty kill all season long. But neither came into the season with credentials that marked them as strong candidates for the job. Burt rarely played as a rookie last season, appearing in just 30 games and seeing little ice time in the process. Ius is a rookie who has always been a goal scorer at lower levels, not a defensive forward.
But at the beginning of the season Becanic decided to tag the pair for penalty killing duty anyway.
“We just felt we had to divide the ice time up, and they weren’t power-play guys,” Becanic explained. “But they were two guys we felt would be in the lineup every night.”
It turned out to be an inspired choice. Burt’s quickness makes him effective at tracking down loose pucks even when the Tips are a player short, and Ius’ long reach makes him effective at blocking passing and shooting lanes. And both have become willing shot blockers.
“You just have to have lots of energy and be willing to block a shot,” Burt said about the keys to being an effective penalty killer. “That’s basically it.
“It’s really exciting to be a part of (Everett’s traditionally strong penalty kill),” Burt added. “People watch that and they like it. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
For Burt, who’s always been a defensive-minded forward on the teams he’s played for, being a penalty killer for the Tips was always a goal.
“Last year I told the coaches at the end that (being a penalty killer) was what I wanted to be when I came back next year,” Burt said. “They said to work on it over the summer so that’s what I did, watching video and stuff.”
But for Ius, a 50-goal scorer at the bantam level, penalty killing was something of a foreign concept.
“I came in this year pretty much just hoping to make the team and provide some energy and hitting,” Ius said. “I kind of got introduced to penalty killing at the start of the season and the coaches did a great job teaching me how to penalty kill. It’s really grown on me throughout the year.”
So much so that both he and Burt are now eager to go about their penalty killing duties.
“When there’s a penalty they’re up on the bench getting ready to jump over like they’ve been on the team for five years, and I love that,” Becanic said. “I love that they want to start the penalty kill.
“You have to want to be a penalty killer,” Becanic added. “You have to want to block shots. Both those kids are willing to do that and they take so much pride in it.”
And their contributions have helped Everett’s penalty killing tradition continue.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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