The Everett Silvertips’ lengthy homecoming is about to reach its conclusion, and the Tips want to make sure they come away with some additional tangible results before they head back on the road.
Everett’s three-week stay at home ends with games against Regina tonight and Swift Current on Saturday, both at Comcast Arena, and the Tips believe it’s crucial they pad their point total from the homestand.
“It’s definitley huge this weekend,” Everett winger Cody Fowlie said. “We need a couple points, for sure. We snuck one in last game (in a 2-1 shootout loss to Vancouver) — probably should have had two — but this weekend’s four points definitely are crucial.”
Everett followed it’s longest road trip of the season with its longest homestand of the season, at least in terms of the number of days as the Tips had six games spread over three weeks. Everett took three points away from the first four contests. The Tips won’t be satisfied if that total remains three after six games.
“It’s important to get some momentum going into some away games as well,” Center Ryan Harrison said. “It’s going to be big for us. We don’t know too much about these teams, so we’re going to have to watch some video.”
Indeed, it’s the rare weekend where Everett’s opposition comes completely from the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Tips only play each Eastern Conference team once during the regular season, and after this weekend Everett will have played 11 of those 12 games.
“It’s different,” Fowlie said about a weekend contained within the East Division. “But it’s nice, though, because I’m from out east. I get to see teams I grew up watching and it will be exciting.
“We won’t change our approach, we’ll come out physical like usual and try to get lots of shots.”
One piece of good news for the Tips is that players are starting to filter back into the lineup. Everett has operated throughout the homestand with a skeleton crew because of injuries and suspensions, including the loss of captain Ryan Murray and leading scorer Josh Birkholz. Murray, while practicing again, is not expected to play this weekend because of his sprained ankle. However Birkholz, who missed last weekend’s games with a minor knee injury, should be back. Also, defenseman Lucas Grayson, who sat the previous four games because of a suspension, is available again.
“We’ve had five or six guys out, and it’s nice to see at least some guys back,” Harrison said. “It’s a huge boost to our club to have friendly faces and great players back in the lineup.”
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at NickHPatterson.
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