For Everett goaltender Michael Wall, the annual trek to Prince George is like a homecoming in just about every conceivable way. The northern British Columbia town is the closest in the Western Hockey League to the 19-year-old’s hometown of Telkwa, British Columbia, he used to play for the Cougars before being traded to Everett last season, and Prince George was the site for some of his best moments as a Silvertip.
So needless to say, Wall is looking forward to this weekend.
“I do like playing there,” Wall said. “There will be lots of people there from back home, and I got a lot of respect from the fans when I was there.”
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When the Silvertips played their two games at Prince George last season, Wall was in net for both games because No. 1 goalie Jeff Harvey was sick. And Wall was spectacular in Harvey’s place, making 30 saves in a 3-2 overtime victory and 26 saves in a 3-0 win.
Among Wall’s saves was one considered perhaps the best of the season. After finding himself sprawled out on the ice after stopping the initial shot, he thrust his legs straight up in the air to deny a Cougars goal on the rebound.
“It was nice to get a little bit of revenge last year,” Wall said. “I felt really good, especially playing in front of my family. They don’t get to see me as much as they did when I was back in P.G., so it’s nice to go home and play well for them.”
Tough Love: Everett captain Mitch Love skated sparingly during practice this week and remains questionable for this weekend’s games in Prince George.
The 20-year-old defenseman has missed the last four games because of a chest injury, suffered Oct. 9 against Lethbridge.
“It’s not too bad,” Love said of the injury. “It’s slowly getting better and it’s a little frustrating right now to not be able to come out and play with the guys.
“I really don’t know (if he’ll play this weekend),” Love added. “I’m working on it, I’ve been doing lots of rehab and we’ll see what happens.”
The Silvertips have played well in Love’s absence, going 3-0-1.
Scouting report: The Silvertips (5-2-2-1), who are tied with Medicine Hat for the best road record in the WHL at 4-1, are looking to pick up more road points in back-to-back games at struggling Prince George (2-7-1-1). The Cougars broke a five-game losing streak with their 4-4 tie at home against Saskatoon on Wednesday.
Prince George has yet to get production from its veteran forwards. Twenty-year-old Danny Lapointe (one goal, one assist), 19-year-old Colin Patterson (no goals, three assists) and 18-year-old Eric Hunter (no goals, three assists), expected to be the Cougars’ offensive leaders, have yet to make meaningful contributions this season. Eighteen-year-old right wing Josh Aspelind leads the team in scoring with eight points (two goals, six assists)17-year-old center Nicholas Drazenovic leads the team in goals with four.
Prince George’s No. 1 goalie, 18-year-old Justin Pogge (0-2-1, 4.13 goals against average, .882 save percentage), has been rusty since returning from injury.
The Cougars should have mammoth defenseman Dustin Byfuglien back in the lineup. Byfuglien just finished up a two-game suspension for gross misconduct against Portland last Saturday.
Ticket discount: The Silvertips are offering a ticket special for Wednesday’s home game against Kamloops. All Green, Red and Orange level seating has been discounted to $10 per person. The offer is not valid for the Lower Club, Upper Club and Silver Section seating.
Wednesday’s game is also being billed as guarantee giveaway night, with every fan guaranteed to receive a giveaway item as they leave the arena.
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