EVERETT – The Everett Silvertips held an optional practice Thursday with a heavy emphasis on fun. The 16 players who chose to participate eschewed the usual drills in favor of games, such as an on-ice version of baseball.
Perhaps not what one would have expected following Everett coach Kevin Constantine’s public dressing down of the team after Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at Seattle.
Following Wednesday’s game Constantine lit into the Tips, saying the players were playing as if they didn’t care and that Everett, despite its position atop the WHL’s U.S. Division, wasn’t a good team right now.
Although Thursday’s practice – made optional in large part because of the flu bug currently circulating through the team – was lighthearted, and although the forcefulness behind Constantine’s post-game words were tempered a bit Thursday, the message remained the same.
“I think we played a poor game and we’re 3-5-0-1 (in the past nine games),” Constantine said. “Those are the facts.
“We’re pretty honest with our players,” Constantine added. “We’re very complimentary when they do good things and we’re very critical when they don’t play to the level they’re capable of. Last night we didn’t play that way.”
And in the aftermath, it appears Constantine’s message has been received loud and clear.
“We’re definitely not playing with as much passion and the great attitude that we could be,” center Mark Kress said. “We’re a very-talented team and we’re probably relying on that more than we should, rather than hard work and having desire to play the game. So I definitely think (Constantine) is right and we have to pick it up like he says.”
Everett has had something of an odd season so far. The Tips have been wracked with injuries and have seen their play yo-yo up and down dramatically as a result. That was best illustrated in the first half of the season when the Tips won eight straight, then immediately lost nine of 10.
But because of similar struggles by Everett’s divisional foes, the Tips have suffered little consequence due to the dips in form. Everett has been in first virtually the entire season, usually with a double-digit-point cushion. Even with the recent swoon the Tips still hold an eight-point lead over second-place Seattle.
As a result, the Tips perhaps started to believe that winning was easier than it really is.
“We’ve been in first place all year pretty much, and I think guys are getting a little comfortable in first,” defenseman Shaun Heshka said. “At the end of the season most teams start picking up their game going into the playoffs and we’re just not doing that. Everybody else is raising their level of play and we’re just staying the same. So we need to raise our level and get excited for the end of the season. First place is on the line, and the bottom line is we’re not playing like a first-place team right now.”
The Tips addressed the issue during meetings before practice Thursday. Now that the Tips have identified the problem, they have to do something about it, beginning with an increase in effort.
“It’s mind over matter,” Kress said. “You have to come to the game prepared to play and battle and take a bruising. There’s only 19 games left and every game means something coming down the stretch.”
All of which makes tonight’s game against Spokane a statement game. Everett needs a strong effort tonight to take the first step toward re-establishing its preeminence within the division.
“It will definitely be an important game to stress going out there and making sure we put our A game out there,” Heshka said. “Whether we win or lose, as long as we play well we’ll be satisfied with that. It’s a big game for our team morale wise. We’ve been losing a little bit, not playing too well. Hopefully we go out and have a good game.”
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