EVERETT – This week the Everett Silvertips coaching staff has had a welcome addition.
Everett’s goaltending coach Shane Clifford has spent the week with the team, working with netminders Michael Wall and Leland Irving and helping them polish their technique.
“I think the fact that our goaltenders have been in the top five in the league the last two years is No. 1 a credit to some very good goaltenders, but No. 2 a credit to Shane because he gets here in training camp and lays the foundation,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said.
“If you look at the most important position of the team, there’s no doubt your goaltender is the most influential factor every night about whether you win or lose,” Constantine added. “I think it’s silly not to coach that position. A lot of people in years past didn’t. But more and more goaltending is having its own coaching attached to it, and we certainly believe in that.”
Going into Saturday night’s games, Wall was fourth in the Western Hockey League in goals against average (1.82) and save percentage (.934). Irving hadn’t played enough minutes to qualify among the leaders, but his goals against average (1.56) would put him third and his save percentage (.942) would be second.
And Clifford is a big part of that.
“Cliffee’s a great guy,” Wall said. “He supports me and kind of gives me confidence when he’s there. It’s kind of rough sometimes not having a goalie coach here. But now Cliffee’s here and going over things on the ice is a big help.”
Clifford, who lives in Pittsburgh, is a full-time goaltending instructor and a part-time assistant for the Silvertips. He also helps coach the Johnstown Chiefs of the East Coast Hockey League, runs his own goaltending school and works with scores of goaltenders – including former Silvertip Jeff Harvey, currently playing for the Rockford (Ill.) Icehogs of the United Hockey League – at the professional, major junior and college levels.
Clifford first joined forces with Constantine when he assisted with the Pittsburgh Forge, the North American Hockey League team Constantine founded in 2001.
This is the first time Clifford has been back to work with Everett’s goalies in person since training camp. However, Clifford has been able to keep a close eye on his wards, examining game tape of every Silvertips game and constantly talking to Wall and Irving on the phone.
“Basically, I help make sure they’re maintaining good habits,” Clifford said. “Everything they do technique-wise, from shot preparation to the actual save itself to the post-save response, we’re making sure all those things are in order. The hardest thing about playing goalie is that every time you do it you have to do it exactly the same way.”
So what is Clifford’s evaluation of Everett’s goalies?
“It sounds arrogant for me to say, but we have by far the best two goalies in the league,” Clifford replied. “They’ve got good technique, they make sure they’re doing things the right way all the time, and mentally they’ve got the confidence in their ability to go out and help the Tips win as many games as we can.”
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