Tips’ true identity a mystery

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, December 7, 2004

EVERETT – To paraphrase rapper Eminem, would the real Everett Silvertips please stand up.

Who are the true Everett Silvertips? Are they the ones who have had their way with the elite teams of the Western Hockey League? Or are they the ones who have thrown bone after bone to the league’s bottom feeders.

“It’s frustrating when you know you can win those games,” Everett left wing Tyler Dietrich said. “There’s not a single game that we go into that we don’t think we have a chance of winning and shouldn’t come out with a win.”

So far this season the Silvertips have had a personality disorder that would make Dr. Jeckyll proud.

When Everett has played against the best teams in the league, the Silvertips looked like favorites to reach the Memorial Cup. Versus teams with winning percentages above .600 – Seattle, Saskatoon, Kootenay, Kelowna, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat – Everett is 5-0-2, including one-sided victories over Seattle, Saskatoon, Kelowna and Medicine Hat.

But when the Silvertips have faced the worst teams in the league, it’s been a completely different story. Everett has lost its games against the last-place teams in the U.S. Division (Spokane), the Central Division (Swift Current) and the East Division (Moose Jaw). Prince George would be in last place in the B.C. Division if not for the six points picked up in its three games against Everett.

And that leaves everyone wondering, how can a team that looks so good against the best teams look so bad against the worst?

On one hand, the Silvertips’ success against the top teams is encouraging. At 16-8-3-2, Everett is well ahead of last season’s pace, when the Silvertips won the U.S. Division, and Everett currently is comfortably in second place in the U.S. Division.

“It’s a confidence boost knowing that against the top teams in the league we can compete and be right up there,” goaltender Michael Wall said. “It seems like we do every little thing right because those are good teams. We clamp down defensively because those are high-offensive teams.”

Added center Zach Hamill: “I think we come out prepared when we know we’re playing a good team. When we played Med Hat we came out gunning because they were the best team in the league.”

On the other hand, Everett’s struggles against the weaker teams is frustrating. If the Silvertips had a record against Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Spokane and Prince George more representative of their abilities than the 0-6 mark they currently have, they’d have the best record in the league.

As far as the Silvertips are concerned, the difficulties against the weaker teams are all in the mind.

“I think it has a lot to do with mental preparation,” center Torrie Wheat said. “We come into games against good teams and it’s sometimes easier to get up for those games. You know it’s going to be a tough game and you have to be on top of your game if you’re going to beat them. Against weaker teams we maybe half expect that we’re going to win and don’t have to work as much to do that.”

And the Silvertips realize that kind of attitude is not acceptable.

“You can’t take nights off and there’s absolutely no excuse,” Dietrich said. “I don’t think that’s been our mindset in general, but there’s too much skill in this league and too many hard-working teams in this league to take nights off.”

One could chalk up Everett’s inconsistency to inexperience. The Silvertips have 12 rookies on their roster, including a league-high seven 16-year-olds. However the Silvertips are quick to dismiss that as a cause.

“I think that’s just an excuse,” Dietrich said. “I don’t think anyone on this team really feels that way, and if they do I think they’re in the wrong place. I think we have enough leadership amongst the older guys on this team to carry those younger guys who haven’t been around as long. If that’s what’s going on, if it’s a lack of leadership, then I want to take responsibility for that right now.”

So who actually are the real Everett Silvertips?

“Definitely the one that’s playing against the good teams,” Wheat said. “Hopefully we can become a little more consistent.”