AFTERMATH » Patching Up, Moving On

Category: ArticleOctober 21, 2017

By Staci C. – Silvertips staff writer

EVERETT, Wash. – The Everett Silvertips on Friday night endured a frustrating defeat to the Moose Jaw Warriors. Generating a lot of shots and chances, they couldn’t quite get angles that they needed to capitalize. Regardless, the opportunity was there to win, but squandered due to a four-minute breakdown in the second period where the Warriors scored four goals.

Head coach Dennis Williams on the mid-period breakdown: “We’ve got to work defensively—we seemed to have a four, five, six minute lapse where they [Moose Jaw] seemed to capitalize and get 2-3 goals quick. We have to look at ourselves and try to find ways to win a hockey game. It is a 60 minute game but when you allow 2-3 quick goals in a four minute span you have to find ways to challenge yourself to play a complete 60. When you’re going against a good hockey team, with two of the best top lines I’ve seen, they can score and make plays—we had our fair share of opportunities too to put them behind the eight ball and we just sat there.”

It’s not the first time the Tips suffered from quick breakdowns, a trend carrying over from 2016-17.

Coach Williams commented about goaltender Dorrin Luding being pulled Friday night: “it’s halfway through the game, they scored a quick 3 goals and sometimes, like in baseball you need to pull a pitcher and get a new one in. I wouldn’t say all those goals were his fault, we were just trying to get a little jump and life into our guys to compete and fight.”

On a positive note, after sitting on Wednesday, forward Sean Richards did an excellent job returning to the line-up with two big goals and impressive play all around.

Coach Williams on Richards this evening: “[Richards] had back to back games of undisciplined penalties, sat on Wednesday and he responded just how we wanted him. He was good all week in practice. They know the consequences of undisciplined penalties like that and now we want to see him keep that consistency and keep the tempo up. It wasn’t just his goals, he did a really nice job of tracking pucks, competing for pucks, blocking pucks and played a good 200 foot game.”

It’s onwards and upwards to the next one on Sunday. It’ll be a big game against Seattle since it will be the first time they’ve met since the playoffs and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Tips lean on a big rivalry to get back on the winning track.

The Tips won all three pre-season meetings with Seattle, and are 10-0-1-2 in the last 13 regular season season matchups in downtown Everett.

This story was not subject to approval by the Western Hockey League or its clubs.

AFTERMATH » Patching Up, Moving On

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