Silvertips Continue Road Trip with Two Games This Weekend
DESPITE NEITHER HURRICANES NOR TIGERS BEING NATIVE TO CENTRAL CANADA - THE SILVERTIPS LOOK TO VANQUISH BOTH
Everett looked decisively better than both Red Deer and Edmonton during the week - and now have their sights set on growing their eleven game win streak with games against a middling Lethbridge Hurricanes and the elite Medicine Hat Tigers. And EVERYONE is getting access today to the Weekend Preview - not just PAID subscribers.
Everett got some good news on the injury front with Shea Busch being upgraded from month-to-month to week-to-week. Correspondingly however; Clarke Schaefer is still listed is an indefinite return timeline casting doubts into whether the 18 year old will return this season.
The Silvertips are absolutely rolling right now - and we’re going to roll right into the game previews:
Everett Silvertips (43-6-2-1) at Lethbridge Huricanes (16-35-0-1)
Time: 6:00 PM | Arena: VisitLethbridge.com Arena
TV: Victory + | Radio: 1380 KRKO AM and 95.3 FM in Everett
Uniforms: White Road Uniforms
TRAP GAME. TRAP GAME!!!!! Everett comes into this one on an eleven game win streak and it would seem like most of their attention would be on the Medicine Hat Tigers whom they play the day after. But this is where you see upsets. A team a long ways from home with a lot at stake later in the weekend, and some big scratches (Liske and Schaefer) versus a team whose had all week to prepare.
This game should be a good test to see how ready Captain Tarin Smith has his boys ready. There’s players out sick, it’s the third game in four days during a stretch where they’ll play five in seven.
Projected Goalies:
Raiden LeGall (22-3-3, .902 SV%, 2.59 GAA) vs Koen Cleaver (10-20-1 , .866 SV%, 4.71 GAA)
LeGall came in with another solid performance against Red Deer and looks to have hopefully shed his slump in the past. He’s playing with so much more confidence than he was and it’s helping him. He’s playing the puck more, he’s taking sharper angles, and he’s playing aggressive - which is what his style is. And he’s gotten the first start of the week and the Friday start - two things that should build his confidence.
Cleaver has had a difficult job this year - backstopping a team that has been in rebuild mode all year AND sold anyone of value at the deadline. The dutiful backup when Lethbridge went for it all this year - Cleaver has gotten the heavy bulk of the starts this year and the lack of defense shows in his goals-against. He’s had an up-and-down performance the last week. After getting pulled early in back to back games against Medicine Hat and Prince Albert, he turned in a stellar performance against Saskatoon - stopping 33 of 35 shots en route to a victory over a playoff team.
Huricanes Player to Watch For:
Easton Daneault (#16 - C) - The 17 year old is actually Lethbridge’s leading scorer this year with 36 points. The Merimack College (NCAA DI) commit is in his first year in the WHL after averaging more than a point per game in the AJHL at 16. It’s difficult to be a distributor when your team is rebuilding and devoid of a superstar scorer BUT I’m excited to see how Daneault can fare against the Silvertips defensemen today and whether he can break through.
Tips Player to Watch For:
Mattias Uyeda (#28 - D) - Steve Hamilton has really seemed to enjoy running Uyeda and Vlooswyk together - a pairing that has underrated gamesense, great defensive positioning, and some sneaky offensive firepower. In a game like this - I’m looking for Uyeda to jump into the rush a little more and push the pace - especially when he’s out there with the bottom six forwards. Vlooswyk is nails on defense and I want to see more offense from Uyeda whose dominated the lower levels of junior hockey. Obviously the WHL is much much higher than Junior B - but he was an offensive defenseman and I’d love to see flashes of that tonight.
Tips Key to victory:
Play a full and clean sixty
Everett can easily win this game without being pushed. That means don’t take hooking/slashing penalties against a vastly inferior team - just be in the right spots to begin with. It can be easy to play down or be complacent against a bottom dwelling team especially on the road - but this should be handled professionally and then move on.
Everett Silvertips (41-6-2-1) at Medicine Hat Tigers (36-9-3-3)
Time: 6:00 PM | Arena: Co-op Place
TV: Victory + | Radio: 1380 KRKO AM and 95.3 FM in Everett
Uniforms: White Road Uniforms
Last year Medicine Hat travelled to Everett on a Wednesday and EMBARRASSED the Tips in a game that was never even remotely close. Everett is 0-3 against Medicine Hat over the last three years and they look to change that in this matchup - but it will be a difficult game.
Medicine Hat has 16 skaters at 6’ or taller while Everett has 7 available. But then combined with that Medicine Hat has the skill to compete with Everett with the Ruck twins at forward who both project as first-second round draft choices and two defensemen with more than 25 goals.
Projected Goalies:
Anders Miller (22-4, .916 SV%, 2.23 GAA) vs Jordan Switzer (23-6-3 , .895 SV%, 2.67 GAA)
This is actually Everett’s biggest advantage over Medicine Hat - they’re much better in net. Anders Miller just shutout the Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday to bring his save percentage with Everett this season to 0.925 - a level that hasn’t been seen since Dustin Wolf’s days in Green and Gray. He’s been nearly untouchable of late and is a big reason for the eleven game win streak that Everett’s on (going into Friday’s game). His skills are obvious and he’ll be a re-draft candidate, but what I’ve been most impressed at is his mental strength. To be able to give up two early goals and lock it down from their on out is a strength - as is other games where he faces two shots in the first period and then is asked to step up in a big way later in the game.
Jordan Switzer is a fine goalie on a tremendous team. His stats bare that out, and last season Medicine Hat acquired Harrison Meneghin early on into the season to be their starter over Switzer. This season Switzer does not have an impressive save percentage. However not all criticsm is fair - as Medicine Hat plays an uber aggressive nature on offense with consistent defensive pinches and d-men jumping into rushes that leaves their back end exposed to breakouts.
Tigers Player to Watch For:
Bryce Pickford (#27 - D) - Pickford is third in the WHL in goals this season despite only playing in 42 of 51 games and - BEING A DEFENSEMAN. The third round Montreal Canadiens prospect has been absolutely dominating the league so far this year - and was one of the more notable Team Canada snubs for the World Juniors. He scored 20 goals in 48 games last year - which was incredible. I think a lot of people figured that he was a great offensive defenseman but also benefited from some good bounces, and Gavin McKenna passing. But this year he’s progressed (a lot) despite not having that same elite forward passing talent.
Tips Player to Watch For:
Jesse Heslop (#22 - RW) - Heslop has been on a tear of late, specifically the two games this week in Alberta. After a bit of a slow start to the season, he has started to really click on that line with Shantz and Gould. It gives him two older goal scorers whom he can pass to and allows him to attempt those high-skill passes because those two skaters can handle them. But he’s also just compounding his confidence and playing with more swagger and aggressiveness that has helped that line out overall. One of the bigger things I’ve noticed is that in the last two weeks he’s not shying away from contact - both bailing less AND actually initiating it. Against a loaded team like Medicine Hat - they cannot just rely on the top line, and this second line and second powerplay unit will need to contribute valuable minutes and zone time. If Heslop can record an assist, a hit, a blocked shot, and quality time on special teams - Everett has a legitimate shot. But he’s got to be decisive and confident.
Tips Key to victory:
Tips HAVE to play above their size
This might be the most critical game for Vaughan, Miettinen, Vlooswyk, and Tarin Smith to use their big frames and throw them around. Medicine Hat is huge and tough as nails to play against at home. Everett cannot just come out like they normally do and expect to run them out of their own arena they’re just too good and too big. Look for big physicality needed too out of those other bottom six players: Kaplan, Ament, even Rudolph and Chastko. This game is going to be played like a playoff game where Everett has struggled the last two seasons. Come out aggressive and throw the first punch every time to (literally) punch this team in the mouth.