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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Extra credit The Everett Silvertips have won all six of their games decided in overtime this season. Here’s how they break down (home games in caps): Date Opponent Result Game-winner Oct. 12 KAMLOOPS W, 3-2 Zach Hamill Nov. 16 KELOWNA W, 3-2 Zack Dailey Dec. 5 TRI-CITY W, 3-2 Graham Potuer Jan. 18 PORTLAND W, 2-1 Dan Gendur Feb. 10 at Kamloops W, 2-1 Zach Hamill March 1 PORTLAND W, 4-3 Shane Harper   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • Everett Silvertips (External Link) • Schedule (External Link)   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 Silvertips unbeaten in overtime Everett is 6-0 this season in games decided in the extra period By Nick Patterson Herald Writer LYNNWOOD -- It may have appeared a disaster in the making for the Everett Silvertips. Saturday night the Silvertips allowed the woeful Portland Winter Hawks to score twice in the final 1 minute, 4 seconds of regulation to force overtime. Mired in a frantic battle for playoff positioning, Everett seemed in grave danger of surrendering a point it couldn't afford to lose. Nevertheless, there was a pervading sense that it would all work out in the end. After all, overtime has been very good to the Silvertips this season. And so it did. Shane Harper tipped in Dan Gendur's shot with just 6.5 seconds remaining in overtime, and once again Everett found itself on the winning side of a game decided in OT. "It seems to be our thing right now," said Everett associate head coach Jay Varady, who conducted Monday's practice at the Lynnwood Ice Center. "We've got six OT wins, which is pretty nice because in the past we've struggled a little four-on-four." Everett is a perfect 6-0 in games decided in overtime this season, and they've won those games in every way possible. Three of those overtime wins came at even strength, two on the power play and one short-handed. "I've been fortunate over the past two years to score some overtime winners," said Gendur, who was initially credited with Saturday's game winner, "and there's nothing more exciting than scoring an overtime winner at home." And Everett's affinity for taking full points in those situations may prove decisive in the final standings. Everett currently finds itself in sixth place in the Western Conference. However, the Tips trail fifth-place Kelowna by just a single point with a game in hand, and they're just two points behind fourth-place Seattle, which has played one fewer game. Whoever finishes fourth receives home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs, the final team to do so, so the stakes are significant. Should Everett ultimately win the race for fourth, the extra points earned by the overtime victories will have played an important role. "Last year we won a ton of shootout points, which really kind of separated us from everyone else," said Varady, reflecting on Everett compiling the league's best record in 2006-07. "Whether it's an overtime point or a shootout point, those points are very important to us right now. It's definitely keeping us in the hunt." This season it's been overtime rather than shootouts where Everett is showing it's acumen, and a big part of that success can be attriuted to the Tips' cavalier attitude to OT. During the five-minute overtime period the teams play four-on-four rather than five-on-five, creating more open ice. Most teams employ two forwards and two defensemen during overtime. However, the Tips have regularly used three forwards and just one defenseman, with Gendur, the team's leading scorer, playing a hybrid forward/defensive role. This go-for-broke attitude has proven effective. "I think it's more of us just trying to get the most offensive guys on the ice," Varady explained. "One way of looking at it is if you have the puck on your stick you're going to be playing offense, you don't have to worry a ton about playing defense. We've taken a shot at that with our four-man unit (Gendur with forwards Zach Hamill, Kyle Beach and defenseman Jonathan Harty) that we've played quite a bit and they've been good. "And it helps that we've had good goaltending." For Gendur playing defense isn't too much of a stretch. He plays a similar role manning the point on Everett's No. 1 power-play unit. However, doing it during even-strength play is a little more involved. "Harty talks to me a lot out there, about some defensive things when I'm in the defensive zone," Gendur said. "Then I just try to use my instincts." But whether it's through instinct or design, Everett's overtime philosophies have worked this season, and they may just end up determining whether Everett's playing at home or on the road when the playoffs begin. Nick Patterson's Silvertips blog: www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog

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