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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   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: Friday, March 14, 2008 This year's Everett Silvertips team is better prepared for the playoffs EVERETT -- Expectations blew through the roof in March 2007. The Everett Silvertips had won the Scotty Munro Trophy for the best regular-season record in the Western Hockey League. They finished with 54 victories and 111 points. To many, the Silvertips would be a lock to win the league title and the Memorial Cup merely by showing up. After all, they had the best talent in the league with names such as Mueller, Hamill, Irving, Beach and others. Yet, this year's edition of the Tips, currently in sixth place in the conference, might well come into the playoffs in a better mental frame of mind and better physical shape than last season's juggernaut. "This is a very positive, confident group," general manager Doug Soetaert said. "Last year, we had all the talent and ability in the world, but we weren't positive, we weren't confident and there were some internal issues. About mid-February, things began to go downhill." After ripping through the first five months of the 2006-07 season, the Silvertips lost eight of their final 18 games of the regular season, dating back to Feb. 10. The swoon continued in the playoffs. After getting by Spokane in six games, Everett beat Prince George twice in the second round before a shocking collapse in the last four games. Up 3-0 at home in Game 5, Everett gave up four goals in the third period, three in a five-minute span, and lost 4-3. That sent them back to Prince George behind 3-2 in the series. Prince George dominated Game 6, closed out the series 8-2 and suddenly, Everett fans were selling their Memorial Cup tickets on the cheap. In roughly the same span this year, the Silvertips have won 10 of their past 13 games. They won't come close to winning the Scotty Munro Trophy, but the feeling is one of positive anticipation going into next week's playoffs. So what happened? And why are they so comparatively more ready for the postseason this time around? "Last year, we were pretty much just winning every game," forward Shane Harper said. "I'd say we were a little overconfident going into the playoffs. This year, we started off rocky. This is the time to start bringing your 'A' game. You want to go into the playoffs rising instead of teetering off." Last year's team dealt with very few hard times and didn't have a clue how to work out of them. The 2007-08 Tips began the season by losing five of their first six games. They've had three losing streaks of three games or more. Adversity is hardly a strange animal. "Last year, everything seemed to come easy for us," coach John Becanic said. The Munro Trophy became The Goal, and five months of playing scorching hockey left little energy for the playoffs, a time when familiarity sets in. "Some of the guys were getting pretty tired and pretty beat up from playing a lot," defenseman Graham Potuer said. "But teams, after a 72-game season, figure you out after a while. They start playing your strengths and playing against your weaknesses." This season, the emphasis all along was for the Tips to play their best hockey down the stretch of the regular season and in the playoffs. They understood that a change in head coach meant a change in philosophy. The players had to learn a new style. That would take time and would mean they would have their struggles, especially in the early part of the season. Becanic has made sure to give the players the occasional day away from the game to stay mentally fresh. "There are a lot of demands on the players, both on and off the ice," Becanic said. "I don't think people realize how mentally demanding this is for the players. The mental part is just as important as the physical part. I'm not so sure if we were mentally exhausted in the playoffs or a combination, but nobody hands out trophies at the end of the regular season." Well, there is the Scotty Munro Trophy. But that's not the one the Silvertips really want. Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. For Sleeper[`]s blog, "Dangling Participles," go to www.heraldnet.com/danglingparticiples.

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