Silvertips hope to regroup before home fans tonight

Down two games to none in their best-of-seven Western Hockey League playoff series with the Spokane Chiefs, the Everett Silvertips are counting on the friendly sound of cowbells at Comcast Arena to turn things around.

Everett won three, with only a single shootout loss, at home against Spokane in the regular season, a trend the Silvertips want to continue when Game 3 is played in Everett tonight.

"We've certainly scored more goals when we have our crowd behind us," Everett coach John Becanic said. "We're just a better team. Whether there are 3,000 or 5,000 or 8,000 at the game, we know they are going to be loud and ringing their cowbells for us."

Spokane has outscored Everett 9-3 in the series so far, but the bigger concern for Becanic is where on the ice the game is being played.

"We need to spend more time in the offensive zone," Becanic said. "We're definitely working hard but just couldn't connect the dots to make the plays when they were there to be made."

While Spokane has had seven different players score goals in the series, Everett has had only three.

"We need more production from our top guys," Becanic said. "We're not a team that is three lines deep offensively, so our top guys have to contribute more."

Everett has made it to the playoffs all five seasons the Silvertips have been in existence, and the team advanced past the first round in the previous four years. Becanic said he doesn't spend much time worrying that this Silvertips team could be the first to lose in the first round.

"We just need to figure out a way to get a win on Wednesday, that's all we're concerned about," Becanic said. "If we can do that, then we've got some confidence and they have a little less. We've been down 2-0 and even 3-0, and we don't coach any differently. We're positive and upbeat and looking forward to the next game."

Because the NCAA women's basketball playoffs are being played in the Spokane Arena, Everett will be home for the next three games.

"That could be a difference if we can get the next one," Becanic said. "Spokane is a deep and talented team and has played well. We're a talented team and just need to get some momentum."

One key to tonight's game will be which team scores the first goal. In the 10 regular-season and playoff games, the team that has scored first has yet to lose in regulation.

"It's a pretty glaring stat," Becanic said. "We just need to get off to a strong start and get a lucky bounce. Every team plays differently whether they are ahead or behind. Emotionally, we've been a better team when we're ahead."

Drayson Bowman and Ondrej Roman both have scored twice in the series for Spokane, with David Rutherford, Judd Blackwater, Chris Bruton, Mitch Wahl and Seth Compton all scoring once. For Everett, only Matt Ius, Jon Harty and Clayton Bauer have scored goals.

The Chiefs have been devastating on the power play, converting on five of 13 power-play chances. Everett, meanwhile, is 1-for-6, and Becanic believes more goaltender-interference penalties should have been called against Spokane.

"They ran [Leland] Irving over three or four times and nothing was called," Becanic said. "The league is aware of it and we'll see what happens."

The Silvertips were outshot 89-49 in the two games in Spokane, but that's a stat Becanic said is unreliable, at best.

"I don't pay attention to them, especially in Spokane," Becanic said. "They count everything they shoot near the net, and we had at least five shots in the first game that didn't register. What I am more concerned about is scoring chances, and we need to generate more of those."