Hamill time for Silvertips

Zach Hamill, the Western Hockey League scoring champion from the Everett Silvertips, is known for memorable goals.

One goal, however, stands out in his mind. It came during the Silvertips' inaugural season and in their first playoff series.

At the time, Hamill wasn't even yet a rookie in the WHL. He was 15 and expected to dress and soak up playoff atmosphere from the end of the bench.

Game 3 of the first playoff series in team history, against the Spokane Chiefs, went into overtime, and coach Kevin Constantine had no qualms about putting Hamill on the ice in front of a loud crowd in Spokane.

"I remember it like it was yesterday," Hamill said. "Mitch Love toe-dragged the puck into the zone and passed it to me. I just shot it low corner. I couldn't believe it went in. It was something I couldn't believe until about a week later. The coaches gave me a chance, and it was the best hockey experience I've ever had."

The Silvertips went on to sweep the Chiefs and completed an improbable run by advancing all the way to the WHL finals in their expansion season.

This year the Silvertips and Chiefs meet again in the playoffs . Everett won the regular-season title with a record of 54-15-1-2, and the best-of-seven opening-round series with Spokane begins with games tonight and Saturday at the Everett Events Center.

Hamill, who scored 32 goals and 93 points in 69 games this season and is eligible for the NHL draft in June, said he won't take time to enjoy the scoring title until after the playoffs are over.

"It's something I'm proud of and it will give me confidence, but I'd be much prouder of winning a Memorial Cup," Hamill said. "The best players step up in the playoffs, and that's what I hope to do."

The Silvertips struggled against the Chiefs (36-28-4-4) for most of the season. The Silvertips needed to win the final three games to win the season series 4-3-0-1.

Peter Mueller scored four goals and had an assist in the last two wins over Spokane and then sat out the final five games of the regular season with the flu.

Mueller, a first-round draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes, is back to full strength and can't wait to get back onto the ice.

"Everything will be much more intense, and we can't have an off night," he said.

Michael Grabner, a first-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, led the Chiefs with 39 goals in the regular season and is one of the fastest skaters in the league.

"They are an explosive team, and Grabner is just their headline player," Everett coach Kevin Constantine said, mentioning Derek Ryan and his 59 points and David Rutherford and his 58 points. "They have a lot of firepower."

Notes

• The Chiefs rotated goaltenders throughout the season, and both Kevin Armstrong and Dustin Tokarski ended up with an identical goals-against average of 2.80 per game. Armstrong is questionable because of the flu.

• Kyle Beach, who had 29 goals and 31 assists for Everett this season, is a finalist for the Rookie of the Year award.

• Constantine, named the WHL's top coach in 2003-04, and Cory Clouston of Kootenay are finalists for Coach of the Year.

• Mueller and Hamill were both named to the Western Conference all-star team. D Jason Fransoo and G Leland Irving were both named to the second team.

Gary Dougherty