Seattle vs. Everett 10-21-05

Seattle won the game tonight, 3-2. I think that was a good win for the Thunderbirds. The star of the game was the up-to-now missing Chris Durand. He scored the first two goals for Seattle and also had an assist on the game-winner. Seattle is going to need alot more from Durand if they want to get back to where they want to be. Bryan Bridges also played fairly well in net. The first goal was a bit of a softy. The Silvertips second goal of the night was a beautiful one-timer that he had no real chance to stop (more on that in a bit). But the play of the game was made in the 2nd period when he made an amazing grab while laying on his side on the ice. How he ever got that one, I don't know.

As for Everett...they came out well in the first period. After the first, they were up 1-0. They then took a 2-0 lead early in the 2nd. But that was about it for the Tips. It's not that they played particularly bad. I think this was just one of those nights where the other team (being Seattle) just flat-out wanted it more. Everett is Everett...they'll still finish with one of the better records in the WHL. And will probably get through at least the first round of the playoffs, if not further.

Now back to that second Everett goal I mentioned earlier. When I was in St. Louis a couple weeks ago, Lindsay asked me who my favorite player to watch was...in any league. I had a hard time coming up with just one NHL player since several came to mind (and the fact that I hadn't gotten to watch the NHL for a year and a half). And it was also early in the WHL season. So I hadn't had much time to see the guys around here, either. Well, I think that after tonight I may have come up with a new favorite player. For those not in the know, his name is Peter Mueller and he plays for Everett.

I'll start by mentioning the one glaring knock that I can see the scouts whining about in the future; he's not exactly the most fluid skater in the world. Not all that fast, either. But as they say, that can be worked on. Other than that, this kid can flat-out play with the puck. It's amazing, really. It's almost like you're watching an experienced NHL forward out there whenever he makes a play. Most of his passes are tape-to-tape. He has a shot that resembles a shotgun bullet. And you never really see him make a bad decision with the puck. And the decisions he makes with the puck are made with a scary efficiency. He's also capable of playing a physical game. But he's smart in that he knows when it's okay to go ahead and finish that check and when to just let it go.

In short, he reminds me of my all-time favorite player.....Cam Neely.

He's from somewhere in Minnesota. I know there was alot of colleges back there who wanted him in the worst way (including the Golden Gophers). When it comes to choosing between college and major juniors, I usually take the stance that you really can't go bad either which way. But in Mueller's case, I think he made the correct decision in coming to the WHL. He's so advanced at his age that he needs the best possible competition to test his skills with right now. And he seems to be doing quite well for himself.

As for that goal; it was scored when Mueller fired a lazer off of a one-timer. Bridges got over there pretty quickly. But Mueller found this one little area just between Bridges right skate and the post that was about a foot wide. I'm not sure that the goal on the whole was as pretty as the one-timer Brian Woolger scored against the T-Birds last season. But I think I'll have a tough time seeing a better goal than that this season.

So mark down the name of Peter Mueller. You'll be watching this guy for the next 20 years.