Irving Joins Record Books in 2-0 Shutout of Seattle
March 1, 2008 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Everett Silvertips News Release
Leland Irving stopped all 37 shots he faced Friday night as the Everett Silvertips skated to a 2-0 blanking of the Seattle Thunderbirds at Comcast Arena in downtown Everett. His 21st career shutout ties him with former Thunderbird and Kootenay Ice goaltender Bryan Bridges for the most cumulative shutouts in WHL history.
Clayton Bauer provided the offense in the first period by taking a cross-ice feed from Dan Gendur and jamming it past Seattle netminder Jacob DeSerres on his second attempt to put Everett up 1-0 at the 15:56 mark. Zach Hamill provided the secondary assist.
Everett increased the lead to 2-0 in the second period on a scramble in front of the Seattle goal when left winger Kyle Beach pushed a loose puck past DeSerres' pads at the 1:15 mark as Dane Crowley and Shane Harper provided assists. DeSerres was strong in his own end for the Thunderbirds, stopping 35 of 37 shots while garnering the third star of the game.
That provided all the offense Irving needed as the 'Tips goaltender faced fifteen shots in the first, thirteen in the second and nine in the third period, marking his fourth shutout of the season and fourth career shutout against Seattle.
Irving has shutout Seattle and Spokane four separate times, while also posting three shutouts against Portland and Tri-City. He has also shut out Kamloops, Chilliwack, Swift Current, Kootenay, Vancouver, Prince George and Kelowna once each. In addition to his 21 career regular season shutouts, he has also posted clean slates in the postseason against Tri-City (twice) and Kelowna. He started his WHL career with a bang, earning first star honors in his first career start by stopping 36 of 38 shots against Vancouver on October 2nd, 2004 and would go on to post his first career shutout exactly two weeks later in a 3-0 blanking of Seattle on October 16th.
The Swan Hills, Alberta native was selected by the Everett Silvertips in the fifth round (81st overall) of the 2003 WHL Bantam Draft. Following the 2005-06 season in which he posted a record of 37-22-3-1 with a 1.91 GAA and a .925 save percentage, he was selected in the first round (26th overall) by the Calgary Flames in the NHL Entry Draft. Through 191 career Western Hockey League games, Irving is 106-60-3-8 with a 2.05 GAA and a .918 save percentage. He recorded his 100th career victory in a 4-2 win at home against Spokane on January 19th, 2008.
The regular season continues Saturday, March 1st at Comcast Arena as the Silvertips take on the Portland Winter Hawks in a Western Hockey League contest beginning at 7:05 pm. For ticket information, including season seats and ticket packages, please call the Silvertips' front office at (425) 252-5100. As always, radio coverage of Silvertips hockey will be provided by ESPN Radio KRKO 1380, while highlights of audio broadcast, video packages and relevant multimedia will be provided by the Western Hockey League's website, www.whl.ca.
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Western Hockey League Stories from March 1, 2008
- Hawks Fall in OT to Tips, 4-3 - Portland Winterhawks
- Blades Defeat Loops - Saskatoon Blades
- Brandon Wheat Kings Insider: Husky WHL Player of the Month - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Maxwell signed with Canadiens - Kootenay Ice
- Giants Captain Takes Top WHL Honour - Vancouver Giants
- Giants' Machacek Named HUSKY WHL Player of the Month - WHL
- Raiders Score Late To Get Past Blazers - Kamloops Blazers
- Aulie Named Player Of The Month - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Irving Joins Record Books in 2-0 Shutout of Seattle - Everett Silvertips
- Tips Shut Out T-Birds - Seattle Thunderbirds
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