Sput
12-29-2006, 03:05 PM
www.princegeorgecitizen.com
Friday, December 29, 2006
Black night for White, Cougars lose 6-2
by JIM SWANSON Citizen Sports Editor
With the trade deadline looming, Thursday was not a good night for the defencemen of the Prince George Cougars to be exposed.
To say the team’s blueliners looked slow all night would be an understatement. Everyone, from first-round pick Ty Wishart to sophomore Chris Vanduynhoven, were so pedestrian it was as though their skates had no blades.
As a result, the Spokane Chiefs roared out to a 4-0 lead and made a 6-2 victory look stunningly easy.
Forget the candy coating, that machine is broken. This one was an unmitigated embarrassment for the Cougars – and not just the defencemen. The rookie goaltender and the forwards, who apparently don’t understand what pride is, can share equally in the blame.
“It’s almost indescribable – what concerns me is our lack of emotion,” said Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck.
Moments after the coach said that, and seemingly on cue, players emerged from the dressing room with few showing any visual signs of anger about the mess they just made on the ice in front of 2,937 at CN Centre.
Get out the pooper-scooper, Shirley. The sheet has been soiled.
“We were down 4-0 in our building, we’re getting embarrassed, and there wasn’t even a cross word said,” said Schoneck.
“That concerns me more than the fact we lost the hockey game. You have to bring a work ethic every time you play, and in the first period we didn’t have any. We had some in the latter two periods, but it was too little, too late. We have to bring a lot more emotion and commitment than that.”
No kidding.
The first five power plays of the game went to Spokane, and rightly so – one team was skating, the other was a half-step behind and had to use its sticks to reel in hard-working forwards who crossed the blueline unchallenged.
The first goal was not a good sign of things to come for the Cougars. Wishart was in the box for tripping, a penalty he had to take when Spokane’s Michael Grabner breezed by the defenceman who, not so long ago, was a highly-touted first-round NHL draft choice.
“The penalties we took were penalties – it wasn’t that he was making bad calls, we were standing still and having to take penalties,” said Schoneck.
“They go out and get a couple of power-play goals, then you get frustrated and start taking more penalties. Our guys were very poor tonight.”
The first goal was just the start of the explosion. By the time the Zamboni made its merciful first appearance – hey, Spokane couldn’t score with the teams in the dressing room, right? – Derek Ryan had a pair of Chiefs goals, with singles by Judd Blackwater and Evan Haw. Three of them came on the power play, and Ryan’s two were spaced 17 seconds apart.
Wishart restored a shred of dignity with a power-play goal in the final minute of the first, making the score 4-1, but this was a laugher from start to finish. Spokane’s first-period goals came on the slim total of eight shots.
Michael Grabner made it 5-1 in the middle of the second, and scored in the third to give him five goals in the two-game series.
Jared Walker scored the Cougars’ other goal, in the third period. A token marker, barely worthy of mention.
“We’re embarrassed,” said Cougars blueliner Kalvin Sagert, the best of the defencemen Thursday.
“Our feet weren’t moving off the bat and they came hard at us. We have to be a lot better. No one can be happy about what we did tonight.”
If it couldn’t be said before, it can now safely be stated that Jordan White, a Penticton BCHL product, is not the second coming of Justin Pogge. It will surprise no one if the goaltender has made his last appearance for the Cougars – numbers like a 4.86 goal-against average and .828 save percentage point that way.
White making his second-straight start because starter Real Cyr is not able to go because of a knee injury. Schoneck doubts Cyr can play Saturday when the Cougars head to Kamloops. Barring the acquisition of another goaltender, White will start his third straight.
“I don’t know if Real will even skate (today), but we’ll play that by ear,” said Schoneck. “Hopefully he’s getting better. It’s unfortunate (White) is left in there for tough goals, and I feel for him because he didn’t have a whole lot of help in front of him.”
KITTY LITTER: Spokane goalie Kevin Armstrong faced 30 shots, but had a very easy night. White finished with 23 saves… Spokane ended 3-9 on the power play, while the Cats were 1-3… The Cougars were without sniper Devin Setoguchi, out day-to-day with a knee injury. Rookie Dale Hunt took his spot on a line with Jared Walker and Chris Durand. Setoguchi has reaggravated the same problem that kept him out for four months.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Black night for White, Cougars lose 6-2
by JIM SWANSON Citizen Sports Editor
With the trade deadline looming, Thursday was not a good night for the defencemen of the Prince George Cougars to be exposed.
To say the team’s blueliners looked slow all night would be an understatement. Everyone, from first-round pick Ty Wishart to sophomore Chris Vanduynhoven, were so pedestrian it was as though their skates had no blades.
As a result, the Spokane Chiefs roared out to a 4-0 lead and made a 6-2 victory look stunningly easy.
Forget the candy coating, that machine is broken. This one was an unmitigated embarrassment for the Cougars – and not just the defencemen. The rookie goaltender and the forwards, who apparently don’t understand what pride is, can share equally in the blame.
“It’s almost indescribable – what concerns me is our lack of emotion,” said Cougars head coach Drew Schoneck.
Moments after the coach said that, and seemingly on cue, players emerged from the dressing room with few showing any visual signs of anger about the mess they just made on the ice in front of 2,937 at CN Centre.
Get out the pooper-scooper, Shirley. The sheet has been soiled.
“We were down 4-0 in our building, we’re getting embarrassed, and there wasn’t even a cross word said,” said Schoneck.
“That concerns me more than the fact we lost the hockey game. You have to bring a work ethic every time you play, and in the first period we didn’t have any. We had some in the latter two periods, but it was too little, too late. We have to bring a lot more emotion and commitment than that.”
No kidding.
The first five power plays of the game went to Spokane, and rightly so – one team was skating, the other was a half-step behind and had to use its sticks to reel in hard-working forwards who crossed the blueline unchallenged.
The first goal was not a good sign of things to come for the Cougars. Wishart was in the box for tripping, a penalty he had to take when Spokane’s Michael Grabner breezed by the defenceman who, not so long ago, was a highly-touted first-round NHL draft choice.
“The penalties we took were penalties – it wasn’t that he was making bad calls, we were standing still and having to take penalties,” said Schoneck.
“They go out and get a couple of power-play goals, then you get frustrated and start taking more penalties. Our guys were very poor tonight.”
The first goal was just the start of the explosion. By the time the Zamboni made its merciful first appearance – hey, Spokane couldn’t score with the teams in the dressing room, right? – Derek Ryan had a pair of Chiefs goals, with singles by Judd Blackwater and Evan Haw. Three of them came on the power play, and Ryan’s two were spaced 17 seconds apart.
Wishart restored a shred of dignity with a power-play goal in the final minute of the first, making the score 4-1, but this was a laugher from start to finish. Spokane’s first-period goals came on the slim total of eight shots.
Michael Grabner made it 5-1 in the middle of the second, and scored in the third to give him five goals in the two-game series.
Jared Walker scored the Cougars’ other goal, in the third period. A token marker, barely worthy of mention.
“We’re embarrassed,” said Cougars blueliner Kalvin Sagert, the best of the defencemen Thursday.
“Our feet weren’t moving off the bat and they came hard at us. We have to be a lot better. No one can be happy about what we did tonight.”
If it couldn’t be said before, it can now safely be stated that Jordan White, a Penticton BCHL product, is not the second coming of Justin Pogge. It will surprise no one if the goaltender has made his last appearance for the Cougars – numbers like a 4.86 goal-against average and .828 save percentage point that way.
White making his second-straight start because starter Real Cyr is not able to go because of a knee injury. Schoneck doubts Cyr can play Saturday when the Cougars head to Kamloops. Barring the acquisition of another goaltender, White will start his third straight.
“I don’t know if Real will even skate (today), but we’ll play that by ear,” said Schoneck. “Hopefully he’s getting better. It’s unfortunate (White) is left in there for tough goals, and I feel for him because he didn’t have a whole lot of help in front of him.”
KITTY LITTER: Spokane goalie Kevin Armstrong faced 30 shots, but had a very easy night. White finished with 23 saves… Spokane ended 3-9 on the power play, while the Cats were 1-3… The Cougars were without sniper Devin Setoguchi, out day-to-day with a knee injury. Rookie Dale Hunt took his spot on a line with Jared Walker and Chris Durand. Setoguchi has reaggravated the same problem that kept him out for four months.