Rockets 0 @ Giants 7 Feb 11th

[Beaner]

Dominating performance by the Giants tonight as a tired Rockets team came into the rink tonight and it showed. No energy from the Rockets at all tonight as they could only manage 11 shots on goal all game, and once the Giants were up by 3 they just went through the motions playing out the game.

NOTES
Sexsmith and Jung got the starts tonight
Salamandyk got the start for the third period for the Rockets.
Hunt (Leg), Bliznak (knee), and toigo were the Giants scratches.
Kraus left the game midway through the third with an injury, maybe a groin?
Shots 47-11 Giants.
PP's Rockets 0/3, Giants 3/7

GOALS
1. VAN Mikkelson, (4) (Repik, Lucic), 8:20 After Rabbit ends up in the back of the net off a scoring chance, Mikkelson just throws it at the net and as Rabbit exits the cage and jung is down and out it goes in.
1. VAN Repik, (20) (Rabbit, Franson), 14:35 (PP) 5-4, off the rush, franson feeds up to Rabbit, who feeds up to Repik who pots it top shelf on a beautiful roof ashot in close.
1. VAN Lucic, (24) (Wright, Franson), 18:28 (PP) 5-4, Lucic taps the puck past Jung, who gets most of it and then as he reaches back to smoother it puts it in.
2. VAN Wuchterl, (8) (Czibere), 5:01 Wuchterl takes the puck at the face off dot and roofs it high glove side.
2. VAN Repik, (21) (Thelen), 8:02 I cant remember the 2nd Repik goal.
2. VAN Lucic, (25) (Festerling, Blum), 17:25 (PP) 5-4, Lucic deflects this shot from the slot and past Jung.
3. VAN Rabbit, (4) , 3:11 (SH) 4-5, rabbit strips the kelowna defender at the blue line goes in all alone and puts it between the blocker and the body on the rookie backup, Salamandyk

FISTICUFFS
None

OFFICIATING
Vetter and Poole tonight, and they didn't have a lot to do. Unnoticeable for most of the night.

OVERALL
Pretty boring game overall, but nice to see the Giants keep their foot on the gas and not give the Rockets a chance to come back. Rockets looked very very tired tonight.

Salamandyk looked good in relief, and Jung played well for the rockets, but neither had much in the way of support from their teammates.

Evan Bloodoff had a chance to at least break the shut-out bid of Sexsmith, but missed on the Penalty shot awarded after he was hauled done on a break.

Not sure what happened to Kraus, hopefully he is ok, cant really afford to have another key player go down right about now, as Bliznak is still a ways away, and Hunt is done for the year.

Happy for the win and happy about the free appetizers.

3 STARS
1. VAN - 27 Milan Lucic
2. VAN - 26 Michal Repik
3. VAN - 16 Wacey Rabbit

[Carebear]

Kraus wasn't out with a groin injury....Kraus was knocked right out.

He was straight up out of it, we watched him trying to get back to the bench and he had absolutely no balance. He tried to step over a stick on the ice, he got his foot up but then couldn't put it back down and he fell like a tonne of bricks. Quite possibly a concussion. Thats what it looked like from my angle anyways (beside dondo and scrunt).


Thanks to Dondo for scorin me and cole some sweeter seats! :D

[Knuckles Muldoon]

Not much to say except the Rockets mailed this one in. When you have to drive down for the game, at least compete! They didn't even bother. If they haven't got any more pride than that, we'll be driving out to Chilliwack to catch the Giants and Bruins in the first round of the playoffs.

[dondo]

here's my more detailed take on things

Beaner's right though, the Giants went through the motions after being up by three, but it was nice to see them playing a complete game throughout and not laying back too much. Really like the new look PP, Hayzer calls it a Junior level PP, but with the traffic in front of the net the teams cannot afford to play the points as hard and we are getting point shots through again.

Concerned about Kraus...

and CB you are most welcome it was nice having you and Cole down where there's no net to squint through.


Giants Snipe Rockets
Vancouver 7 Kelowna 0

The Giants took advantage of a tired team which beat Kamloops last night at Prospera Place 4-2. The Vancouver squad’s last meeting with the Rockets ended with Kelowna shutting out the Giants 2-0. Tonight the Giants returned the favour as Tyson Sexsmith earned the goose-egg, tying himself with Leland Irving and Dustin Butler for the most shutouts this season, with 8. Sexsmith did not see too many shots, but had to make a few solid saves to preserve the shutout, including a third period penalty shot off of the stick of Evan Bloodoff. Brendan Mikkelson opened the scoring, sneaking one past Torrie Jung early in the first. The Giants scored two more in the opening stanza, as Repik and Lucic both notched counters on the PP. The Giants scored three more in the second with Mike Wuchterl starting them off with a nice backhand goal 5:01 into the middle frame. Repik and Lucic both got their second goals of the game to round out the period. Wacey Rabbit got a short-handed unassisted tally early in the third to put the game completely out of reach. The Giants held the Rockets to 11 shots on goal for the game and played a solid defensive game which lead to them capitalising on their chances, drawing penalties in the process. The Rockets were not awful, but the Giants managed to out-play them at all ends of the ice to claim the over-whelming victory.

Coming off of an uplifting win over the Kamloops Blazers on Friday night, who the Giants finally beat for the first time this season, the Vancouver team carried that momentum into Sunday evening’s game versus the Rockets. Brendan Mikkelson opened the scoring when Wacey Rabbit was pushed into Kelowna goalie Torrie Jung. Rabbit scrambled out of the crease just as the puck crossed the line. Rabbit was pushed into the net and was not interfering with Jung when the puck entered the net. Repik and Lucic got the assists on what would be a three point night for both of them. The forecheck of the Giants caused the Rockets to take some penalties and the Vancouver squad made them pay.

Michal Repik scored a sweet goal storming in from the right side and flipping the puck short-side high on Jung, at the side of the net. It almost looked like he had run out of room, but at the last second lifted the puck through the eye of the needle to get the goal. It was PP goal with Rabbit and Franson garnering the assists. The Giants got their second PP goal with 1:32 to go in the first. Craig Cunningham fed Franson at the point who rifled it at the net. James Wright tipped it as it was going past handcuffing Jung who got a piece but saw it squeeze by and trickle toward the goal. Lucic assisted its progress across the goal-line behind Jung, before the ‘tender could react. The Giants out-shot the Rockets 13-3 in the first and took the lead convincingly.

Early in the second the grinders got into the act as Wuchterl prove himself to be more than just a checker. Mitch Czibere got the puck to Wuchterl on the left side and Mike cruised through the slot and lifted a sweet backhand past Jung for what looked like a goal-scorer’s goal, as there was definitely some skill required to get the tally. Three minutes later AJ Thelen stripped the puck off of a Rocket defender leaving the zone. Thelen cut down the slot and drifted the puck to Repik who wired it past Jung putting the Giants up by five. Milan Lucic rounded out the scoring in the second delighting the 9,000 plus fans with a sixth goal white spot appetiser coupon bonus. The bonus is given to the fans as they leave the buidling whenever the Giants score six or more goals in a home game. Brett Festerling and Jonathon Blum set-up Lucic on the PP.

The Rockets replaced Jung with call-up Daniel Salamandyk, who was so new he did not have a name sewn onto the back of the number 1 jersey he was wearing. Usual starting goalie for the Rockets, Kristofer Westblom, went down with a sprained knee when JD Watt was pushed on top of him in the 2-0 loss at Prospera Place. Jung and Westblom shared the shutout in that game. The Rockets woes continued though as they coughed up the puck in the neutral zone on their PP, and Wacey Rabbit took the puck down the ice toward the young goalie on a semi-breakaway. Rabbit took the shot and although Salamandyk got a piece of the puck it squeaked between the blocker and his body to give the Giants a 7 goal lead, and ending his own eight game goal-less streak. The young ‘tender played well though turning away 10 of 11 shots in the final stanza. Salamandyk is considered a 16yr old for this season, but turned 17 this past January 17th. The Giants continued their patient play, and Don Hay was able to play his 16 yr olds for the majority of shifts in the third, giving them PP time and solid minutes with the game out of reach.

James McEwan was looking for a fight partner late in the game, but both Lucic and Watt declined the invitation not wanting to chance getting hurt for nothing. Tim Kraus however, did get hurt and as of yet the extent of his injury is unknown. After going down with what looked like a tweak to his knee Kraus crawled toward the bench to try to get a change for his team. The linesman was a bit late on the whistle once the Giants gained the puck, but the fans let him know what was going on. Here’s hoping that Kraus just tweaked a muscle and is not badly injured, for with Bliznak out until mid-March the Giants can ill-afford to lose another centre and they will have to have APs in the line-up when our 16yr olds go to the under seventeen tournament.

The Giants out-shot the Rockets 47-11, pounding 23 shots on Jung in the second period alone. The Vancouver squad went 3 for 7 on their revitalized PP, while keeping their opponents to 0 for 3. The reffing was excellent, and mostly invisible. The pairing of Reagan Vetter and Carl Poole called a balanced game, with very little for either team to complain about and did it while still allowing some flow and physical elements in the game . They also did not fall into the trap of calling unnecessary penalties and turned up opportunities to make any statements with their calls. They did not call cheap equalisation penalties and were not goaded into altering their consistency. It was the best reffed game, which I have seen all season and was almost unnoticeable due to its parity. The Giants played a solid if uninspired game and scored some nice goals getting in-behind the Rockets young defense and really not giving the goalies much of a chance to make the save. They brought a balanced physical game, and clean forecheck and cut down on errors in their own end, keeping most of the shots to the outside.

The Giants next go out on an extended road trip opening in Tri-City on Valentines Day, before heading up North for two back to back games in Prince George, after-which they have an extended break leading up to a home game versus the Everett Silvertips. The ‘Tips are on the Giants radar, as the Vancouver squad has suffered a single regulation loss and a few OT and SO losses and have yet to beat the US Division squad this season. The puck drops in Kennewick Washington on Valentines Day at 7:05 local time.

Three Stars

1 – Milan Lucic
2 – Michal Repik
3 - Wacey Rabbit

[GF71]

Kraus wasn't out with a groin injury....Kraus was knocked right out.

He was straight up out of it, we watched him trying to get back to the bench and he had absolutely no balance. He tried to step over a stick on the ice, he got his foot up but then couldn't put it back down and he fell like a tonne of bricks. Quite possibly a concussion. Thats what it looked like from my angle anyways (beside dondo and scrunt).


:spineyes: :spineyes: There is NOTHING wrong with Timmy. He DOES NOT have a concussion, and he WAS NOT knocked out. He did have his bell wrung on a hit and TRIPPED over a Kelowna stick at the bench. He is 100% fine and was in good spirits after the game.

[dondo]

^ Whew!! thanks for that -- but you could have at least let the rumour mill go a bit longer -- spoilsport :p

[Swando]

Not much to say except the Rockets mailed this one in. When you have to drive down for the game, at least compete! They didn't even bother. If they haven't got any more pride than that, we'll be driving out to Chilliwack to catch the Giants and Bruins in the first round of the playoffs.


I agree- I wrote a lengthy sumation and then somehow deleted it ...s.;le.d;e;!!!. To recap by brain dead move.

1. Giants D once again attack the oppositions attack and stand them up with the help of a 1st forward back.

2. Watt starting to buy into the team first concept with wise moves and unselfish play...that being religated to the 3rd line even though he's our leading goal scorer. Hay rewarded him with PP time with other 2 lines.

3 With 6 strong D Hay has got them more involved so they are at least tired coming off the ice and not complaining for ice time. Many teams play with 4 D mainly.

4 Rabbits unassuming role is becoming evident. Quiet leader on the ice that gets you 1 or 2 assists a night. His line of Repick and Lucic will only get better

5 Watcherl is getting better as he learns his role and will be more important without Hunt now.

6. Speaking of Hunt as I mentioned in the injury thread. His stick got caught in the boards as he went to give a check. The stick snapped in half and the short end got stuck against his thigh and the momentum and the strength of the short stick snapped his femur in 3 places.

7 The sum of the parts is greater than the whole..a quote Wims loves to use.

[Carebear]

^ Whew!! thanks for that -- but you could have at least let the rumour mill go a bit longer -- spoilsport :p


OH HUSH. I wasn't starting a rumour, I was saying what it looked like to us.
But yes, glad he's fine.

Yes Soundy, my friend and I were sitting behind Dondo (though I was more behind scrunt) for the beginning of the game..then moved across the aisle...so don't confuse me with the guy with the ponytail sitting behind Dondo in the 2nd and 3rd! LOL

[Soundy]

Not much to say except the Rockets mailed this one in.

Ha! With postage due!

I know it sounds bad, but in a way it was good to see the Giants take full advantage of a tired team, rather than just slacking their way through it. Last couple games are looking like they may have bumped the slump a bit...

I felt bad for Jung, watching him in our end for the second - he made some really good saves, but seemed really shaky at times (like that one time in the first he kind of stumbled in his own goal). Stopping 27 of 33 shots (IIRC, that was the count after the second) isn't COMPLETELY horrible, but his team just let the Giants pepper him.

Hey Carebear, was that you sitting behind Dondo? I kinda wondered... I woulda introduced myself if I'd known :)

[Soundy]

Got some pics up: http://picasaweb.google.com/soundy106/GiantsVsKelownaRockets11Feb07

http://lh4.google.com/image/soundy106/RdAEl3C0bwI/AAAAAAAAAeA/ML887a8VXR4/s288/IMG_4653.JPG

[dondo]

don't tell me to hush girly-girl it was GF71 who over-reacted :p dancing pi

btw anybody else notice that Neufeld has a new painted lid? A bit generic but not as generic as his all black one. Didn't get a good look if anyone has a pic of it I'd like to see a close-up.

[Soundy]

Yes Soundy, my friend and I were sitting behind Dondo (though I was more behind scrunt) for the beginning of the game..then moved across the aisle...so don't confuse me with the guy with the ponytail sitting behind Dondo in the 2nd and 3rd! LOL


Heheh, I didn't see the ponytail guy, I only popped down before the start of the game. My seats are pretty much in the opposite corner, I can get dark pics of dondo and scrunt sometimes, but not much else behind them.

Pity too, you're a much more attractive subject than they are ;)

[old_time_hockey]

Heres my take...bits of the 2nd are missing but I was chatting a little more than watching as you will read.

GIANTS WIN 7-0!!!

HUNT UPDATE
During the pregame Joey had the Giants trainer on air and said that Garet had a good surgery Saturday (as good as going under the knife can be) and has got up on crutches in hospital early as today . He's a tough boy for sure! Garet seems to be in good spirits and has a radio in his hospital room and will be tuning into all the games. The boys will do you proud Garet!

The Rockets were tired, but up until the 1st goal, I thought that they put up a good fight.

The 1st goal was odd...but I think the refs let it stand because Rabbit was pushed into the cage and he was clear of the crease before the shot was let go. Repiks goal was a goal scorers goal. He waited out Jung till he went into the butterfly and picked the top corner. Pure sniper move. Right after that you could see the Rockets fold their tent and get ready to head to the bus home. Lucic does some good work going to the net on the PP and gets the puck at the side of the crease and knocks it home.

I spent the 2nd period over is sec. P with the parents, brother and sister and billet of Mitch Czibere and the parents of Brent Regner. That was a cool experience. Both their parents are the coolest people. Great stories to tell and always joking around. Great hockey parents all around. Hope to spend some time with them in the Memorial Cup. Glad I was there cause Mitch gets a point in the 2nd period on Wookies goal and got to see his mom looking so proud. I was getting worried that either Lucic or Repik was going to get the hatrick and I wouldn't be able to get my hat to the ice sitting behind the netting.

The 3rd period had it's exciting moments. Rabbit has a SH breakaway on backup to the backup Salamandyk ( who was probably loading his pants at that moment). Rabbit gives him a bit of a deke and a head fake and Rabbit scores. But after than, Salamandyk was solid. Stops 10 of 11 shots. The Rockets seem to find a way of drafting quality tenders. Then E.Bloodoff is away on a break and Franson comes back to make a play on him but hauls him down. So the ref points to center ice. Bloodoff shades to the left then brings it to the right and tries to go glove side but misses the net. I don't know why people go glove on Sexy. That is probably the strongest part of his game.

9000 people went home happy with Whitespot appy cards in their hands.

Shots on Goal
Rockets 11
Giants 47

3 Stars
1. VAN - 27 Milan Lucic - 3G 1A and physical play...solid pick. McEwan asked him if he wanted to go and he turned him down cause the game was so far out of reach.
2. VAN - 26 Michal Repik - 2 goals
3. VAN - 16 Wacey Rabbit - Solid pickup at the deadline. 1pt tonight. He plays such a smart game. Makes the smart little plays that make something bigger happen. Don Hay touched on that in the post game show.

[Soundy]

Heres my take...
GIANTS WIN 7-0!!!

I think that's all that needs to be said :)

[old_time_hockey]

I think that's all that needs to be said :)

If you are a casual fan :p

It was for sure a blow out.

The thing that I was watching more than anything was the rookie line showed well tonight. Hay had mixed them into more vet lines before and they showed well too. Cunningham coming oh so close to his first WHL goal. Bouma will be a top power forward when he is 19. He is a big body now but watch out in a few years. Once he has a season or 2 under him, I think he will be Lucic good (but not chicking the knuckles good unless he has a talent we don't know about). We have a nice crop of rookies coming up. The future looks bright.

[SixSixOne]

I sure had a chuckle when I saw that Salamandyk didn't even had a name on his jersey, me and my friend started yelling out "Who are you, look at ya, you dont even have a name on your jersey you are in the wrong league" http://whlfans.ca/images/smilies/tongue.gif

[sheera]

Welcome to the money grabbing w.h.l. games like this show how the season ticket holders get ripped off in this watered down league. poor scheduling for maximun bucks.A new amendment should read, I f the home team win's by 7 0r more goal's all fans at the game should recieve one half their money back' and a full apoligy when they leave at the door. just think edmonton and who knows else will soon join to make matters worse.
Sad but true; 9-0 10-0 11-0 ?

[Jimmy]

Glad I was busy last night... I hate watching blowouts.
I would have been halfway home by the 2nd intermission.

[rinkrat]

Does anyone know what Repik was pointing at after he scored his first goal?

He took off his glove and pointed straight up in the air.Any signifigance?
I didn't notice if he did it after his second goal.

[GF71]

Ha. I asked him about that very thing after the game. It is just one of his "displays" lol

[Carebear]

Ha. I asked him about that very thing after the game. It is just one of his "displays" lol


LOL... <3 Repik for that.


And thanks Soundy, you must be the guy who was talking to Dondo when I so rudly interrupted and got on Dondo's case for having Blum on his jersey instead of Hunt...SORRY ABOUT THAT!

[Section_Z]

Welcome to the money grabbing w.h.l. games like this show how the season ticket holders get ripped off in this watered down league. poor scheduling for maximun bucks.A new amendment should read, I f the home team win's by 7 0r more goal's all fans at the game should recieve one half their money back' and a full apoligy when they leave at the door. just think edmonton and who knows else will soon join to make matters worse.
Sad but true; 9-0 10-0 11-0 ?
Not sure how true this statement is for this game. Yes Kelowna had a 3 in 3 weekend, but Saturday was a home game and the travel on Sunday was short.
Calgary played Regina on Friday, travelled to play Brandon on Saturday, then immediately left after the game to arrive back in Regina at the Delta in the early Sunday am. Then left early afternoon to travel for a Sunday game in Swift Current...
That is a tough schedule. And they seemed to fair pretty well.
Away games are away games. The home team have more than just the fans on thier side.
It was apparent to me that after the Giants got the early lead, Kelowna gave up. Bus travel is not an excuse for that.

[rinkrat]

The WHL likes to play alot of weekend games because of the kids in highschool.
You are confusing the WHL with the NHL

[dondo]

blow-outs happen with a bit of luck and one team not playing the level they are capable of playing. Considering that the same team beat us on the second game in two nights and gave us a scare in the first game, means that one of the teams wasn't playing to their potential on that night -- or the bounces were going their way or whatever it has nothing to do with poor scheduling or the league. Money grabbing? Where the hell did that come from?

The Giants dominated not because of scheduling, but because they were better on the night. The Rockets were not that tired, they just weren't willing to make the effort to stay in the game.

man sheera your comments are becoming more and more trollish every time you post -- next time think a bit before you begin to type -- then edit that before you post.

[Soundy]

And thanks Soundy, you must be the guy who was talking to Dondo when I so rudly interrupted and got on Dondo's case for having Blum on his jersey instead of Hunt...SORRY ABOUT THAT!

The camera bag slung over the shoulder wasn't a giveaway? ;)

[sheera]

My opinions on scheduling and a watered down ripoff league are as valid as some some other PRETEND EXPERTS about all things hockey. If i want PERSONAL opinions from the peanut gallery i will ask NOT; By the way boy's i didn't start this personal attack.
dondo says-''sheera becoming more trollish''
What about the RULES;
''no flaming do not post any messages that harrass insult or bellitle''
where are you on this PERSONAL NAMED ATTACK? MrModerator or is double standard time;;;

[Soundy]

My opinions on scheduling and a watered down ripoff league are as valid as some some other PRETEND EXPERTS about all things hockey. If i want PERSONAL opinions from the peanut gallery i will ask NOT; By the way boy's i didn't start this personal attack.
dondo says-''sheera becoming more trollish''
What about the RULES;
''no flaming do not post any messages that harrass insult or bellitle''
where are you on this PERSONAL NAMED ATTACK? MrModerator or is double standard time;;;

Erm, actually, he didn't say YOU were "trollish", he said your comments were... and frankly, I agree with him.

If you really think the league is that bad, then don't watch it. Protest with your dollars. Go watch a BCHL game or something.

[dondo]

let's see 9 posts (TOTAL), and most of them have been of the belittling and aggressive variety -- yeah right brother, you're a model poster.

a) this league is not watered down, the teams go thorugh boom years and rebuilding years, the league as a whole is competitive, and the depth on most teams is solid.

b) the WHL is about the least money grubbing league around, tickets are very reasonably priced, players are given a stipend and billeted, merchandise is accessible, as are most of the players and the management.

c) why should fans receive their money back when watching a blow-out, admittedly they aren't the most entertaining of games, but in the end (especially) if its a home team the fans go away mostly happy.

d) Chilliwack is a competitive team, but are an expansion team however some of the deals they have made have made them competitive and there are more than enough players to go around.

so I say again -- think before you type, and then edit before you post .. or back-up your post with some concrete observations as opposed to some mis-guided "opinion". show me some evidence

[Soundy]

a) this league is not watered down, the teams go thorugh boom years and rebuilding years, the league as a whole is competitive, and the depth on most teams is solid.

Agreed. Look back through the years, there's a WIDE range of which teams have won in the playoffs. In fact, with players having only a few years' lifespan in the junior leagues (ages 16 to 20, I believe), there's a pretty high turnover of talent, and new stars come up through various teams' systems every year as past stars move on.


b) the WHL is about the least money grubbing league around, tickets are very reasonably priced, players are given a stipend and billeted, merchandise is accessible, as are most of the players and the management.

Compare $17 and $19 for Giants tickets, vs. $33 to $95 for the Canucks... and that doesn't include the sides of the lower bowl, most of which are available only as season tickets at FAR higher prices. Money grubbing? Not.


c) why should fans receive their money back when watching a blow-out, admittedly they aren't the most entertaining of games, but in the end (especially) if its a home team the fans go away mostly happy.

Granted it could get boring if it happened a LOT, but the odd blowout can be fun for the winning team's fans. The Giants have had a particularly strong year, so they've been a little more common, but they've also BEEN blown out too.


d) Chilliwack is a competitive team, but are an expansion team however some of the deals they have made have made them competitive and there are more than enough players to go around.

In a lot of leagues, including the NHL, it can take many years for an expansion team to be REALLY competitive. The WHL expansion teams lately have done quite well as far as competitiveness goes - the Giants won the league championship in only their fifth year, and Chilliwack is looking good enough that they could probably make the playoffs in their second or third year.


so I say again -- think before you type, and then edit before you post .. or back-up your post with some concrete observations as opposed to some mis-guided "opinion". show me some evidence

That's the key: just spouting without giving reasoning or evidence to back your opinions is the hallmark of a troll.

[Carebear]

The camera bag slung over the shoulder wasn't a giveaway? ;)

Didn't put 2 and 2 together.
I'm a blonde girl at heart.

[Soundy]

Didn't put 2 and 2 together.
I'm a blonde girl at heart.

I've always said, blonde isn't a hair color as much as it is a state of mind (or lack thereof).

Probably why they're one of my greatest weaknesses *sigh*