dondo
05-24-2007, 01:08 AM
hmmm.. well that was frustrating to watch and in the end pretty boring. Its rare that the Giants don't show to win, but tonight they showed up, just not to win and that's frankly unacceptable, and hope Hayzer rips them all a new one.
here's the skinny on the game..
Tigers Smother Giants
Vancouver 0 Medicine Hat 1
Tigers Smother Giants 1-0 May23rd (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/May_23rd_TigersbkSmotherbkGiants_133.html)
The Giants had a chance to clinch a 3-0 record and get a bye to Finals, but the Giants never seem to do things the easy way. Now to get to the Finals they will have to beat either Lewiston or Plymouth in the Semi-Final game to once again face the Medicine Hat Tigers, who were definitely the better team on the night. The Giants defense was very solid and one of their only breakdowns on a PK cost them the game. Matt Keetley did not have to be great at all tonight as the Giants pressure was usually from the perimeter as not one of the Giants playing seemed to think it was a good idea to go to the net. The Tigers played a tenacious forecheck game keeping the Giants pinned in their own zone. They also backed off on the cheap stuff a bunch and played very solid end to end hockey. Even Snappy (aka Dorsett) was more interested in playing good hockey than taking those late cheap shots behind the play and after the whistle and it was appreciated.
The Giants came out hard and fast and had a brilliant chance to score just 15 seconds into the game. The first five minutes seemed to be quintessential Giants hockey with a hard forecheck and cycle creating chances going to the net. The huge crowd of 14,000 plus were chanting hard and encouraging their team to take the victory. The Tigers had other ideas. Bringing back a strong forecheck, a hunger and winning all the puck battles the Tigers kept the Giants on their heels throughout most of the game. The only real rushes the Giants were able to engineer ended in a long shot with no screen and Keetley gobbled those up easily. The real turning point was when the Giants had a 2 man advantage in the second and barely registered a shot let alone a scoring chance and even found themselves battling from their own end of the ice while still up a man. The Tigers capitalised on one of their two PP opportunities. Derek “Snappy” Dorsett was standing in front of the net (something the Giants did not do all evening to their disadvantage) when Jonny Blum left him to challenge the shooter and that’s all it took. A shot through to the pad of Sexsmith and Dorsett was on the rebound sliding a low backhand past Sexsmith for what ended up being the game-winning goal.
The Giants never really battled back either. They spent the majority of the game looking for that perfect play and never finding it. They were very slow to the trigger and they passed like they were underwater. They seemed more interested in not getting scored on again than trying to win the game or even get back into the game. The Tigers played the perfect Tiger game. Patient -- giving up opportunities to pad their stats and the score by making sure they kept the puck off of Giants sticks at both ends of the ice. Comfortably going end to end, intercepting passes which were being telegraphed in grand bold letters by the Giants who did not have on their game face and lost any face they might have had over the course of the game. Its odd because Keetley had probably his easiest game versus the Giants, not being forced to make the stellar stop, or come across the crease to thwart a glorious scoring chance to maintain the goose-egg, but this is the game where he shuts out the Vancouver squad. I was very disappointed in the Giants effort tonight. The fact that they lost almost all of the one-on-one battles and that they sagged instead of rallied as they usually do giving the fans something to cheer about, was indicative of the loss.
The Tigers wanted the win had the hunger and the Giants did not. Simple as that. Why? I don’t really know, but in a nutshell that was the difference in the game. The last 20 seconds with the Giants goalie pulled were played in the Giants end of the ice. That’s the kind of effort they had tonight and that’s the kind of play they exhibited. Medicine Hat is master team at eating up minutes on the score clock and they did that to a tee tonight and it got them the win, which was slim on the scoresheet, but not slim in the effort put forth. The refs were fair and balanced for the most part. They let stuff go at both ends of the ice and let the teams play, which is all you can ask. The Vancouver squad out and out wasted their PP chances and lost the game because of it.
The Giants were 0 for 3 on the PP, and the Tigers were 1 for 2. The shots were 29-21 in favour of the Vancouver team. Watt was big dumb idiot Watt tonight and was lucky he didn’t get tagged for a few things. He floated and did not go to the net. Tim Kraus had a bit of jump as did Michal Repik and Spencer Machacek. Kenndal McArdle had flashes and the D were fairly solid. The problem was is that none of them supported one another with the puck. The Giants did not play a team game, and when individuals tried to step it up they had no-one to pass to or they peeled away from the hard areas and allowed themselves to get stripped of the puck. A very frustrating game to watch but by the end it was feeling like a fait accompli, and I don’t believe one Giants fan had the feeling we usually have, which is we can come back no matter what. It just wasn’t there tonight, they did not deserve to win and now they have to play a Semi to see if they make it into the Final game of the tournament. Kudos to the Tigers who played a perfect game and kept the balance between defense and offense strong, did not sit back and try to hold the lead, but forced the play all over the ice. Its weird to say the Giants didn’t suck, but simply weren’t able to make a concerted effort on the offensive side of the blue line, but that’s what it was they seemed to be skating hard they just always came up empty handed when they went into the corners.
Tomorrow will see Lewiston and Plymouth face off in the tie-breaker (both finishing 1-2) and the winner will face the Giants in the Semis on Friday. Medicine Hat, due to the fact that they beat the Giants get the bye into the Final with the head-to-head advantage they got tonight. Thurs 24th 7:30pm PDT, Friday 25th – Semi Final – 5:00pm PDT.
Three Stars
1 – Matt Keetley
2 – Derek Dorsett
3 – Tyson Sexsmith
here's the skinny on the game..
Tigers Smother Giants
Vancouver 0 Medicine Hat 1
Tigers Smother Giants 1-0 May23rd (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/May_23rd_TigersbkSmotherbkGiants_133.html)
The Giants had a chance to clinch a 3-0 record and get a bye to Finals, but the Giants never seem to do things the easy way. Now to get to the Finals they will have to beat either Lewiston or Plymouth in the Semi-Final game to once again face the Medicine Hat Tigers, who were definitely the better team on the night. The Giants defense was very solid and one of their only breakdowns on a PK cost them the game. Matt Keetley did not have to be great at all tonight as the Giants pressure was usually from the perimeter as not one of the Giants playing seemed to think it was a good idea to go to the net. The Tigers played a tenacious forecheck game keeping the Giants pinned in their own zone. They also backed off on the cheap stuff a bunch and played very solid end to end hockey. Even Snappy (aka Dorsett) was more interested in playing good hockey than taking those late cheap shots behind the play and after the whistle and it was appreciated.
The Giants came out hard and fast and had a brilliant chance to score just 15 seconds into the game. The first five minutes seemed to be quintessential Giants hockey with a hard forecheck and cycle creating chances going to the net. The huge crowd of 14,000 plus were chanting hard and encouraging their team to take the victory. The Tigers had other ideas. Bringing back a strong forecheck, a hunger and winning all the puck battles the Tigers kept the Giants on their heels throughout most of the game. The only real rushes the Giants were able to engineer ended in a long shot with no screen and Keetley gobbled those up easily. The real turning point was when the Giants had a 2 man advantage in the second and barely registered a shot let alone a scoring chance and even found themselves battling from their own end of the ice while still up a man. The Tigers capitalised on one of their two PP opportunities. Derek “Snappy” Dorsett was standing in front of the net (something the Giants did not do all evening to their disadvantage) when Jonny Blum left him to challenge the shooter and that’s all it took. A shot through to the pad of Sexsmith and Dorsett was on the rebound sliding a low backhand past Sexsmith for what ended up being the game-winning goal.
The Giants never really battled back either. They spent the majority of the game looking for that perfect play and never finding it. They were very slow to the trigger and they passed like they were underwater. They seemed more interested in not getting scored on again than trying to win the game or even get back into the game. The Tigers played the perfect Tiger game. Patient -- giving up opportunities to pad their stats and the score by making sure they kept the puck off of Giants sticks at both ends of the ice. Comfortably going end to end, intercepting passes which were being telegraphed in grand bold letters by the Giants who did not have on their game face and lost any face they might have had over the course of the game. Its odd because Keetley had probably his easiest game versus the Giants, not being forced to make the stellar stop, or come across the crease to thwart a glorious scoring chance to maintain the goose-egg, but this is the game where he shuts out the Vancouver squad. I was very disappointed in the Giants effort tonight. The fact that they lost almost all of the one-on-one battles and that they sagged instead of rallied as they usually do giving the fans something to cheer about, was indicative of the loss.
The Tigers wanted the win had the hunger and the Giants did not. Simple as that. Why? I don’t really know, but in a nutshell that was the difference in the game. The last 20 seconds with the Giants goalie pulled were played in the Giants end of the ice. That’s the kind of effort they had tonight and that’s the kind of play they exhibited. Medicine Hat is master team at eating up minutes on the score clock and they did that to a tee tonight and it got them the win, which was slim on the scoresheet, but not slim in the effort put forth. The refs were fair and balanced for the most part. They let stuff go at both ends of the ice and let the teams play, which is all you can ask. The Vancouver squad out and out wasted their PP chances and lost the game because of it.
The Giants were 0 for 3 on the PP, and the Tigers were 1 for 2. The shots were 29-21 in favour of the Vancouver team. Watt was big dumb idiot Watt tonight and was lucky he didn’t get tagged for a few things. He floated and did not go to the net. Tim Kraus had a bit of jump as did Michal Repik and Spencer Machacek. Kenndal McArdle had flashes and the D were fairly solid. The problem was is that none of them supported one another with the puck. The Giants did not play a team game, and when individuals tried to step it up they had no-one to pass to or they peeled away from the hard areas and allowed themselves to get stripped of the puck. A very frustrating game to watch but by the end it was feeling like a fait accompli, and I don’t believe one Giants fan had the feeling we usually have, which is we can come back no matter what. It just wasn’t there tonight, they did not deserve to win and now they have to play a Semi to see if they make it into the Final game of the tournament. Kudos to the Tigers who played a perfect game and kept the balance between defense and offense strong, did not sit back and try to hold the lead, but forced the play all over the ice. Its weird to say the Giants didn’t suck, but simply weren’t able to make a concerted effort on the offensive side of the blue line, but that’s what it was they seemed to be skating hard they just always came up empty handed when they went into the corners.
Tomorrow will see Lewiston and Plymouth face off in the tie-breaker (both finishing 1-2) and the winner will face the Giants in the Semis on Friday. Medicine Hat, due to the fact that they beat the Giants get the bye into the Final with the head-to-head advantage they got tonight. Thurs 24th 7:30pm PDT, Friday 25th – Semi Final – 5:00pm PDT.
Three Stars
1 – Matt Keetley
2 – Derek Dorsett
3 – Tyson Sexsmith