Plymouth 1 @ Giants 8- Semi Final

[Swando]

Big win in convincing fashion. The engine was tuned up tonight and running on all cylinders. The crowd was into it and showed on the BOOING record 3 minutes. Best I have seen. Turning point oif the game and then Repik scors short handed. Lets get our sections geared to make a difference against the Trap --I mean Hat on Sunday

[Swando]

Two comments to add is that Rehman proved once again to show his "poor" judgement against the Giants (ala Pitch fork on Brule last yr). When a player makes bone head plays the coach will sit that player a shift, period or the next game...Rehman should sit a few games for that call on Watt. ( Or he'll never advance past this level for sure) Great work fans for your booing..unfortunately it did not help Rehman as he bone headed again shortly after.

Sorry to see Tim Kraus not in the line up. Just heard that he had a couple of teeth sheared off during the 1st game vs Plymouth when leveled by Boll ( no charging call). He had to have root canals done the next morning. He finsihed the game Monday and played Wednesday. Tim has looked like a sore and beat up player of late. Hope he can make it back by Sunday.
If not ,give Kane a 15 yr old credit for sticking his nose in the faces of many 6'1-6'5 faces of the Whalers. You got to love our up and comers that are 15 & 16 and playing like veterans.

[dondo]

dammit!! stupid thread won't allow me to post.. will post recap as soon as able.

[dondo]

I think Timmy is inured Swando, but if he's not I'm sorry but I didn't miss him in the least. A very talented kid who allows his moods to dominate him and only shows up when he decides to show. I enjoyed Evander Kane, and for me Wookie has cemented his non-invite to being one of our OAs -- leave him unprotected Bonners. And you can leave Kraus and Watt unprotected as well.

fair warning: I think a lot of my normal censors have been addled by alcohol, so be prepared for a a no punches pulled recap, which I feel is indicative of the game, but might be a tad harsh in some ways.. but c'est la vie -- here it is... enjoy..

Giants Gut Whalers
Vancouver 8 Plymouth 1

Giants Gut Whalers 8-1 May 25th (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/May_25th_GiantsbkGutbkWhalers_134.html)

Vancouver dominated this game from beginning to end despite some of the worst officiating I have seen in the dub and the absolutely worst officiating I have seen in the Memorial Cup. Kyle Rehman reverted to his normal idiot self when paired with the equally idiotic Francis Charron from the Q. Between them they couldn’t ref a decent game out of wet paper bag with directions and a map pointing to X. The odd thing is that when paired with decent reasonable refs they are both equally reasonable, but put these two together (much like pairing Savage and Herman or Zalaski and Herman) and the stupidity flows to the top. The reffing in this game was nigh criminal. The beauty is that the not only did the Giants play through it, they excelled -- scoring a short-handed goal and killing all of the penalties against. Looking at the stats you will see that the penalties were almost even, but that’s because these colossal idiots are afraid for their respective jobs and called all Plymouth penalties when the game was no longer in question and some seriously weak calls too. The thing is that when the game was still moderately on the line they called penalties against the Giants but not the Whalers, even though both teams were playing the same kind of hockey and the Giants were drawing penalties that weren’t being called. The only goal Plymouth got was off a clear hook/trip where Franson was dropped and the loose puck was directed to the slot where Fournier pounded it home. A ridiculous non-call and a prime example of how poor the officiating was on the night. Inconsistent, stupid and it actually to me felt like the refs had been paid off and then, in end they tried to save some face by calling lame and soft penalty after penalty versus one team. Plymouth. Crap officiating to the nth degree.

Rehman and Charron totally sucked great big hairy monkey butt and they almost ruined was should have been a brilliant example of putting the boots to a team in an elimination game. Calling a penalty 30 seconds before the end of the game to make it a 5 on 3 is simply the worst sort of pandering I have ever had the misfortune to witness. The Giants got one PP goal, and one SH goal and then added six more to take this pretender of a team to cleaners and that should have been the game story.

[dondo]

I'm being blocked out when I try to post the whole thing .. just click the link for the rest I'm tired of fighting it.

HAF there's something wrong with the protocol I get a Forbidden (on newreply/whlfans.ca and then a 404 not found as well -- strange and stupid at the same time.

[Swando]

Dondo : I took it easy on Kraus as he is injured and probably playing his last game as a Giant. That is my emotional side coming out for a player that has not lived up to expectations the last 1/2 year. Wish it were different. He has had a record of being in the dog house and maybe injury and emotiion have caught up to each other. Being smashed in the face is no easy task .The Barley Sandwiches could make me rant about Rehman as well. That little fairy paraded around the PNE on Wednesday in a pink tie. Must hate the macho type as they cramp his authority. I loved all the fans that booed endlessly on that """""" CALL" I heard he was the first to get out of town the last Memorial Cup... Why you ask? He had his s..t packed the night before!

[dondo]

agreed I would love Timmy to be consistently better, and its all about effort and paying the price and Timmy only does it very very occasionally.

As knuckles said Timmy's gone from a top #1 Centre last year to a bare 4th line centre this year and frankly he has nobody to blame but himself. He was given the chance to elevate his game and shine and he did not so was relegated to the lower lines, when his playmaking skills are top-level, but only when he feels like it.

I really like Timmy, but as a 19 year old I expected tons more... he's such a good passer, I would love to see him take so much pride in his talent to make it shine.

And it all starts with effort.

In my mind neither Timmy nor Watt will be protected for the expansion draft and nor should they be..

[steamer1112]

I've got a few thoughts.
Repik is getting better and better every game.
Boll should be ashamed of himself for turtling against Lucic.
Did anyone notice how on the way to the box after the "fight" Boll did an impression of a hunchback and Milan just laughed at him?
Peter Loubardias is seriously strange. Twice he referred to referee Charron as "that strapping young lad".
Did anyone catch Dondo on tv near the end of the game?
Watching the Giants young players makes me think that they could be back at the tournament again next year.
I was a big fan of the New West Bruins during their dynasty years and had a term for all those hotshot eastern teams that they played, ( Brandon Wheat Kings, Saskatoon Blades, Medicine Hat Tigers, London Knights, Ottawa 67's etc). They were just a bunch of Sh##ty Eastern Teams. Lots of good individual players, but crappy, crappy team play.
I surely hope that on Sunday the refs let the players decide the game and that the "fix" isn't on again against the Giants.

[OHLArenaGuide]

I was a big fan of the New West Bruins during their dynasty years and had a term for all those hotshot eastern teams that they played, ( Brandon Wheat Kings, Saskatoon Blades, Medicine Hat Tigers, London Knights, Ottawa 67's etc).

I wish the Knights had played the Bruins in the 1970s... didn't happen though. In four years they lost to Toronto and Hamilton and beat Ottawa and Peterborough from the O.

[Knuckles Muldoon]

Big effort by the boys. They seized the moment and didn't let up. It must have been a sub-par year of hockey in the OHL, because Plymouth, quite bluntly, is a very mediocre team. They have a few good individual players, but their team play is just plain poor. They don't look anything like a well-coached team. I make my judgments not only on last night's game, but from all their games. They are full of holes.
Loved the work by the 16 yo's (and 15 yo!) last night. Those kids just go out there and work. They don't worry about anything; they just go out and play. With Wright, Bouma and Kane, the Giants are guaranteed to be a fun team to watch going forward. Funny how Watt started the game with a BRUTAL first shift, but then looked quite good as the game went along. I think Wright and Bouma just picked up JD and pulled him along. It's quite an amazing statement actually. I'm just so impressed by these kids, and look forward to seeing them tale another step next fall. In the meantime, they just might win us a MemCup on Sunday. By comparison, ask MedHat how their 16-year-olds are coming along. Right, they don't have any in their lineup.
Repik was incredible out their as was Rabbit. The big guns stepped up. McArdle/Bliznak/Macaheck also had a strong game and battled hard every shift, even though they weren't on the scoresheet too much. But they helped set the work ethic and tone for the boys. The D were solid and moved the puck quickly, which largely gave them an easy night in their own end.
As for Sunday, I don't think I'd make any lineup changes. Everyone who busted their butt last night deserves to be in the lineup Sunday. Which means Tim Kraus, whether he's actually injured or not, can sit. One line not working hard like the other three must be considered a weak link. And we don't need an obvious weak link in the final game. Status quo. And if the boys play with the same effort and focus as Friday, they'll have a real good chance to hoist the trophy. Let's finish this thing off right.

[Giantsfan]

I've been posting all playoffs about how terrible the reffing has been, especially by Rehman. Well, once again, the Giants persevered through God awful reffing & kicked but in convincing fashion. Some people say I harp too much on the reffing, but I know, that Rehman hates the Giants, & gives the opposition phantom power plays to help them get back into the game. Last night was yet another example proving my point. 13,000+ can't be wrong. I hope the WHL fines & fires him for his incompetence. I didn't miss Kraus one bit. He's been a complete disappointment most of his career, & seeing Kane & Wuchterl in was refreshing & they were solid. Wuchterl was solid on the penalty kill & Kane's aggressiveness was inspiring to all. I'm not sure what to expect on Sunday. I feel better about the game, knowing that the Giants won't be as unprepared as they were on Wednesday. Let's just hope the Gmen keep firing on all cylinders & come out hitting & swinging on Sunday.
On another note, Boll didn't want nothing to do with Lucic. You could see them talking as they lined up & I knew they were gonna go. Lucic tagged him with a hard shot, & Boll just wanted to bail after that. I guess he wasn't as tough as he tought he was. He did the hunch back bs on his way to the box, but it just made him look even more of a goof. Way to go Giants!

[rinkrat]

I think Timmy is inured Swando, but if he's not I'm sorry but I didn't miss him in the least. A very talented kid who allows his moods to dominate him and only shows up when he decides to show. I enjoyed Evander Kane, and for me Wookie has cemented his non-invite to being one of our OAs -- leave him unprotected Bonners. And you can leave Kraus and Watt unprotected as well.

fair warning: I think a lot of my normal censors have been addled by alcohol, so be prepared for a a no punches pulled recap, which I feel is indicative of the game, but might be a tad harsh in some ways.. but c'est la vie -- here it is... enjoy..

Giants Gut Whalers
Vancouver 8 Plymouth 1

Giants Gut Whalers 8-1 May 25th (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/May_25th_GiantsbkGutbkWhalers_134.html)

Vancouver dominated this game from beginning to end despite some of the worst officiating I have seen in the dub and the absolutely worst officiating I have seen in the Memorial Cup. Kyle Rehman reverted to his normal idiot self when paired with the equally idiotic Francis Charron from the Q. Between them they couldn’t ref a decent game out of wet paper bag with directions and a map pointing to X. The odd thing is that when paired with decent reasonable refs they are both equally reasonable, but put these two together (much like pairing Savage and Herman or Zalaski and Herman) and the stupidity flows to the top. The reffing in this game was nigh criminal. The beauty is that the not only did the Giants play through it, they excelled -- scoring a short-handed goal and killing all of the penalties against. Looking at the stats you will see that the penalties were almost even, but that’s because these colossal idiots are afraid for their respective jobs and called all Plymouth penalties when the game was no longer in question and some seriously weak calls too. The thing is that when the game was still moderately on the line they called penalties against the Giants but not the Whalers, even though both teams were playing the same kind of hockey and the Giants were drawing penalties that weren’t being called. The only goal Plymouth got was off a clear hook/trip where Franson was dropped and the loose puck was directed to the slot where Fournier pounded it home. A ridiculous non-call and a prime example of how poor the officiating was on the night. Inconsistent, stupid and it actually to me felt like the refs had been paid off and then, in end they tried to save some face by calling lame and soft penalty after penalty versus one team. Plymouth. Crap officiating to the nth degree.

Rehman and Charron totally sucked great big hairy monkey butt and they almost ruined was should have been a brilliant example of putting the boots to a team in an elimination game. Calling a penalty 30 seconds before the end of the game to make it a 5 on 3 is simply the worst sort of pandering I have ever had the misfortune to witness. The Giants got one PP goal, and one SH goal and then added six more to take this pretender of a team to cleaners and that should have been the game story.

Dondo,I really liked your re cap. I read the other half on your site.
Great job,you're getting better every game,lets hope the boys follow suit. :thumb:

[dondo]

thanks RR -- its really too bad that the reffing was uppermost in my mind, because I would have loved to focus on the positives from the get-go, but the real story was the refs and how unified the crowd was in berating them.

Frankly two solid minutes of booing --plus -- is a pretty remarkable feat -- the thing that surprised me the most was that after the extensive derision they went and made one of the dumbest calls of the night. That very deliberate crosscheck of Watt into their goalie being called goalie interference -- obviously the boys caught that one out of the corner of their eye and made a phantom call based upon circumstantial evidence. Also the third being all Plymouth penalties and them being the weakest the team committed the whole game just makes me shake my head.

[Section_Z]

If Rehman and Charron are looking for a new gig next year, they don't have to go far. It's a stones throw to the Agrodome for Halloween, and I hear that PRP is looking for some new talent for the show this year....
http://www.thegreatbigboo.com