dondo
10-09-2007, 01:42 AM
I'm still pretty steamed about the game and my recap is indicative of those feelings. This is how I saw it warts and all. If you read Joey's recap he doesn't even mention the goal which was waived off and I think that that is just criminal. Beware I just might be controversial. I'm curious if everyone felt this way or that this was just a bugaboo of mine. Enjoy.
Rockets Carve Giants
Vancouver 2 Kelowna 4
Rocket Carve Giants 4-2 - VGHQ (http://vancouvergiantshq.com/October_8_RocketsbkCarvebkGiants_147.html)
Don Robinson - vancouvergiantshq
It was apropos that the Giants chose Thanksgiving to play a turkey of a game. Kraymer Barnstable got the nod between the pipes and no one was really thankful for any of his work this afternoon. The team showed no interest in competing and the officials should have had their heads chopped off in preparation for being roasted, as they were the biggest turkeys of all.
The Giants came out flat as they have of late, for what reason I know not, but even a bout of fisticuffs off the top couldn’t get them energized to play a full sixty. The Giants opened the scoring mid-way through the first and then gave up three unanswered goals in the first and second giving their opponent the edge. The Giants never really fought hard enough to get back into the game, but managed to get one back late in the second when Mike Piluso tapped in his first of the season. In the third it appeared that the Giants had tied the game up when the goal was called off because of an infraction on the other team. The referee, Sean Raphael – a ref who should resign in shame as he has no clue what his job really is - never blew the whistle, did not charge the Giants with anything, but had the gall to waive off the goal because it seems the Rockets might have grazed the puck as it bounced clear to the front of the net where Evander Kane flipped it past Kristofer Westblom. The thing is that there was no whistle before the puck crossed the line and no reason to actually blow the whistle. It was a ridiculous call which very well could have turned the tide of the game, but instead left an extremely foul (fowl?) taste in everyone’s mouth. The Rockets padded their lead off a really cheesy gift of a goal when Barnstable failed to get into position and the puck drifted past him into the net late in the third for the coffin nail goal.
Cody Almond and Mike Berube gamely dropped the mitts off the drop of the puck and went toe-to-toe to a draw. Almond got an extra 10 for a misconduct for who knows what reason. The Giants opened the scoring when Jonny Blum rifled the puck at the net and Michal Repik gathered the rebound snapping it top corner on Westblom on the PP. It seemed to be the only time the Giants went to the net on the PP as they squandered every other man-advantage chance they got during the game. The Rockets tied it up when Jamie Benn slipped a weak one past Barnstable. They added one more on a 5 on 3 advantage, off of some pretty soft calls from my perspective, when the puck ricocheted off a man in front of the net and found the top corner. Mid-first heavy-weight McEwan gutlessly started a bout with Spencer Machacek along the boards near the benches. Machacek took the worst of the bout and the McEwan got two and ten for instigating.
The Giants ended the first with 11 shots on goal and by mid-second they still only had 11 shots on goal. This was not due to stellar defending by the Rockets, but rather a lack of intensity and lazy, sloppy plays with the puck on the Giants part. The Giants lacked any sort of hunger, lost almost every face-off in the game and lost pretty much every battle in the corner for the puck. In short they brought their “C” game at best, their goalie brought a “D-“ game, and the Rockets brought a “B” game to the fore. Eight minutes into the middle stanza the Rockets padded their lead with a short-handed tally. Brent Regner pinched well, but none of the available forwards rotated to cover (as they did so well last season) and the Rockets had a two on one breakaway. Barnstable seemed to be cheating to the pass and was beat by the shooter. Blum covered the pass and let the goalie take the shooter, which 17 yr old back-up Barnstable failed to do. That actually woke the Giants up somewhat as they hit a bit better, and fore-checked a bit harder. Mike Piluso got one of those back late in the second, when Nolan Toigo rifled one at the net and Piluso who was screening the net, gathered the rebound and flipped the puck over Westblom to put the Giants within one.
The ridiculousness started mid-third when the Giants thought they had tied the game up. Craig Cunningham much like he did Friday night cut around the net and was held up a bit by the Rockets defender. Cunningham managed to get the puck to go and it bounced out front where Kane coming to the crease flipped the puck past Westblom. At no time did a Rocket player gain control of the puck. At no time was the whistle blown signifying that a Rocket player had touched the puck, but after the goal was scored referee Raphael arbitrarily decided that the play was dead before the puck crossed the line, waived off the goal and gave the Rockets a penalty. Curiously Raphael was also the referee who was frequently in the way of the play during the game hampering players by his poor positioning. He gamely called soft penalties equalizing the penalty tally for no apparent reason. The game was called poorly and unevenly, it was criminally high-jacked by a clueless jackass wearing zebra stripes and frankly I feel Raphael should be suspended and fined severely for his lack of common sense and understanding of his true role in the game. The tying goal mindlessly waived for no real solid reason or cause I can see could have changed the game’s momentum, but instead sucked the life out of the home squad as the team collectively sagged at that point. The Giants struggled to get back up to speed and eventually gave up a soft one in their own zone as the puck was whiffled from the slot past Barnstable who was out of position on the play.
This game still has me shaking my head as I am dumb-founded by how the Giants are playing lately, staying in games not due to consistent hard work, but because of some individuals stepping it up at some point. This team is failing to gel and on the second game of Machacek’s tenure as Captain, leadership in my mind has been an issue. I know it’s early in the season, but the current squad team lacks the Don Hay team concept and it could really hurt them were it to continue. The second thing which has me shaking mad is the poor officiating that is being tolerated in this league. Occasionally you will get a game called in a balanced fashion, but it seems to be the exception not the norm. Today’s fiasco is indicative of how little these officials are aware what their real job is on the ice. I felt last season there were also games high-jacked by showboating and careless referees who really have lost the whole concept of their existence and it not to be the star of the show or control the flow of the play. I feel its time that the league took a serious look at who they have manning their games and reassess their effectiveness, because more than a few games last season had me leaving the rink shaking my head at the shoddy display they are calling officiating in this league. Anyway, personal rant done back to the game.
The Rockets took advantage of a team who were not hungry for the puck and gave up too easily when in the opposing end of the ice. Poorly timed line-changes contributed to the ease at which the Rockets were able to clear their zone time and again. The Giants lacked flow and turned the puck over with some soft plays and that’s not Giants hockey. Its time for Don Hay to have an extended bag skate and make the boys realize what it takes to stay on top in this league, because it feels like they are just coasting right now taking what they got for granted and doing it with a less skilled squad than went to the Memorial Cup. The Kelowna squad had some nice breakouts, and moved the puck well, but I also felt that the Giants didn’t bring their usual high-pressure game.
The Rockets and Giants both went 1 for 6 on the PP, and the Giants out-shot the visitors 29-21 - although I have to say that Westblom was never really pressed to make a brilliant stop to keep the puck out of his net. The game the fans saw this afternoon was nothing special hockey-wise. No really big hits, no amazing plays, just a bit of gutting it out now and then but for the most part akin to patty-cake on skates. It was Vancouver’s first game this season without getting a point and they could see more of those if they continue their listless play much longer. The Giants are at home for two more before travelling up the valley for their 3rd of 10 versus the Bruins. Friday night sees the Giants take on the Calgary Hitmen. Puck drops at 7:30, and the radio of choice that evening is Evolution 107.9 the station with the broadcast radius of a gnat.
Three Stars
1. Luke Schenn
2. Justin Bernhardt
3. Evander Kane
Rockets Carve Giants
Vancouver 2 Kelowna 4
Rocket Carve Giants 4-2 - VGHQ (http://vancouvergiantshq.com/October_8_RocketsbkCarvebkGiants_147.html)
Don Robinson - vancouvergiantshq
It was apropos that the Giants chose Thanksgiving to play a turkey of a game. Kraymer Barnstable got the nod between the pipes and no one was really thankful for any of his work this afternoon. The team showed no interest in competing and the officials should have had their heads chopped off in preparation for being roasted, as they were the biggest turkeys of all.
The Giants came out flat as they have of late, for what reason I know not, but even a bout of fisticuffs off the top couldn’t get them energized to play a full sixty. The Giants opened the scoring mid-way through the first and then gave up three unanswered goals in the first and second giving their opponent the edge. The Giants never really fought hard enough to get back into the game, but managed to get one back late in the second when Mike Piluso tapped in his first of the season. In the third it appeared that the Giants had tied the game up when the goal was called off because of an infraction on the other team. The referee, Sean Raphael – a ref who should resign in shame as he has no clue what his job really is - never blew the whistle, did not charge the Giants with anything, but had the gall to waive off the goal because it seems the Rockets might have grazed the puck as it bounced clear to the front of the net where Evander Kane flipped it past Kristofer Westblom. The thing is that there was no whistle before the puck crossed the line and no reason to actually blow the whistle. It was a ridiculous call which very well could have turned the tide of the game, but instead left an extremely foul (fowl?) taste in everyone’s mouth. The Rockets padded their lead off a really cheesy gift of a goal when Barnstable failed to get into position and the puck drifted past him into the net late in the third for the coffin nail goal.
Cody Almond and Mike Berube gamely dropped the mitts off the drop of the puck and went toe-to-toe to a draw. Almond got an extra 10 for a misconduct for who knows what reason. The Giants opened the scoring when Jonny Blum rifled the puck at the net and Michal Repik gathered the rebound snapping it top corner on Westblom on the PP. It seemed to be the only time the Giants went to the net on the PP as they squandered every other man-advantage chance they got during the game. The Rockets tied it up when Jamie Benn slipped a weak one past Barnstable. They added one more on a 5 on 3 advantage, off of some pretty soft calls from my perspective, when the puck ricocheted off a man in front of the net and found the top corner. Mid-first heavy-weight McEwan gutlessly started a bout with Spencer Machacek along the boards near the benches. Machacek took the worst of the bout and the McEwan got two and ten for instigating.
The Giants ended the first with 11 shots on goal and by mid-second they still only had 11 shots on goal. This was not due to stellar defending by the Rockets, but rather a lack of intensity and lazy, sloppy plays with the puck on the Giants part. The Giants lacked any sort of hunger, lost almost every face-off in the game and lost pretty much every battle in the corner for the puck. In short they brought their “C” game at best, their goalie brought a “D-“ game, and the Rockets brought a “B” game to the fore. Eight minutes into the middle stanza the Rockets padded their lead with a short-handed tally. Brent Regner pinched well, but none of the available forwards rotated to cover (as they did so well last season) and the Rockets had a two on one breakaway. Barnstable seemed to be cheating to the pass and was beat by the shooter. Blum covered the pass and let the goalie take the shooter, which 17 yr old back-up Barnstable failed to do. That actually woke the Giants up somewhat as they hit a bit better, and fore-checked a bit harder. Mike Piluso got one of those back late in the second, when Nolan Toigo rifled one at the net and Piluso who was screening the net, gathered the rebound and flipped the puck over Westblom to put the Giants within one.
The ridiculousness started mid-third when the Giants thought they had tied the game up. Craig Cunningham much like he did Friday night cut around the net and was held up a bit by the Rockets defender. Cunningham managed to get the puck to go and it bounced out front where Kane coming to the crease flipped the puck past Westblom. At no time did a Rocket player gain control of the puck. At no time was the whistle blown signifying that a Rocket player had touched the puck, but after the goal was scored referee Raphael arbitrarily decided that the play was dead before the puck crossed the line, waived off the goal and gave the Rockets a penalty. Curiously Raphael was also the referee who was frequently in the way of the play during the game hampering players by his poor positioning. He gamely called soft penalties equalizing the penalty tally for no apparent reason. The game was called poorly and unevenly, it was criminally high-jacked by a clueless jackass wearing zebra stripes and frankly I feel Raphael should be suspended and fined severely for his lack of common sense and understanding of his true role in the game. The tying goal mindlessly waived for no real solid reason or cause I can see could have changed the game’s momentum, but instead sucked the life out of the home squad as the team collectively sagged at that point. The Giants struggled to get back up to speed and eventually gave up a soft one in their own zone as the puck was whiffled from the slot past Barnstable who was out of position on the play.
This game still has me shaking my head as I am dumb-founded by how the Giants are playing lately, staying in games not due to consistent hard work, but because of some individuals stepping it up at some point. This team is failing to gel and on the second game of Machacek’s tenure as Captain, leadership in my mind has been an issue. I know it’s early in the season, but the current squad team lacks the Don Hay team concept and it could really hurt them were it to continue. The second thing which has me shaking mad is the poor officiating that is being tolerated in this league. Occasionally you will get a game called in a balanced fashion, but it seems to be the exception not the norm. Today’s fiasco is indicative of how little these officials are aware what their real job is on the ice. I felt last season there were also games high-jacked by showboating and careless referees who really have lost the whole concept of their existence and it not to be the star of the show or control the flow of the play. I feel its time that the league took a serious look at who they have manning their games and reassess their effectiveness, because more than a few games last season had me leaving the rink shaking my head at the shoddy display they are calling officiating in this league. Anyway, personal rant done back to the game.
The Rockets took advantage of a team who were not hungry for the puck and gave up too easily when in the opposing end of the ice. Poorly timed line-changes contributed to the ease at which the Rockets were able to clear their zone time and again. The Giants lacked flow and turned the puck over with some soft plays and that’s not Giants hockey. Its time for Don Hay to have an extended bag skate and make the boys realize what it takes to stay on top in this league, because it feels like they are just coasting right now taking what they got for granted and doing it with a less skilled squad than went to the Memorial Cup. The Kelowna squad had some nice breakouts, and moved the puck well, but I also felt that the Giants didn’t bring their usual high-pressure game.
The Rockets and Giants both went 1 for 6 on the PP, and the Giants out-shot the visitors 29-21 - although I have to say that Westblom was never really pressed to make a brilliant stop to keep the puck out of his net. The game the fans saw this afternoon was nothing special hockey-wise. No really big hits, no amazing plays, just a bit of gutting it out now and then but for the most part akin to patty-cake on skates. It was Vancouver’s first game this season without getting a point and they could see more of those if they continue their listless play much longer. The Giants are at home for two more before travelling up the valley for their 3rd of 10 versus the Bruins. Friday night sees the Giants take on the Calgary Hitmen. Puck drops at 7:30, and the radio of choice that evening is Evolution 107.9 the station with the broadcast radius of a gnat.
Three Stars
1. Luke Schenn
2. Justin Bernhardt
3. Evander Kane