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View Full Version : Giants Drop Final Road Game In Kelowna



Kassian
03-19-2005, 03:38 PM
From: http://www.vancouvergiants.com

The Vancouver Giants played a solid road game on Friday in Kelowna , but lost by the slimmest of margins, 3-2 to the Rockets. Winless against the perennial juggernaut this season, the G-Men still tied Kelowna twice and lost just once by more than one goal. If they can finally manage a win over the Rockets at the Pacific Coliseum on Saturday, Vancouver could face their vicious rival in the opening round of the playoffs.

The Giants spotted Kelowna leads all night, but fought back in a playoff-style affair, throwing 26 shots at Rockets' goalie Derek Yeomans. J.D. Watt (left) was an absolute puck magnet and tied the contest 1-1 at 2:31 of the second period. The gritty rookie with 200+ penalty minutes, scored his sixth goal of the year during an up-tempo shift when he stole the biscuit deep in the Rockets' zone. It was the Cremona , AB native's first goal since February 4. Freshman Jason Reese scored his fifth goal on a rebound at 3:28 of the third period, less than a minute-and-a-half after Kelowna had gone up 3-1.

Marek Schwarz faced 32 shots in net for the G-Men, allowing Blake Comeau and Tyler Spurgeon – with two – to score for Kelowna . Spurgeon's first goal came on a powerplay at 19:10 of the opening frame and his second was the game-winner at 2:05 of the third. Schwarz was Comeau's victim at 12:24 of the middle stanza, when the Rockets' sniper capped off a long rush with a nifty deke.

Not that the Giants have been a day late and a dollar short to Kelowna all season, but a one-goal deficit can potentially be made up anywhere. For instance, Vancouver was 0/4 on the powerplay and the Rockets scored their opening goal on the first of their four PP opportunities.

“We played well and once again we're close, but we're just not good enough to win the game tonight,” Vancouver Assistant Coach Mike Dyck said. “There are a couple of areas that, I think, had we been better in, we probably would have gotten the two points and one was our powerplay. We have to get at least one goal on our powerplay and if we do that we have a chance at one point or maybe two points.”

The Giants sported an 11-18-3-4 road record this season, actually collecting points in 18 of their 36 games away from home. Winning on the road in the playoffs equals a better chance to win four times in a tough best-of-seven series.

“We've got to have a similar effort,” Dyck said of Friday's outing. “We know we can play better and we need everybody to play better all the time. We went in spurts and that's one thing we can improve on. The other thing is obviously our specialty teams. Everybody knows, coming down into the playoffs, there are some pretty key areas that you have to dominate in. One is goaltending and the other is specialty teams.”

A Rockets' loss to the Giants on Saturday, coupled with a Kootenay victory over the Spokane Chiefs, would mean a BC Division pennant for the Ice. It would also pit Kelowna against Vancouver in the playoffs for the second time in three years.

“Obviously they've got a good record against us this year and they're probably going to have some confidence,” Dyck allowed. “But I also know that they don't want to play us in the playoffs. They're shooting for their third league title and they would rather not play us because come playoff time, it's a whole new season. They know that we're a pretty physical team when we play against them and we make them pay a price to play against us.”

The G-Men will attempt to cash in on that physical brand of play Saturday in their regular season finale on home ice against the Rockets. Vancouver starts the post-season on the road next Friday and Saturday.