dondo
01-05-2008, 12:39 PM
A better game on paper than it was live, but there were some great moments in the game more than a few fights and the third period was worth the price of admission.
Giants Rip T-Birds 6-1 - VGHQ (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/January_4_GiantsbkRipbkT-Birds_181.html)
Giants Rip T-Birds
Vancouver 6 Seattle 1
Don Robinson
This first game of the home at home series was taken by the Giants, but not until the third period when the Vancouver squad elevated its game to a level they should have been playing from the drop of the puck. The two teams played a scoreless first which saw Garet Hunt ejected for a nasty mid-ice charge versus Bud Holloway. Holloway went off the ice under his own power in an apparent daze and never returned. I missed the actual hit so I don’t know if it was a cheap shot, but I hope not as Holloway’s a classy player and doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment. The energy didn’t really begin to elevate until the second when Lance Bouma ran over Jacob DeSerres in his crease and dropped the mitts with Brad Haber for a pretty lively middle-weight tilt, which saw both players get their shots in and Bouma get the marginal take-down. The Giants weathered that PK for goalie interference and then scored one of their own. James Wright scored the first one of the night five minutes into the middle stanza. The T-Birds tied the game up about mid-way through the second when Justin Palazzo was caught backing into his own slot allowing Greg Scott a clear line to the net for a five-hole tally.
The game itself was not really an example of stellar hockey until the third period when the home team decided to elevate their game with five unanswered goals for a convincing victory. Two of the goals were on home-town boy call-up for the Thunderbirds, Harrison May, who looked pretty shaky allowing 2 goals on 7 shots and it was clear that, at this level, the game was a whole lot faster for him, but he hung in there and made a couple of nice stops in his 6 minutes of ice-time at the end of the game. Mitch Czibere had a goal and an assist tonight, while CPZ had a goal and two helpers. Rookie call-up Linden Saip had an assist on a goal by Garry Nunn, who had a helper tonight as well. Spencer Machacek and Brent Regner rounded out the scoring, both getting markers on the PP. There were two more fights in the third when Sean Acolatse and Phil Gervais had another middle weight battle, and then Chris Cloud held his own versus resident Seattle pugilist Benn Olson, much to the delight of the jackasses sitting behind me who were Olson’s friends and as drunken and as stupid as possible the whole freaking game.
The Giants seemed to be content to phone this one in for the first two periods as they managed outside shots on the T-Bird net, but nothing really too dangerous. James Wright scored 10th of the season on a rebound off of a nice low wrist shot from the point by Stefan Schneider which found its way through traffic. Mike Berube needs to take a page from Schneider’s book as his point shots all seemed too high and were blocked fairly easily.
Seattle tied the game when Giant defenseman Justin Palazzo played the man as wrong as could be played, backing down into the slot and not able to make the turn as Greg Scott slipped the puck five-hole through the clear lane granted him. A soft goal on Sexsmith’s part which wasn’t helped by severely inept positioning on his D’s part. CPZ padded that lead 33 seconds into the third off of Nunn and Berube. Regner scored a couple of minutes later on the PP smacking home a rebound from the side of the net. CPZ and Craig Schira got the assists. About four minutes after that Mitch Czibere got a gritty goal crashing the crease and flipping the loose puck up and over Deserres.
With about six minutes left and no real momentum left for his squad - Seattle coach Rob Sumner inserted rookie call-up Harrison May into the game giving him a chance at the WHL level in front of his family and friends. May allowed a goal on the first shot he faced, a semi screened shot which sipped under his pads. He then weathered a small flurry of shots, but could not survive the PP as Machacek slipped his twentieth of the season by May cutting across the crease and sliding the puck, once again, under his pads.
The Giants out-shot the visitors 45-23, pounding 18 shots on net in third alone. They were 2 for 4 on the PP, while holding the T-Birds to 0 for 4. They stepped up their game at the right time and gave the 9500 strong in the stands something to cheer about. All in all a pretty decent game upon reflection, but there were times where I felt like nodding off late in the first and through most of the second. Having this wicked cold and mindless idiots jawing inanities behind me probably didn’t help me keep any focus on the game though.
The Giants head down to Seattle on Saturday to play the T-Birds at the Key Arena for the second game of the home at home series. They return to the Coliseum on Sunday to take on the Kamloops Blazers for the umpteenth time this season, a scheduling strategy which really must be stopped 8-10 games versus your own division is ridiculous and as the expense of seeing some of the Eastern Conference teams in the dub, just sucks. The three stars kind of made me shake my head as well for when is allowing 4 goals on 34 shots, most of which were pretty routine saves garner star recognition?
The puck drops at the Key Arena at 7:05.
Three Stars
1. Tyson Sexsmith
2. Casey Pierro-Zabotel
3. Jacob DeSerres
Giants Rip T-Birds 6-1 - VGHQ (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/January_4_GiantsbkRipbkT-Birds_181.html)
Giants Rip T-Birds
Vancouver 6 Seattle 1
Don Robinson
This first game of the home at home series was taken by the Giants, but not until the third period when the Vancouver squad elevated its game to a level they should have been playing from the drop of the puck. The two teams played a scoreless first which saw Garet Hunt ejected for a nasty mid-ice charge versus Bud Holloway. Holloway went off the ice under his own power in an apparent daze and never returned. I missed the actual hit so I don’t know if it was a cheap shot, but I hope not as Holloway’s a classy player and doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment. The energy didn’t really begin to elevate until the second when Lance Bouma ran over Jacob DeSerres in his crease and dropped the mitts with Brad Haber for a pretty lively middle-weight tilt, which saw both players get their shots in and Bouma get the marginal take-down. The Giants weathered that PK for goalie interference and then scored one of their own. James Wright scored the first one of the night five minutes into the middle stanza. The T-Birds tied the game up about mid-way through the second when Justin Palazzo was caught backing into his own slot allowing Greg Scott a clear line to the net for a five-hole tally.
The game itself was not really an example of stellar hockey until the third period when the home team decided to elevate their game with five unanswered goals for a convincing victory. Two of the goals were on home-town boy call-up for the Thunderbirds, Harrison May, who looked pretty shaky allowing 2 goals on 7 shots and it was clear that, at this level, the game was a whole lot faster for him, but he hung in there and made a couple of nice stops in his 6 minutes of ice-time at the end of the game. Mitch Czibere had a goal and an assist tonight, while CPZ had a goal and two helpers. Rookie call-up Linden Saip had an assist on a goal by Garry Nunn, who had a helper tonight as well. Spencer Machacek and Brent Regner rounded out the scoring, both getting markers on the PP. There were two more fights in the third when Sean Acolatse and Phil Gervais had another middle weight battle, and then Chris Cloud held his own versus resident Seattle pugilist Benn Olson, much to the delight of the jackasses sitting behind me who were Olson’s friends and as drunken and as stupid as possible the whole freaking game.
The Giants seemed to be content to phone this one in for the first two periods as they managed outside shots on the T-Bird net, but nothing really too dangerous. James Wright scored 10th of the season on a rebound off of a nice low wrist shot from the point by Stefan Schneider which found its way through traffic. Mike Berube needs to take a page from Schneider’s book as his point shots all seemed too high and were blocked fairly easily.
Seattle tied the game when Giant defenseman Justin Palazzo played the man as wrong as could be played, backing down into the slot and not able to make the turn as Greg Scott slipped the puck five-hole through the clear lane granted him. A soft goal on Sexsmith’s part which wasn’t helped by severely inept positioning on his D’s part. CPZ padded that lead 33 seconds into the third off of Nunn and Berube. Regner scored a couple of minutes later on the PP smacking home a rebound from the side of the net. CPZ and Craig Schira got the assists. About four minutes after that Mitch Czibere got a gritty goal crashing the crease and flipping the loose puck up and over Deserres.
With about six minutes left and no real momentum left for his squad - Seattle coach Rob Sumner inserted rookie call-up Harrison May into the game giving him a chance at the WHL level in front of his family and friends. May allowed a goal on the first shot he faced, a semi screened shot which sipped under his pads. He then weathered a small flurry of shots, but could not survive the PP as Machacek slipped his twentieth of the season by May cutting across the crease and sliding the puck, once again, under his pads.
The Giants out-shot the visitors 45-23, pounding 18 shots on net in third alone. They were 2 for 4 on the PP, while holding the T-Birds to 0 for 4. They stepped up their game at the right time and gave the 9500 strong in the stands something to cheer about. All in all a pretty decent game upon reflection, but there were times where I felt like nodding off late in the first and through most of the second. Having this wicked cold and mindless idiots jawing inanities behind me probably didn’t help me keep any focus on the game though.
The Giants head down to Seattle on Saturday to play the T-Birds at the Key Arena for the second game of the home at home series. They return to the Coliseum on Sunday to take on the Kamloops Blazers for the umpteenth time this season, a scheduling strategy which really must be stopped 8-10 games versus your own division is ridiculous and as the expense of seeing some of the Eastern Conference teams in the dub, just sucks. The three stars kind of made me shake my head as well for when is allowing 4 goals on 34 shots, most of which were pretty routine saves garner star recognition?
The puck drops at the Key Arena at 7:05.
Three Stars
1. Tyson Sexsmith
2. Casey Pierro-Zabotel
3. Jacob DeSerres