dondo
02-23-2008, 01:00 PM
Well I have to admit that part of me wouldn't have been really upset had the Giants lost to the Winterhawks. With all of their excellent fans in the building and the Giants easy schedule for the rest of the season. A blip where the monster home team loses to the lowly basement dweller makes for a great story, and helps the dub as a whole. As it was I am happy that the story was the Giants coming from behind and getting the win in regulation. The Giants have not been very good at all when trailing going into the third, so if only for that it was good to see them get the win. And in the end it was a good win. Against a really good goalie. the next two games versus the Rockets will really indicate to me which team is willing to show up for the rest of the season though. Hopefully its a team that wants to press its advantage and push hard for the Western Conference Crown.
Giants Capture Winterhawks 3-2 - VGHQ (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/February_22_GiantsbkCapturebkWinterhawks_198.html)
Giants Capture Winterhawks
Vancouver 3 Portland 2
Don Robinson
The lowly Winterhawks did not look so lowly as they gave Vancouver more of a challenge than anticipated. Maybe the Giants were looking beyond this game to their home at home series versus the Rockets on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe they ran into an especially hot-goaltender, but the result was that they were forced to come from behind in the third, something they haven’t been very good at this season, to get the win in regulation. Portland opened the scoring on the PP early in the first. Jacob Dietrich put it past Kraymer Barnstable, the Giants back-up ‘tender who was given the start tonight, in a goal mouth scramble. The first would end with the Winterhawks up by one. The Giants Casey Pierro-Zabotel got that one back early in the third off of a man-advantage of their own. Jonathon Blum and Garry Nunn got the puck to CPZ in the slot and he buried it past Jordan White who stopped 52 of 55 tonight, convincingly keeping his team in the game. The Winterhawks went back up off of a SH’d - 2 on 1 breakaway, which saw the Giants D-man wipe out his own goalie coming back to protect the net completely taking him out of the play; ironic isn’t it. Luke Walker was free to casually tap the puck across the goal-line with a goalie and two skaters in heap beside the wide open cage.
The third period started with the BC Division leading Giants trailing 2-1 to the worst team in the dub with a meagre 20 pts in the standings this season. The Giants knotted up the tilt at 3:52 of the third on their second PP tally of the game. Mario Bliznak and Spencer Machacek worked the puck around finding Blum charging down the slot. Blum took the pass and snapped a beauty past White to tie the game. The Vancouver squad completed the come-back at 13:19 of the final stanza when a Brent Regner point shot got deflected in front and trickled past White. After all the great stops White made in the game that goal must have hurt a bit. Especially since a play before that he stoned a Giants player free and open in the slot, Michal Repik I believe, who had a great chance to bury the puck. CPZ and Evander Kane got the assists on the Regner marker. The Giants were able to hold off the ‘Hawks for the rest of the game.
The last minute and bit was spent buzzing in the Portland zone with the net empty, but unable to get the puck in the cage, which is fitting as the score testifies to the kind of game the Winterhawks played.
The massive amounts of Portland fans who made the trek up to Vancouver were great. They had an excellent perspective on their team, were knowledgeable about the team and the game and cheered their hearts out when their team scored. They were excellent fans and real fans --- not many folks would follow their team on a six hour road trip to a building where they might very well get blown out of the arena, to watch their team play. These are the real fans who are behind their boys regardless of what the standings say and are willing to made a journey for the love of the game. I am happy that their team gave them a lot to cheer about and they are welcome back to section “C” anytime. This is what the dub is all about.
The Giants out-shot the visitors 55-23, they went 2 for 8 on the PP (but allowed a SH goal playing with the puck sloppily along the blue-line.), while the Winterhawks went 1 for 4. Barnstable was alright tonight and although the first goal was a bit soft he kept his team in a game in which they did not appear too interested in taking control. The refs were ones I didn’t know (Ryan Thompson, Mike McCreary) and seemed pretty awful at times. They seriously lacked consistency and it made for a stilted game with little flow. The Giants next two games are against their toughest opponent in their last games on the schedule. On paper the Giants have a pretty easy line-up with which to wrap up the season, but these two games, versus their BC Division rivals The Kelowna Rockets, could be tough contests and Saturday’s game in Kelowna will determine what kind of game Sunday back at the Coliseum will become. The game in Kelowna is at 7:00pm PST. The puck drops at 5pm PST on Sunday at the Rink on Renfrew.
Three Stars
1. Jordan White
2. Jonathon Blum
3. Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Giants Capture Winterhawks 3-2 - VGHQ (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/February_22_GiantsbkCapturebkWinterhawks_198.html)
Giants Capture Winterhawks
Vancouver 3 Portland 2
Don Robinson
The lowly Winterhawks did not look so lowly as they gave Vancouver more of a challenge than anticipated. Maybe the Giants were looking beyond this game to their home at home series versus the Rockets on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe they ran into an especially hot-goaltender, but the result was that they were forced to come from behind in the third, something they haven’t been very good at this season, to get the win in regulation. Portland opened the scoring on the PP early in the first. Jacob Dietrich put it past Kraymer Barnstable, the Giants back-up ‘tender who was given the start tonight, in a goal mouth scramble. The first would end with the Winterhawks up by one. The Giants Casey Pierro-Zabotel got that one back early in the third off of a man-advantage of their own. Jonathon Blum and Garry Nunn got the puck to CPZ in the slot and he buried it past Jordan White who stopped 52 of 55 tonight, convincingly keeping his team in the game. The Winterhawks went back up off of a SH’d - 2 on 1 breakaway, which saw the Giants D-man wipe out his own goalie coming back to protect the net completely taking him out of the play; ironic isn’t it. Luke Walker was free to casually tap the puck across the goal-line with a goalie and two skaters in heap beside the wide open cage.
The third period started with the BC Division leading Giants trailing 2-1 to the worst team in the dub with a meagre 20 pts in the standings this season. The Giants knotted up the tilt at 3:52 of the third on their second PP tally of the game. Mario Bliznak and Spencer Machacek worked the puck around finding Blum charging down the slot. Blum took the pass and snapped a beauty past White to tie the game. The Vancouver squad completed the come-back at 13:19 of the final stanza when a Brent Regner point shot got deflected in front and trickled past White. After all the great stops White made in the game that goal must have hurt a bit. Especially since a play before that he stoned a Giants player free and open in the slot, Michal Repik I believe, who had a great chance to bury the puck. CPZ and Evander Kane got the assists on the Regner marker. The Giants were able to hold off the ‘Hawks for the rest of the game.
The last minute and bit was spent buzzing in the Portland zone with the net empty, but unable to get the puck in the cage, which is fitting as the score testifies to the kind of game the Winterhawks played.
The massive amounts of Portland fans who made the trek up to Vancouver were great. They had an excellent perspective on their team, were knowledgeable about the team and the game and cheered their hearts out when their team scored. They were excellent fans and real fans --- not many folks would follow their team on a six hour road trip to a building where they might very well get blown out of the arena, to watch their team play. These are the real fans who are behind their boys regardless of what the standings say and are willing to made a journey for the love of the game. I am happy that their team gave them a lot to cheer about and they are welcome back to section “C” anytime. This is what the dub is all about.
The Giants out-shot the visitors 55-23, they went 2 for 8 on the PP (but allowed a SH goal playing with the puck sloppily along the blue-line.), while the Winterhawks went 1 for 4. Barnstable was alright tonight and although the first goal was a bit soft he kept his team in a game in which they did not appear too interested in taking control. The refs were ones I didn’t know (Ryan Thompson, Mike McCreary) and seemed pretty awful at times. They seriously lacked consistency and it made for a stilted game with little flow. The Giants next two games are against their toughest opponent in their last games on the schedule. On paper the Giants have a pretty easy line-up with which to wrap up the season, but these two games, versus their BC Division rivals The Kelowna Rockets, could be tough contests and Saturday’s game in Kelowna will determine what kind of game Sunday back at the Coliseum will become. The game in Kelowna is at 7:00pm PST. The puck drops at 5pm PST on Sunday at the Rink on Renfrew.
Three Stars
1. Jordan White
2. Jonathon Blum
3. Casey Pierro-Zabotel