dondo
03-26-2008, 02:02 AM
well what can I say that I haven't already said in the other thread -- here's the recap. I'm getting sleepy. Nice to see the Bruins had that kind of game in them. Oh and I love playoff hockey. clrkth
Giants Out-Last Bruins 4-3 Triple OT - VGHQ (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/March_25_GiantsbkOut-LastbkBruins_213.html)
Giants Out-Last Bruins
Vancouver 4 Chilliwack 3 - Triple OT
Don Robinson
Man I love the playoffs. No freaking shootout, no four on four OTs, just pure hockey played until one team wins. The Bruins were not able to find the twine in the first OT, despite having some stellar chances, but this game looked as if it might not go to OT at all with the Giants up 3-1 late in the third. The Bruins rallied with Oscar Moller making a great pass to set-up Campos for his second of the night closing the gap to one. And then Partik Bhungal (of all players) made a great pass to Nick Holden in the high slot. Holden snapped a shot through traffic tying the game and sending it to what became both franchise’s longest game ever, and crept up to the fourth longest game in WHL history and it was a good one. The refs made a few soft calls in the game, but at least they were consistent and really that’s the best you can expect when talking about the zebras. In the OTs after making a couple of soft calls they mostly put away the whistles and let the teams play. In the end Craig Cunningham got the game winner as the third OT was about to become the fourth OT, off of two smart plays. Jonathon Blum recognized a gap and made a slap pass down to CPZ in the low slot. Pierro-Zabotel then took his time and fed the puck across to a wide open Craig Cunningham cutting down the left wing. The puck settled softly onto Cunningham’s stick and Craig tapped it in for his first ever WHL playoff goal and the Triple OT winner. Remarkably, after all that time the goal was good one, on which Friesen had no chance. The goal gives the Giants a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.
Jonny Blum opened the scoring on the PP ripping the puck past Mark Friesen. Brent Regner and CPZ got the assists on the play. The Giants padded that lead in the second on another PP opportunity. Some good work by CPZ and RJ LaRochelle got the puck to James Wright, but the goal was all Wright’s. Wright drove the net from the goal line and flipped the puck on Friesen. Friesen turned the puck aside but let out a rebound which Wright picked up and flipped over Friesen. Brandon Campos got one back on a Bruins PP, taking advantage of a blocked shot trickling into the open and wiring it past Tyson Sexsmith.
Michal Repik put the G-Men up by two blasting a one-timer from the slot. Mario Bliznak behind the net got the puck to Spencer Machacek in the corner. Machacek made a sharp sweet backhand pass to Repik in the slot and the sniper made no mistake potting his fourth of the campaign. The Giants then seemed to sit back a bit and try to protect the lead. Combine that with the Bruins bringing up their intensity and the mix was not good. Just over a minute after the Giants scored what was supposed to be their insurance marker, the Bruins got within one off of some great work from Moller and Evan Pighin, getting the puck to Campos at the side of the net. Campos made no mistake putting the puck short side on Sexsmith. They completed the comeback a few minutes later when Ryan Howse’s good work down low got the puck to Bhungal at the side boards. Bhungal threaded a cross ice pass to Holden who got one through traffic.
The game then went to OT. In the first OT no less than four separate Bruins fanned on open looks. After that the chances were fairly even with the ice tilting one way and then the other and neither team willing to give up a an odd-man rush let alone a clean breakaway. Both Sexsmith and Friesen were excellent in the overtimes holding their team in the game and finding loose pucks in their crease. The first OT was pretty intense hockey as the momentum of the teams fighting hard for the win late in regulation carried over into the extra stanza. The Giants and Bruins both maintained excellent gap control and were almost seamless with their positioning. Neither squad gave an inch and although both teams had their chances and rattled more than a few posts along the way the killing blow took a long time to come.
Double OT saw a bit less intensity and the teams sitting back protecting their end of the ice first and looking for mistake from the other squad. Mistakes were few and far between and the aggressive back-check from everyone throughout both line-ups pushed this game to Triple OT.
In the third OT the teams were tired, but taking a few more chances and pressing a bit harder in the other guys end of the ice. No one was sitting on the bench they had been standing from the start and they were all hungrily watching the puck awaiting their turn to be the hero and hopefully not the goat. Most of faithful fans from both teams stayed willing their team to be the one to break the tie and win the game. It felt like the teams were headed to a fourth OT, when the Giants got some good pressure in the Bruins zone and for what seemed like the first time in ages were able to work the puck around on the cycle. Blum holding it in at the point went to shoot, but instead slapped a pass diagonally to Pierro-Zabotel in the low slot on the right wing. CPZ had the presence of mind to hold off on the shot and made sure he got the puck across the crease onto Craig Cunningham’s stick. Cunningham then had a tap-in for the win and he put it into the open cage before Friesen could react.
There were too many players who stepped up to mention so suffice to say that all the players on both benches played their hearts out at both ends of the ice, making for some excellent hockey and truly what the playoffs are all about. Its not about the win, but about the fight for the win, the intensity, the hunger and absolute refusal to give-in. This is what extended OT gives you that a W for the sake of a W doesn’t. The biggest problem with International hockey is that they have a bloody shootout to decide the whole thing. I would say the most disappointing game I have ever witnessed was when the Canadian squad lost the Gold medal in the Olympics to the Swedes in a freaking shootout. The game itself was a great game, but the shootout just ruined what was some great hockey and good have been even greater had they let them play. Let’s hope they never change the way it is now and bow to the broadcasters whines about it being too long.
The Giants out-shot the Bruins 65-52 (holy crap!), The Giants were 2 for 7 on the PP, and the Bruins were 1 for 6. Thankfully the refs were not a factor and the game was the better for it. These two teams meet again less than 18 hours from now, in the same arean and we can only hope that the compete level is at least close to what we saw in tonight’s game. The puck drops at Prospera Centre at 7pm PDT.
Three Stars
1. Mark Friesen
2. Tyson Sexsmith
3. Craig Cunningham
Giants Out-Last Bruins 4-3 Triple OT - VGHQ (http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/March_25_GiantsbkOut-LastbkBruins_213.html)
Giants Out-Last Bruins
Vancouver 4 Chilliwack 3 - Triple OT
Don Robinson
Man I love the playoffs. No freaking shootout, no four on four OTs, just pure hockey played until one team wins. The Bruins were not able to find the twine in the first OT, despite having some stellar chances, but this game looked as if it might not go to OT at all with the Giants up 3-1 late in the third. The Bruins rallied with Oscar Moller making a great pass to set-up Campos for his second of the night closing the gap to one. And then Partik Bhungal (of all players) made a great pass to Nick Holden in the high slot. Holden snapped a shot through traffic tying the game and sending it to what became both franchise’s longest game ever, and crept up to the fourth longest game in WHL history and it was a good one. The refs made a few soft calls in the game, but at least they were consistent and really that’s the best you can expect when talking about the zebras. In the OTs after making a couple of soft calls they mostly put away the whistles and let the teams play. In the end Craig Cunningham got the game winner as the third OT was about to become the fourth OT, off of two smart plays. Jonathon Blum recognized a gap and made a slap pass down to CPZ in the low slot. Pierro-Zabotel then took his time and fed the puck across to a wide open Craig Cunningham cutting down the left wing. The puck settled softly onto Cunningham’s stick and Craig tapped it in for his first ever WHL playoff goal and the Triple OT winner. Remarkably, after all that time the goal was good one, on which Friesen had no chance. The goal gives the Giants a commanding 3-0 lead in the series.
Jonny Blum opened the scoring on the PP ripping the puck past Mark Friesen. Brent Regner and CPZ got the assists on the play. The Giants padded that lead in the second on another PP opportunity. Some good work by CPZ and RJ LaRochelle got the puck to James Wright, but the goal was all Wright’s. Wright drove the net from the goal line and flipped the puck on Friesen. Friesen turned the puck aside but let out a rebound which Wright picked up and flipped over Friesen. Brandon Campos got one back on a Bruins PP, taking advantage of a blocked shot trickling into the open and wiring it past Tyson Sexsmith.
Michal Repik put the G-Men up by two blasting a one-timer from the slot. Mario Bliznak behind the net got the puck to Spencer Machacek in the corner. Machacek made a sharp sweet backhand pass to Repik in the slot and the sniper made no mistake potting his fourth of the campaign. The Giants then seemed to sit back a bit and try to protect the lead. Combine that with the Bruins bringing up their intensity and the mix was not good. Just over a minute after the Giants scored what was supposed to be their insurance marker, the Bruins got within one off of some great work from Moller and Evan Pighin, getting the puck to Campos at the side of the net. Campos made no mistake putting the puck short side on Sexsmith. They completed the comeback a few minutes later when Ryan Howse’s good work down low got the puck to Bhungal at the side boards. Bhungal threaded a cross ice pass to Holden who got one through traffic.
The game then went to OT. In the first OT no less than four separate Bruins fanned on open looks. After that the chances were fairly even with the ice tilting one way and then the other and neither team willing to give up a an odd-man rush let alone a clean breakaway. Both Sexsmith and Friesen were excellent in the overtimes holding their team in the game and finding loose pucks in their crease. The first OT was pretty intense hockey as the momentum of the teams fighting hard for the win late in regulation carried over into the extra stanza. The Giants and Bruins both maintained excellent gap control and were almost seamless with their positioning. Neither squad gave an inch and although both teams had their chances and rattled more than a few posts along the way the killing blow took a long time to come.
Double OT saw a bit less intensity and the teams sitting back protecting their end of the ice first and looking for mistake from the other squad. Mistakes were few and far between and the aggressive back-check from everyone throughout both line-ups pushed this game to Triple OT.
In the third OT the teams were tired, but taking a few more chances and pressing a bit harder in the other guys end of the ice. No one was sitting on the bench they had been standing from the start and they were all hungrily watching the puck awaiting their turn to be the hero and hopefully not the goat. Most of faithful fans from both teams stayed willing their team to be the one to break the tie and win the game. It felt like the teams were headed to a fourth OT, when the Giants got some good pressure in the Bruins zone and for what seemed like the first time in ages were able to work the puck around on the cycle. Blum holding it in at the point went to shoot, but instead slapped a pass diagonally to Pierro-Zabotel in the low slot on the right wing. CPZ had the presence of mind to hold off on the shot and made sure he got the puck across the crease onto Craig Cunningham’s stick. Cunningham then had a tap-in for the win and he put it into the open cage before Friesen could react.
There were too many players who stepped up to mention so suffice to say that all the players on both benches played their hearts out at both ends of the ice, making for some excellent hockey and truly what the playoffs are all about. Its not about the win, but about the fight for the win, the intensity, the hunger and absolute refusal to give-in. This is what extended OT gives you that a W for the sake of a W doesn’t. The biggest problem with International hockey is that they have a bloody shootout to decide the whole thing. I would say the most disappointing game I have ever witnessed was when the Canadian squad lost the Gold medal in the Olympics to the Swedes in a freaking shootout. The game itself was a great game, but the shootout just ruined what was some great hockey and good have been even greater had they let them play. Let’s hope they never change the way it is now and bow to the broadcasters whines about it being too long.
The Giants out-shot the Bruins 65-52 (holy crap!), The Giants were 2 for 7 on the PP, and the Bruins were 1 for 6. Thankfully the refs were not a factor and the game was the better for it. These two teams meet again less than 18 hours from now, in the same arean and we can only hope that the compete level is at least close to what we saw in tonight’s game. The puck drops at Prospera Centre at 7pm PDT.
Three Stars
1. Mark Friesen
2. Tyson Sexsmith
3. Craig Cunningham