dondo
09-27-2008, 01:57 AM
Nice to get back into my seat in the corner and see some Giants hockey again, live and in my face -- yeehaa ... Giants had another great home opener. Slightly extended recap with a few paragraphs ruminating about the merits of some of the new guys and young guns.
Giants Shred Cats
Vancouver 7 Prince George 3
Don Robinson
The Giants opened at home after gathering three points of a possible four on the road. Rookie netminder Jamie Tucker started both games on the road earning a shut-out in his first ever game in the WHL, and was a bit of a victim off some lazy and sloppy play in his second game on the part of the Giants when they relaxed, allowing the rookie Kamloops goalie to gain some confidence and the home team to get back into it. Tyson Sexsmith was back from NHL camp and between the pipes sporting a white helmet as his newly designed lid was not ready for prime-time.
Tonight the Giants raised their third consecutive BC Division banner in what should have been a stirring event, but ended up being a lesson in how what should be a simple and elegant ceremony could become an embarrassing fiasco as two box pushers incapable of pulling a couple of strings at the same time took the focus. The banner went up extremely slowly and ridiculously crooked. There were some boos from the crowd as the “technicians” proved how completely incompetent they were and how a lack of practice and allowing two idiots to lift a freaking banner could go horribly wrong. A real shame to see such a lack of pride in their work, such a poor reflection on the franchise and a bit of damper on the evening before it even got started.
The product on the ice was much better as the Giants had a nice introduction of this years team and dominated the visitors on the score sheet during the play. The Vancouver squad tends to have a dominating home opener and tonight was no different as they put 7 goals past two goalies. Their special teams were inconsistent though as their PP dominated with players like Craig Cunningham stepping up his game, but their PK was porous and allowed one poor goal and another not so great goal. Tyson Sexsmith was good, but not great tonight and was probably overjoyed that the offensive component of his team had such a successful outing.
The Giants opened the scoring on the PP, when Craig Cunningham got his first of the season with some greasy work to tally a nice goal. James Wright got the puck to Brent Regner who flipped it on net. Kevin Armstrong, the 20 yr old former back-up for the Memorial Cup winning Spokane Chiefs, let out the rebound to the open side and Cunningham came in hard from the side boards snapping the loose puck high into the twine. The Cougars got one of their own on the PP to tie the game later in the first when Brian Matte scored his first of the season, assisted by Alex Poulter and Dale Hunt. The goal came off of a broken play and scramble in front of Sexsmith.
The Giants broke the game wide-open in the second as they scored 5 goals to the Cougars 1. Neil Manning ripped a wicked point shot past Armstrong early in the middle frame to start the onslaught. The Cougars Brett Connolly tied it up when a Cougar player ran a Giants player into Sexsmith completely taking him out of the play. The puck trickled in and the ref behind the net (Matt Kirk, of course) called it a goal. I’m still of the belief that whether an opposing player runs the goalie down or forces the defending player into him, it constitutes goalie interference, but Kirk, who is supposed to be the “official, didn’t see it that way.
The Giants regained their lead a couple of minutes later when Cunningham once again got a nice greasy goal going to the net, finding the rebound and putting it past Armstrong. Adam Basford and Craig Schira got the assists as the Giants had some seriously intense pressure going in the Cat’s zone, before getting the goal. Mid-way through the period the Giants opened up the flood gates notching another PP tally. Manning got his second of the night on a beautiful pinch play. Evander Kane ground it out of the side boards and got it to Garry Nunn who snapped the puck on net cutting across the slot. Manning skated in from the point and wired the loose puck past Armstrong, putting the G-Men up by two. The Vancouver squad did not stop there though as they capitalised on another man-advantage when new euro centre Mikhail Fisenko along the side boards fed Craig Schira at the point. Schira blasted the puck past Armstrong. A mere twenty seconds after that diminutive speedy forward Brendan Gallagher got his first of the season coming out from behind the net and finding a seam short side with a goal-line shot. Armstrong was pulled after that goal and young Ian Curtis was put between the pipes for the Cats. I was actually surprised Armstrong wasn’t pulled a goal or two earlier as he was not controlling his rebounds very well and the Giants were making him pay. That would be it for scoring in the second.
Almost mid-way in the third the Vancouver boys solved Curtis as they got a scrambly goal past him with some great tenacity and smart work by Kane. Kane was cutting behind the goal-line when he dished the puck out front into the goalie’s skates before going behind the net. Curtis was bowled over by his own player coming back to clear the loose puck. The puck stayed alive in the crease as a myriad of players swiped at it either trying to put it in the net or get it the hell out of the crease. Curtis made a few passive stops laying on his back as the puck pinballed around. Kane who had looped around the net and out front, cut back down the slot, found the loose puck and flipped it over a sprawled Curtis, through a forest of legs and skates to find the twine. Curtis was incensed and yapped at the ref after the goal but it stood, putting the Giants up 7-2. Dallas Jackson would get one past Sexsmith late in the game on the PP. Nunn got caught in no-mans land defending and the puck found its way to the point where Jackson ripped it past the Giants ‘tender.
The only fisticuffs of note ended up being a pretty good tilt for a player we wouldn’t think of as a fighter and although he is not really a fighter the fact that he hung in there and dropped the mitts without hesitation made more than few fans, as well as myself, sigh a bit of relief. The player in question was Casey Pierro-Zabotel who can be a bit of a floater at times and no on-one would accuse him of being intense, but he hung in there a long time taking and giving a few shots from Cougar defender Art Bidlevski. CPZ managed to get Bidlevski’s helmet off but lacked the killer instinct when he had his fist cocked and the other guy’s head down and vulnerable, but did not lay the coup de grace blow. In the end CPZ got the take down, but it was a feisty battle by both combatants which was pretty evenly fought, with Bidlevski getting the majority of fistal connections in the broohaha.
This years Giants are a fairly well-balanced team with some depth and dimension and a good mix of young up and comers and veterans. The blue-line boasts two twenty year olds and some marquee players in the making. They might lack that pure sniper, but could make up for it with some offensive depth a lot of fans didn’t think they’d have this season. Evander Kane looks to be the go-to offensive talent and this 17 yr old is only going to get better as he is discovering his range and watching him I feel that he could rival Brule as he gets more maturity and experience and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be sporting a C for this team sometime in not so distant future.
Some young guns like Adam Basford , JT Barnett and speedy Brendan Gallagher who continues to impress as he carries his 5’6” frame around like he’s 5’10” or more are battling for a spot on the squad. The young line tonight of Basford, Gallagher and James Henry was all speed tonight and gave the Cougars fits at times with their dangling abilities. Players like Craig Cunningham are showing their veteran stripes taking charge in games and really gutting it out, playing pure Don Hay Giants hockey. Lance Bouma is someone I am hoping finds another gear, a bit more intensity and clicks with the puck better, but I fear he might lack the vision which makes truly exceptional hockey players. Bouma seems to be surprised when he has the puck on his stick and although he tries things, he isn’t quite there yet. The Flames seem to see something though, so maybe he just needs a bit more seasoning under Hay to find that dominant power-forward lurking below the surface.
The Giants also picked up a couple of players in the euro draft this season who seem ready and able to play Giants hockey and under Don Hay they will only get better. Mikhail Fisenko is showing flashes of brilliance in the making and the 18 yr old is on the upswing. 17 year old Czech player Andrej Kudrna could really be a steal a year or two down the road as his vision and puck handling abilities are becoming readily apparent. He also has some serious speed under the hood and a great acceleration gear.
As with most years in Junior hockey the fans have to get used to a whole new raft of players and find new favourites, new whipping boys and surprising joys as the season progresses. The building blocks this season are very good and could be exceptional if the right chemistry develops between some of these line mates. One thing is for sure, if all the players continue to drink Hay’s koolaid they will all become better more well-rounded players in the end and that’s what Junior hockey is all about.
The Giants were 3 for 5 on the PP tonight while allowing the Cougars to go 2 for 6, a stat they would seriously like to adjust and oddly seems to be their only obvious weakness right now. They out shot the visitors 40-27 and out-scored them by 4. Don Hay has seemed to give the green light to his defensemen on the PP, and pretty much any time. With the blue-line corps we currently have and the instincts most them boast it seems to be a good thing to do, as the blue-line accounted for 3 of 7 in the scoring column tonight. The game tonight was the Giants first of three in three nights as they head six hours south for a game in Portland on Saturday and back to Chilliwack for an afternoon tilt on Sunday. The puck drops at 7pm and 5pm PST respectively, and this year the Giants can be heard on 650 CISL for all of their games with new play by play/ Giants media guy Dave Sheldon, as Joey has moved up to doing Canucks broadcasts. No more of that surfing the dial to find a feed on this night and a web feed on that night and remembering which day they are on this station, ad-nauseum.
It could prove to be a really good season, so enjoy and come out to some games if you don’t have seasons tickets or a package already. Its always great hockey.
Three Stars
1 Craig Cunningham
2 Neil Manning
3 Craig Schira
Giants Shred Cats
Vancouver 7 Prince George 3
Don Robinson
The Giants opened at home after gathering three points of a possible four on the road. Rookie netminder Jamie Tucker started both games on the road earning a shut-out in his first ever game in the WHL, and was a bit of a victim off some lazy and sloppy play in his second game on the part of the Giants when they relaxed, allowing the rookie Kamloops goalie to gain some confidence and the home team to get back into it. Tyson Sexsmith was back from NHL camp and between the pipes sporting a white helmet as his newly designed lid was not ready for prime-time.
Tonight the Giants raised their third consecutive BC Division banner in what should have been a stirring event, but ended up being a lesson in how what should be a simple and elegant ceremony could become an embarrassing fiasco as two box pushers incapable of pulling a couple of strings at the same time took the focus. The banner went up extremely slowly and ridiculously crooked. There were some boos from the crowd as the “technicians” proved how completely incompetent they were and how a lack of practice and allowing two idiots to lift a freaking banner could go horribly wrong. A real shame to see such a lack of pride in their work, such a poor reflection on the franchise and a bit of damper on the evening before it even got started.
The product on the ice was much better as the Giants had a nice introduction of this years team and dominated the visitors on the score sheet during the play. The Vancouver squad tends to have a dominating home opener and tonight was no different as they put 7 goals past two goalies. Their special teams were inconsistent though as their PP dominated with players like Craig Cunningham stepping up his game, but their PK was porous and allowed one poor goal and another not so great goal. Tyson Sexsmith was good, but not great tonight and was probably overjoyed that the offensive component of his team had such a successful outing.
The Giants opened the scoring on the PP, when Craig Cunningham got his first of the season with some greasy work to tally a nice goal. James Wright got the puck to Brent Regner who flipped it on net. Kevin Armstrong, the 20 yr old former back-up for the Memorial Cup winning Spokane Chiefs, let out the rebound to the open side and Cunningham came in hard from the side boards snapping the loose puck high into the twine. The Cougars got one of their own on the PP to tie the game later in the first when Brian Matte scored his first of the season, assisted by Alex Poulter and Dale Hunt. The goal came off of a broken play and scramble in front of Sexsmith.
The Giants broke the game wide-open in the second as they scored 5 goals to the Cougars 1. Neil Manning ripped a wicked point shot past Armstrong early in the middle frame to start the onslaught. The Cougars Brett Connolly tied it up when a Cougar player ran a Giants player into Sexsmith completely taking him out of the play. The puck trickled in and the ref behind the net (Matt Kirk, of course) called it a goal. I’m still of the belief that whether an opposing player runs the goalie down or forces the defending player into him, it constitutes goalie interference, but Kirk, who is supposed to be the “official, didn’t see it that way.
The Giants regained their lead a couple of minutes later when Cunningham once again got a nice greasy goal going to the net, finding the rebound and putting it past Armstrong. Adam Basford and Craig Schira got the assists as the Giants had some seriously intense pressure going in the Cat’s zone, before getting the goal. Mid-way through the period the Giants opened up the flood gates notching another PP tally. Manning got his second of the night on a beautiful pinch play. Evander Kane ground it out of the side boards and got it to Garry Nunn who snapped the puck on net cutting across the slot. Manning skated in from the point and wired the loose puck past Armstrong, putting the G-Men up by two. The Vancouver squad did not stop there though as they capitalised on another man-advantage when new euro centre Mikhail Fisenko along the side boards fed Craig Schira at the point. Schira blasted the puck past Armstrong. A mere twenty seconds after that diminutive speedy forward Brendan Gallagher got his first of the season coming out from behind the net and finding a seam short side with a goal-line shot. Armstrong was pulled after that goal and young Ian Curtis was put between the pipes for the Cats. I was actually surprised Armstrong wasn’t pulled a goal or two earlier as he was not controlling his rebounds very well and the Giants were making him pay. That would be it for scoring in the second.
Almost mid-way in the third the Vancouver boys solved Curtis as they got a scrambly goal past him with some great tenacity and smart work by Kane. Kane was cutting behind the goal-line when he dished the puck out front into the goalie’s skates before going behind the net. Curtis was bowled over by his own player coming back to clear the loose puck. The puck stayed alive in the crease as a myriad of players swiped at it either trying to put it in the net or get it the hell out of the crease. Curtis made a few passive stops laying on his back as the puck pinballed around. Kane who had looped around the net and out front, cut back down the slot, found the loose puck and flipped it over a sprawled Curtis, through a forest of legs and skates to find the twine. Curtis was incensed and yapped at the ref after the goal but it stood, putting the Giants up 7-2. Dallas Jackson would get one past Sexsmith late in the game on the PP. Nunn got caught in no-mans land defending and the puck found its way to the point where Jackson ripped it past the Giants ‘tender.
The only fisticuffs of note ended up being a pretty good tilt for a player we wouldn’t think of as a fighter and although he is not really a fighter the fact that he hung in there and dropped the mitts without hesitation made more than few fans, as well as myself, sigh a bit of relief. The player in question was Casey Pierro-Zabotel who can be a bit of a floater at times and no on-one would accuse him of being intense, but he hung in there a long time taking and giving a few shots from Cougar defender Art Bidlevski. CPZ managed to get Bidlevski’s helmet off but lacked the killer instinct when he had his fist cocked and the other guy’s head down and vulnerable, but did not lay the coup de grace blow. In the end CPZ got the take down, but it was a feisty battle by both combatants which was pretty evenly fought, with Bidlevski getting the majority of fistal connections in the broohaha.
This years Giants are a fairly well-balanced team with some depth and dimension and a good mix of young up and comers and veterans. The blue-line boasts two twenty year olds and some marquee players in the making. They might lack that pure sniper, but could make up for it with some offensive depth a lot of fans didn’t think they’d have this season. Evander Kane looks to be the go-to offensive talent and this 17 yr old is only going to get better as he is discovering his range and watching him I feel that he could rival Brule as he gets more maturity and experience and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be sporting a C for this team sometime in not so distant future.
Some young guns like Adam Basford , JT Barnett and speedy Brendan Gallagher who continues to impress as he carries his 5’6” frame around like he’s 5’10” or more are battling for a spot on the squad. The young line tonight of Basford, Gallagher and James Henry was all speed tonight and gave the Cougars fits at times with their dangling abilities. Players like Craig Cunningham are showing their veteran stripes taking charge in games and really gutting it out, playing pure Don Hay Giants hockey. Lance Bouma is someone I am hoping finds another gear, a bit more intensity and clicks with the puck better, but I fear he might lack the vision which makes truly exceptional hockey players. Bouma seems to be surprised when he has the puck on his stick and although he tries things, he isn’t quite there yet. The Flames seem to see something though, so maybe he just needs a bit more seasoning under Hay to find that dominant power-forward lurking below the surface.
The Giants also picked up a couple of players in the euro draft this season who seem ready and able to play Giants hockey and under Don Hay they will only get better. Mikhail Fisenko is showing flashes of brilliance in the making and the 18 yr old is on the upswing. 17 year old Czech player Andrej Kudrna could really be a steal a year or two down the road as his vision and puck handling abilities are becoming readily apparent. He also has some serious speed under the hood and a great acceleration gear.
As with most years in Junior hockey the fans have to get used to a whole new raft of players and find new favourites, new whipping boys and surprising joys as the season progresses. The building blocks this season are very good and could be exceptional if the right chemistry develops between some of these line mates. One thing is for sure, if all the players continue to drink Hay’s koolaid they will all become better more well-rounded players in the end and that’s what Junior hockey is all about.
The Giants were 3 for 5 on the PP tonight while allowing the Cougars to go 2 for 6, a stat they would seriously like to adjust and oddly seems to be their only obvious weakness right now. They out shot the visitors 40-27 and out-scored them by 4. Don Hay has seemed to give the green light to his defensemen on the PP, and pretty much any time. With the blue-line corps we currently have and the instincts most them boast it seems to be a good thing to do, as the blue-line accounted for 3 of 7 in the scoring column tonight. The game tonight was the Giants first of three in three nights as they head six hours south for a game in Portland on Saturday and back to Chilliwack for an afternoon tilt on Sunday. The puck drops at 7pm and 5pm PST respectively, and this year the Giants can be heard on 650 CISL for all of their games with new play by play/ Giants media guy Dave Sheldon, as Joey has moved up to doing Canucks broadcasts. No more of that surfing the dial to find a feed on this night and a web feed on that night and remembering which day they are on this station, ad-nauseum.
It could prove to be a really good season, so enjoy and come out to some games if you don’t have seasons tickets or a package already. Its always great hockey.
Three Stars
1 Craig Cunningham
2 Neil Manning
3 Craig Schira