dondo
09-20-2009, 10:55 PM
I got frightened at the beginning of the game as Jensen looked shaky to start and the boys were still playing (period 4 of) last nights game in some sick twilight zone episode. They came out sluggish and soft. They improved throughout the period despite being scored upon and in the second exploded with creating chances. The line of Bouma, Cunningham and Barnett were great tonight as was Gallagher who continues to impress me with his durability and drive for such a small guy. great hands too -- beauty pass to pen the scoring for the Giants and solid when taking face-offs. It was really nice to see this team show up.
Giants Thump Thunderbirds
Vancouver 4 Seattle 2
Don Robinson
The opening frame felt as if the Giants were still dragging Saturdays game on their backs. They came out sluggish and sloppy and had a tough time gaining the Seattle blue-line, just how they finished the final two periods versus the Tips. To make matters worse Seattle scored an ugly goal on rookie netminder Brendan Jensen late in the first to give the Thunderbirds even more of a lift. Calvin Pickard was good early for the T-Birds turning away any chances the Giants got in the opening stanza. The reffing tonight was also absolutely BrutAAL, missing big things and calling the smallest infraction seemingly on a whim. Almost lucky to down by only one after the first, the Giants regrouped in a big way in the second. They upped their energy, intensity and forecheck and began to pressure the puck better. The Thunderbirds, however, took advantage of a neutral zone give-away taking the puck in on Jensen. Nolan Toigo misplayed blocking the cross crease pass and the puck was rippling twine. The Giants would get that back a few minutes later when Brendan Gallagher made a beautiful tape to tape pass to Sebastian Svendsen standing on the doorstep. It was the Giants newest euro’s first WHL goal.
Jensen was very solid down low, got a couple of lucky breaks and some quick whistles, but found his way into the game, giving the home town boys a chance to get back into the game. Which they did. Later that period Lance Bouma was trying to find JT Barnett in front of the net, but his pass went in off a Seattle defender and up and over Pickard, scoring on the PP – a nice fake shot and drift pass over to Bouma by Manning helped the play greatly. The second would end tied at 2’s with the Giants holding the momentum. The Giants continued to pressure in the third, but the T-Birds weren’t about to fold as they upped their game as well. It was Giants who got the goal which shifted momentum even further in their direction. Early in the third Manning scored a PP marker which found its way through traffic for an unassisted tally and later Barnett who had been driving the net all night, was finally rewarded off of a Bouma rebound, scoring his third of the young season. The Giants held on to get the convincing win.
Kevin Connauton simplified his game and kept his forays to a minimum which put his fellow players at ease and made for better puck-movement, getting him two assists in the contest. The young guns played very well tonight as Hay dressed 8 D and had Zach Hodder and Mitch Spooner up front. I have to say that Spooner looked better as a forward than he has as a D-man, used his body better and forechecked well. I could take Hodder at either end of the ice as he’s got wheels and a nose for the net for a defenseman. The young players did not look out of place and the boys were mostly past their bout with either flu or food-poisoning which apparently plagued them a bit last night. Great work by David Musil on the back-end and Nathan Burns who brought a nice physical energy to the fore and some skilled puck-handling abilities. Greg Lamoureux had his best game as a Giant so far.
It felt as if Hay shortened his bench in the second when the Giants were down, but in the third everybody played. I guess its baby steps with Andrej Kudrna who has probably the greatest pure skill of any player on the team, but lacks the drive and battle to make himself a core player. He’s learning, but man its slow. Its like a giant leap forward and seventy-two tiny steps back to almost the beginning. It’s frustrating to watch at times as I know what he’s capable of accomplishing, but I still for some reason have a soft spot for him. He and Svendsen are both 18 year olds this season. Brendan Jensen looked a bit shaky in his first official WHL game, but as the game wore on got better and looked more solid. He’s not going to steal any games at this point, but he kept his team in there and they rewarded him with a victory.
The Giants out shot the T-Birds 39-24, escalating their shots in the second. The T-birds matched the G-Men shot for shot in the final frame. The Giants held the Thunderbirds to 0 for 5 on the PP, while potting 2 for 6 on their man-advantages. The Giants are bound to be an inconsistent group to start the season, but should firm up as the new players get Hay’s systems ingrained instinctively. Jamie Tucker needs a few good starts where he doesn’t allow poor goals to gain some confidence at being the starter. That’s not saying back to back shut-outs, although it would be nice, but solid play and only being beat by quality shots as he cannot continue to allow soft goals due to poor positioning get past him and hope to have any confidence building.
The Giants have the week to heal up and get all the new players and returning NHL prospects on the same page. James Wright should be back from Tampa Bay at the end of the week and in the line-up versus the Cougars come Friday. Players like Connauton will get a refresher on Giants hockey and how to use his creativity within the systems in place. The boys should be better prepared to take on Prince George as a whole and the young guns will continue to get their chances to become more than just role players on the team. Puck drops @ 7:30 pm PDT at the Coliseum on Friday Sept 25, 2009, for the Vancouver Giants magnetic schedule night.
Three Stars
1. Lance Bouma
2. Neil Manning
3. Kevin Connauton
Giants Thump Thunderbirds
Vancouver 4 Seattle 2
Don Robinson
The opening frame felt as if the Giants were still dragging Saturdays game on their backs. They came out sluggish and sloppy and had a tough time gaining the Seattle blue-line, just how they finished the final two periods versus the Tips. To make matters worse Seattle scored an ugly goal on rookie netminder Brendan Jensen late in the first to give the Thunderbirds even more of a lift. Calvin Pickard was good early for the T-Birds turning away any chances the Giants got in the opening stanza. The reffing tonight was also absolutely BrutAAL, missing big things and calling the smallest infraction seemingly on a whim. Almost lucky to down by only one after the first, the Giants regrouped in a big way in the second. They upped their energy, intensity and forecheck and began to pressure the puck better. The Thunderbirds, however, took advantage of a neutral zone give-away taking the puck in on Jensen. Nolan Toigo misplayed blocking the cross crease pass and the puck was rippling twine. The Giants would get that back a few minutes later when Brendan Gallagher made a beautiful tape to tape pass to Sebastian Svendsen standing on the doorstep. It was the Giants newest euro’s first WHL goal.
Jensen was very solid down low, got a couple of lucky breaks and some quick whistles, but found his way into the game, giving the home town boys a chance to get back into the game. Which they did. Later that period Lance Bouma was trying to find JT Barnett in front of the net, but his pass went in off a Seattle defender and up and over Pickard, scoring on the PP – a nice fake shot and drift pass over to Bouma by Manning helped the play greatly. The second would end tied at 2’s with the Giants holding the momentum. The Giants continued to pressure in the third, but the T-Birds weren’t about to fold as they upped their game as well. It was Giants who got the goal which shifted momentum even further in their direction. Early in the third Manning scored a PP marker which found its way through traffic for an unassisted tally and later Barnett who had been driving the net all night, was finally rewarded off of a Bouma rebound, scoring his third of the young season. The Giants held on to get the convincing win.
Kevin Connauton simplified his game and kept his forays to a minimum which put his fellow players at ease and made for better puck-movement, getting him two assists in the contest. The young guns played very well tonight as Hay dressed 8 D and had Zach Hodder and Mitch Spooner up front. I have to say that Spooner looked better as a forward than he has as a D-man, used his body better and forechecked well. I could take Hodder at either end of the ice as he’s got wheels and a nose for the net for a defenseman. The young players did not look out of place and the boys were mostly past their bout with either flu or food-poisoning which apparently plagued them a bit last night. Great work by David Musil on the back-end and Nathan Burns who brought a nice physical energy to the fore and some skilled puck-handling abilities. Greg Lamoureux had his best game as a Giant so far.
It felt as if Hay shortened his bench in the second when the Giants were down, but in the third everybody played. I guess its baby steps with Andrej Kudrna who has probably the greatest pure skill of any player on the team, but lacks the drive and battle to make himself a core player. He’s learning, but man its slow. Its like a giant leap forward and seventy-two tiny steps back to almost the beginning. It’s frustrating to watch at times as I know what he’s capable of accomplishing, but I still for some reason have a soft spot for him. He and Svendsen are both 18 year olds this season. Brendan Jensen looked a bit shaky in his first official WHL game, but as the game wore on got better and looked more solid. He’s not going to steal any games at this point, but he kept his team in there and they rewarded him with a victory.
The Giants out shot the T-Birds 39-24, escalating their shots in the second. The T-birds matched the G-Men shot for shot in the final frame. The Giants held the Thunderbirds to 0 for 5 on the PP, while potting 2 for 6 on their man-advantages. The Giants are bound to be an inconsistent group to start the season, but should firm up as the new players get Hay’s systems ingrained instinctively. Jamie Tucker needs a few good starts where he doesn’t allow poor goals to gain some confidence at being the starter. That’s not saying back to back shut-outs, although it would be nice, but solid play and only being beat by quality shots as he cannot continue to allow soft goals due to poor positioning get past him and hope to have any confidence building.
The Giants have the week to heal up and get all the new players and returning NHL prospects on the same page. James Wright should be back from Tampa Bay at the end of the week and in the line-up versus the Cougars come Friday. Players like Connauton will get a refresher on Giants hockey and how to use his creativity within the systems in place. The boys should be better prepared to take on Prince George as a whole and the young guns will continue to get their chances to become more than just role players on the team. Puck drops @ 7:30 pm PDT at the Coliseum on Friday Sept 25, 2009, for the Vancouver Giants magnetic schedule night.
Three Stars
1. Lance Bouma
2. Neil Manning
3. Kevin Connauton