dondo
10-17-2009, 01:36 AM
A dominant game by the G's versus a struggling Cougar squad missing two of their top offensive cogs from their line-up. back-up Michael Salmon got spanked, before being replaced by James Preistner in the first. Cunningham, Gallagher and Bouma all had great nights tonight and Connauton showed how he could use his creative versatility to help out his team. Brendan Jensen got the goose-egg turning away minimal shots, but had to make a few key stops to earn the blank sheet.
Giants Crush Cougars
Vancouver 8 Prince George 0
Don Robinson
It wasn’t even close tonight as the Giants dominated the Cougars at both ends of the ice, shift after shift. Craig Cunningham notched two and a helper leading his team to a convincing victory, which started with the Giants scoring 4 unanswered in the first and then two in each of the other two periods, completing the rout. The Cougars were reeling and showing their vulnerability with two of their top forwards out of the line-up. Back-up 16 year old Brendan Jensen wasn’t busy, but had to make a few key stops to preserve his goose-egg. Two of the, first period total, three shots against him happened to be breakaways. He had to shut down a penalty shot later when the refs lost their freaking mind calling a tap on the ankle, with the player in question getting a solid shot on net, a penalty shot. The player didn’t even go down, or really was obstructed as far as I could see. Zebras were seriously challenged tonight and should lose their orange stripes as far as I am concerned, so many cheap and out and out wrong calls.
Back-up Michael Salmon started between the pipes for the Cougars and I bet he wished he hadn’t. He allowed four goals on 11 shots and looked a bit ugly at times. Not that the goals weren’t good, but he did not look comfortably in a pocket at any point in time it seemed. Salmon got smoked by Craig Cunningham, beat high top corner by the feisty forward on a short-handed break-away. Jensen got the only assist. Cunningham scored another one a couple of minutes later with a very patient move. Lance Bouma and Mitch Spooner keeping the puck in the zone got the puck to Cunningham at the side boards. Cunningham stick-handled across the crease and patiently held the puck, deking the poke check and flipping it past Salmon on his back-hand. Brendan Gallagher was buzzing all night tonight and put home a loose puck past Salmon. Kevin Connauton and Cass Mappin did some excellent work down low to the get the puck to the net. Mid–period the Giants chased Salmon from the net with a PP goal. Neil Manning found the twine with a quick point shot. Originally called an unassisted tally the scorekeepers thought better when they realized that the goal came off of a won face-off. James Henry got the assist.
Don Hay chose to play his support players heavily for the rest of the period, giving guys like Scholten and a once again healthy Todd Kennedy some good minutes, including special teams time. I have to say that Kennedy played probably the best game I have ever seen him skate as a Giant. Some nice hits, good speed and looked dangerous at times. Cass Mappin also played his best game as a Giant that I have seen so far. Aggressive on the forecheck, yet not caught out of position. Rookie Nathan Burns looked good again and a fairly stable game from both Ryan Funk and Nolan Toigo. The line of Greg Lamoureaux, Burns and Mike Piluso had some good pressure tonight as well with their extra minutes.
The Giants padded their lead in the second when Kevin Connauton picked up the puck in his own end and went coast to coast rifling the puck far-side on James Priestner who had taken over for Salmon after the fourth goal. The puck went in and out, but was immediately called a goal by the officials and the red light. Scholten was proving his worth as a heavy weight by challenging, Alex Rodgers? Yes Alex Rodgers - who did okay, had he played that way here last season he might have been one of our OAs this year, but he didn’t and so he was throwing them with Brandon Scholten wearing a Cougar on his chest. In the end though Brandon got in the majority of shots and the take-down. With time ticking down in the middle frame, JT Barnett rediscovered his scoring touch finding a seam through Priestner. Mappin and David Musil got the helpers.
Lance Bouma got an odd one mid-third going to the net hard. Gallagher and Cunningham did some excellent work down low keeping the puck in the zone, working very hard to maintain possession, eventually getting the puck out front to Bouma in the slot. Bouma golfed one on the Cougar goalie and the puck went skyward. Everyone lost sight of the biscuit and then it came down and bounced into the net. The delay while the puck was in the air, was at least a full-second. The Giants ended the onslaught when their third liners, playing PP minutes, found the back of the net. Finishing off a beautiful scoring play was Mike Piluso who took a great bang, bang feed from a Lamoureaux shot, and pass to the open side from Burns at the top of the crease. A really nice tally that Priestner didn’t have a prayer to save. Late in the game the Cougars proved they still had some fight and pride when Scholten tangled with Jesse Forsberg, a better fight, but Scholten got Forsberg’s helmet off early and laid a beating on him, getting the take-down after an extended bout. Instigators were awarded for both fights, when it looked to me as if both situations were pretty mutual. Scholten got the big I for the first fight, while Forsberg got it for the second one. As I said before the reffing was sub-par at best and really lacked any consistency or thought.
The Giants out shot the Cats 52-15, ouch. The home squad went 2 for 7 on the PP, while the Cougars went 0 for 6. The Giants played a lot of their depth players tonight, giving important minutes to younger players, who did not disappoint in either effort or effect. The Giants played a complete game, probably for the first time this season, throughout their line-up. There were no passengers tonight and the Cougars had a couple of really good opportunities to break Jensen’s big O. For the most part the Giants dominated every category and the holes in the Cougars line-up looked gaping in the game. The forecheck was intense and the back-check had players hustling. At one point I saw Barnett lose an edge on his skate and then seriously hustle off the ice to change-over. That’s not only awareness, but a true team player.
The Giants cannot rest on their laurels tonight though and I expect that Hay will have the boys already focusing on tomorrow when the Tri-City Americans come to town. The Americans beat the Raiders tonight in Kennewick 4-1 and are riding the bus over-night to Vancouver for 7+ hours. They are a complete team and will prove a challenge to the Giants. Not a challenge the Giants can’t overcome with an all out effort like they had tonight, but a challenge all the same. Puck drops at the Coliseum at 7pm PDT. Should be a good one.
Three Stars
1. Craig Cunningham
2. Lance Bouma
3. Brendan Jensen
Giants Crush Cougars
Vancouver 8 Prince George 0
Don Robinson
It wasn’t even close tonight as the Giants dominated the Cougars at both ends of the ice, shift after shift. Craig Cunningham notched two and a helper leading his team to a convincing victory, which started with the Giants scoring 4 unanswered in the first and then two in each of the other two periods, completing the rout. The Cougars were reeling and showing their vulnerability with two of their top forwards out of the line-up. Back-up 16 year old Brendan Jensen wasn’t busy, but had to make a few key stops to preserve his goose-egg. Two of the, first period total, three shots against him happened to be breakaways. He had to shut down a penalty shot later when the refs lost their freaking mind calling a tap on the ankle, with the player in question getting a solid shot on net, a penalty shot. The player didn’t even go down, or really was obstructed as far as I could see. Zebras were seriously challenged tonight and should lose their orange stripes as far as I am concerned, so many cheap and out and out wrong calls.
Back-up Michael Salmon started between the pipes for the Cougars and I bet he wished he hadn’t. He allowed four goals on 11 shots and looked a bit ugly at times. Not that the goals weren’t good, but he did not look comfortably in a pocket at any point in time it seemed. Salmon got smoked by Craig Cunningham, beat high top corner by the feisty forward on a short-handed break-away. Jensen got the only assist. Cunningham scored another one a couple of minutes later with a very patient move. Lance Bouma and Mitch Spooner keeping the puck in the zone got the puck to Cunningham at the side boards. Cunningham stick-handled across the crease and patiently held the puck, deking the poke check and flipping it past Salmon on his back-hand. Brendan Gallagher was buzzing all night tonight and put home a loose puck past Salmon. Kevin Connauton and Cass Mappin did some excellent work down low to the get the puck to the net. Mid–period the Giants chased Salmon from the net with a PP goal. Neil Manning found the twine with a quick point shot. Originally called an unassisted tally the scorekeepers thought better when they realized that the goal came off of a won face-off. James Henry got the assist.
Don Hay chose to play his support players heavily for the rest of the period, giving guys like Scholten and a once again healthy Todd Kennedy some good minutes, including special teams time. I have to say that Kennedy played probably the best game I have ever seen him skate as a Giant. Some nice hits, good speed and looked dangerous at times. Cass Mappin also played his best game as a Giant that I have seen so far. Aggressive on the forecheck, yet not caught out of position. Rookie Nathan Burns looked good again and a fairly stable game from both Ryan Funk and Nolan Toigo. The line of Greg Lamoureaux, Burns and Mike Piluso had some good pressure tonight as well with their extra minutes.
The Giants padded their lead in the second when Kevin Connauton picked up the puck in his own end and went coast to coast rifling the puck far-side on James Priestner who had taken over for Salmon after the fourth goal. The puck went in and out, but was immediately called a goal by the officials and the red light. Scholten was proving his worth as a heavy weight by challenging, Alex Rodgers? Yes Alex Rodgers - who did okay, had he played that way here last season he might have been one of our OAs this year, but he didn’t and so he was throwing them with Brandon Scholten wearing a Cougar on his chest. In the end though Brandon got in the majority of shots and the take-down. With time ticking down in the middle frame, JT Barnett rediscovered his scoring touch finding a seam through Priestner. Mappin and David Musil got the helpers.
Lance Bouma got an odd one mid-third going to the net hard. Gallagher and Cunningham did some excellent work down low keeping the puck in the zone, working very hard to maintain possession, eventually getting the puck out front to Bouma in the slot. Bouma golfed one on the Cougar goalie and the puck went skyward. Everyone lost sight of the biscuit and then it came down and bounced into the net. The delay while the puck was in the air, was at least a full-second. The Giants ended the onslaught when their third liners, playing PP minutes, found the back of the net. Finishing off a beautiful scoring play was Mike Piluso who took a great bang, bang feed from a Lamoureaux shot, and pass to the open side from Burns at the top of the crease. A really nice tally that Priestner didn’t have a prayer to save. Late in the game the Cougars proved they still had some fight and pride when Scholten tangled with Jesse Forsberg, a better fight, but Scholten got Forsberg’s helmet off early and laid a beating on him, getting the take-down after an extended bout. Instigators were awarded for both fights, when it looked to me as if both situations were pretty mutual. Scholten got the big I for the first fight, while Forsberg got it for the second one. As I said before the reffing was sub-par at best and really lacked any consistency or thought.
The Giants out shot the Cats 52-15, ouch. The home squad went 2 for 7 on the PP, while the Cougars went 0 for 6. The Giants played a lot of their depth players tonight, giving important minutes to younger players, who did not disappoint in either effort or effect. The Giants played a complete game, probably for the first time this season, throughout their line-up. There were no passengers tonight and the Cougars had a couple of really good opportunities to break Jensen’s big O. For the most part the Giants dominated every category and the holes in the Cougars line-up looked gaping in the game. The forecheck was intense and the back-check had players hustling. At one point I saw Barnett lose an edge on his skate and then seriously hustle off the ice to change-over. That’s not only awareness, but a true team player.
The Giants cannot rest on their laurels tonight though and I expect that Hay will have the boys already focusing on tomorrow when the Tri-City Americans come to town. The Americans beat the Raiders tonight in Kennewick 4-1 and are riding the bus over-night to Vancouver for 7+ hours. They are a complete team and will prove a challenge to the Giants. Not a challenge the Giants can’t overcome with an all out effort like they had tonight, but a challenge all the same. Puck drops at the Coliseum at 7pm PDT. Should be a good one.
Three Stars
1. Craig Cunningham
2. Lance Bouma
3. Brendan Jensen