dondo
11-14-2009, 02:27 AM
The refs threatened to destroy this game, but probably made it a bit more interesting pushing the frustration levels of the players as they let a lot of stuff go while calling ticky-tack crap. The Smith and Smith show thankfully did not derail an exciting game and the large contingent of fans were into it from the drop of the puck. It's easier to take that crap when your team is killing penalties well and working hard. The Giants picked away making their early PPs work for them and then scoring two quick ones to put the game farther out of reach in the second. They kept up the same pressure in the third. The game ended with a lively line-brawl. All in all a good way to spend a Friday night.
Giants Quell Rebels
Vancouver 4 Red Deer 1
Don Robinson
Friday the 13th was not an unlucky night for the G’s. James Henry tallied two tonight, making that 13 points in the last 13 games for the energetic and determined forward. The game got very close to being the Smith and Smith show when the two zebras spent the first period ignoring real penalties and calling invisible ones. They truly were jokes tonight, but the Giants battled through their idiocy to get the win. The only goal the Rebels got came 5 on 3, when Tucker was given two consecutive penalties for delay of game. The first was called for his failing to play the puck when he had a Red Deer player jamming away at his glove. What? The second came during the penalty kill when he threw the puck out of the rink. Don Hay said after the fact that maybe it’ll teach Tucker not to freeze the puck when there’s no-one around. However, in this case the ref was motioning for Tucker to play the puck as the Red Deer player was actively trying to get it loose. Another time it might have been the correct call, but at that moment it was head-scratchingly idiotic. The game was a pretty feisty battle most of the night, with minimal cheap shots but lots of big checks. I think the Giants D played their best game as a unit to date. They were clearing the puck extremely well from in front of Tucker, and kept very good position on the Rebels.
The scoring all came from Giants (or former Giants) tonight as Andrej Kudrna was the only Rebel to put the puck past Tucker. The goal came 13:32 into the first on the afore-mentioned ridiculous call. Henry got his first of the game just over four minutes later on the Giants first PP of the game after weathering four straight against. Milan Kytnar and Neil Manning did some excellent work keeping the puck in the zone, with Kytnar making a sweet pass to Henry on the open side. Both teams had their chances, both Tucker and Darcy Kuemper had some luck tonight and both ‘tenders teams D bailed them out. The game was a bit closer than the score indicates, but the Giants did carry the play most of the night, were dominant on the forecheck, and intense in their own end of the ice. Best game from Ryan Funk and Nolan Toigo to date for me personally to see. Connauton seems to be drinking the Don Hay Kool-Aid and looks to be getting this whole two-way game thing and young David Musil is a freaking rock.
The G’s special teams clicked again at 13:13 of the second when Brendan Gallagher put home a rebound, reaching for the puck and managing to spin and fire into the net. Craig Cunningham and Kevin Connauton, with a very savvy low wrist shot through traffic came off the pads and out to the open side, got the helpers. 19 seconds later the Giants struck again putting the boot to the Rebels. Henry notched his second when Toigo put it up to Piluso who took a nice hard low shot getting a huge rebound off of Kuemper’s pads for Henry to pot. Not long after that Ferguson and Funk dropped the mitts while the Giants were killing a penalty. It looked to be a decent bout with Funk getting body shots in early but losing the decision when Ferguson got his hand loose and threw some big punches before getting Funk’s jersey over his head and the take-down.
The Giants continued the pressure in the third still bringing the fore-check hard and heavy and hustling back on D when the puck got turned around. Lane Scheidl did some great work keeping the puck in the Rebels zone. JT Barnett took it out of the corner and drove the net slipping it between Kuemper’s pads from a bad angle. The penalty doors opened a few minutes later as the Rebels were given several consecutive penalties when the zebras tried to even up their stat sheet by calling the Rebels for what they had been doing all game. While down 5 on 3 with another player on deck for his penalty, all hell broke loose as a Rebel cross-check lead to a line brawl. The Rebels goalie even got involved, garnering a double minor for roughing. Connauton, Lamoureaux and Scheidl all battled, with Cowen, Morin and Petrovic. Each of the Giants got their take-down, but the fights were a bit ugly as the players were punching each other when they were down, as the linesmen scrambled to stop them. It was actually pretty good to see the Rebels sending a message with the fights as frustration levels had reached an apex and with 6 seconds left, why the hell not. I’m willing to bet the folks that left with three minutes to go are kicking themselves now. This, my dear friends, is why you never leave a game early. I stay for the three stars every game, but I think that if you want to see a hockey game then stay in your seats for the whole show. A lop-sided score does not always mean a predictable finish.
The Giants out shot the Rebels 43-23. The G’s were 2 for 6 on the PP, while the Rebels went 1 for 8. The Giants other 16 year old D Zach Hodder took a puck or stick to what looked like the face in the first and left the ice. I don’t know what exactly happened, but I saw a lot more of Dillon Scholten after that and don’t think I saw Hodder again. As said before the D were excellent tonight, making smart plays and playing well at both ends of the ice. I still don’t think that Funk and Toigo are bringing the kind of game I expect from a 20 yr old, but it’s clear they are improving and I have to say this is the first game that the D have won for the team. Tucker was down and out a few times as the Rebels had their chances, but the Giants D were the heroes in the end.
The Giants have a day off before taking on the Seattle T-Birds on Sunday at the Coliseum. The T-Birds toasted the Blazers tonight 7-4. The Birds take on Everett tomorrow night so should be suitably tired coming into Vancouver. This is Vancouver’s first chance at winning four straight. As is usual on Sundays the puck drops at 5pm.
Three Stars
1. James Henry
2. Kevin Connauton
3. David Musil
Giants Quell Rebels
Vancouver 4 Red Deer 1
Don Robinson
Friday the 13th was not an unlucky night for the G’s. James Henry tallied two tonight, making that 13 points in the last 13 games for the energetic and determined forward. The game got very close to being the Smith and Smith show when the two zebras spent the first period ignoring real penalties and calling invisible ones. They truly were jokes tonight, but the Giants battled through their idiocy to get the win. The only goal the Rebels got came 5 on 3, when Tucker was given two consecutive penalties for delay of game. The first was called for his failing to play the puck when he had a Red Deer player jamming away at his glove. What? The second came during the penalty kill when he threw the puck out of the rink. Don Hay said after the fact that maybe it’ll teach Tucker not to freeze the puck when there’s no-one around. However, in this case the ref was motioning for Tucker to play the puck as the Red Deer player was actively trying to get it loose. Another time it might have been the correct call, but at that moment it was head-scratchingly idiotic. The game was a pretty feisty battle most of the night, with minimal cheap shots but lots of big checks. I think the Giants D played their best game as a unit to date. They were clearing the puck extremely well from in front of Tucker, and kept very good position on the Rebels.
The scoring all came from Giants (or former Giants) tonight as Andrej Kudrna was the only Rebel to put the puck past Tucker. The goal came 13:32 into the first on the afore-mentioned ridiculous call. Henry got his first of the game just over four minutes later on the Giants first PP of the game after weathering four straight against. Milan Kytnar and Neil Manning did some excellent work keeping the puck in the zone, with Kytnar making a sweet pass to Henry on the open side. Both teams had their chances, both Tucker and Darcy Kuemper had some luck tonight and both ‘tenders teams D bailed them out. The game was a bit closer than the score indicates, but the Giants did carry the play most of the night, were dominant on the forecheck, and intense in their own end of the ice. Best game from Ryan Funk and Nolan Toigo to date for me personally to see. Connauton seems to be drinking the Don Hay Kool-Aid and looks to be getting this whole two-way game thing and young David Musil is a freaking rock.
The G’s special teams clicked again at 13:13 of the second when Brendan Gallagher put home a rebound, reaching for the puck and managing to spin and fire into the net. Craig Cunningham and Kevin Connauton, with a very savvy low wrist shot through traffic came off the pads and out to the open side, got the helpers. 19 seconds later the Giants struck again putting the boot to the Rebels. Henry notched his second when Toigo put it up to Piluso who took a nice hard low shot getting a huge rebound off of Kuemper’s pads for Henry to pot. Not long after that Ferguson and Funk dropped the mitts while the Giants were killing a penalty. It looked to be a decent bout with Funk getting body shots in early but losing the decision when Ferguson got his hand loose and threw some big punches before getting Funk’s jersey over his head and the take-down.
The Giants continued the pressure in the third still bringing the fore-check hard and heavy and hustling back on D when the puck got turned around. Lane Scheidl did some great work keeping the puck in the Rebels zone. JT Barnett took it out of the corner and drove the net slipping it between Kuemper’s pads from a bad angle. The penalty doors opened a few minutes later as the Rebels were given several consecutive penalties when the zebras tried to even up their stat sheet by calling the Rebels for what they had been doing all game. While down 5 on 3 with another player on deck for his penalty, all hell broke loose as a Rebel cross-check lead to a line brawl. The Rebels goalie even got involved, garnering a double minor for roughing. Connauton, Lamoureaux and Scheidl all battled, with Cowen, Morin and Petrovic. Each of the Giants got their take-down, but the fights were a bit ugly as the players were punching each other when they were down, as the linesmen scrambled to stop them. It was actually pretty good to see the Rebels sending a message with the fights as frustration levels had reached an apex and with 6 seconds left, why the hell not. I’m willing to bet the folks that left with three minutes to go are kicking themselves now. This, my dear friends, is why you never leave a game early. I stay for the three stars every game, but I think that if you want to see a hockey game then stay in your seats for the whole show. A lop-sided score does not always mean a predictable finish.
The Giants out shot the Rebels 43-23. The G’s were 2 for 6 on the PP, while the Rebels went 1 for 8. The Giants other 16 year old D Zach Hodder took a puck or stick to what looked like the face in the first and left the ice. I don’t know what exactly happened, but I saw a lot more of Dillon Scholten after that and don’t think I saw Hodder again. As said before the D were excellent tonight, making smart plays and playing well at both ends of the ice. I still don’t think that Funk and Toigo are bringing the kind of game I expect from a 20 yr old, but it’s clear they are improving and I have to say this is the first game that the D have won for the team. Tucker was down and out a few times as the Rebels had their chances, but the Giants D were the heroes in the end.
The Giants have a day off before taking on the Seattle T-Birds on Sunday at the Coliseum. The T-Birds toasted the Blazers tonight 7-4. The Birds take on Everett tomorrow night so should be suitably tired coming into Vancouver. This is Vancouver’s first chance at winning four straight. As is usual on Sundays the puck drops at 5pm.
Three Stars
1. James Henry
2. Kevin Connauton
3. David Musil