dondo
01-03-2010, 02:22 AM
Its always a shame when the antics of a pest become the main story in what was essentially a very well-played tight checking game. I felt the reffing was alright until they got suckered and then it went downhill very quickly. The Chiefs played a tight defensively responsible game and the Giants came out a lot better and a lot better organized than they did in their disaster game versus the Cougars where to a man they sucked. The tone was sent early and the game was close and hard with both teams barely giving an inch on the ice. The second was a bit of a gong show, but all in all despite losing it was entertaining hockey.
Chiefs Fool Giants
Vancouver 1 Spokane 2
Don Robinson
It was a great, tightly played hockey game with a clown show in the middle, with the class clown being the usual suspect. No matter who he plays for Kyle Bea(t)ch manages to fool the refs with his coarse acting and the most unsportsmanlike manner and demeanour of any other player in the dub. The refs bought the act and others like it hook, line and sinker, allowing themselves to be played for fools in the process. The teams came out feisty, throwing down a couple of times in the first, setting the tone for the game. The Giants opened the scoring in this one playing hard in first. The Chiefs were able to get one back before the end of the opening frame. The second was gong show of mammoth proportions as the refs let the game get out of hand and were lead down the garden path by their nose. It lead to the Chiefs tallying one on the PP to take the lead, one they would not relinquish. The Giants pressed hard in the third, but the Chiefs sat back and defended their lead well and were rescued more than a few times by their usual back-up Michael Tadjdeh when the going got tough. The Chiefs were able to hold onto their one goal lead until the final whistle.
In the first shift of the game Lance Bouma and Beatch threw down early with Kyle waving his fingers tauntingly at Bouma before getting handily beat down, failing to get even one shot in before going to the ice. Dillon Scholten and Corbin Baldwin also fought early on to what could only be described as a draw. Both players got their shots in and both stayed on their feet trading blows until they were broken up. The Giants tallied one on the PP, when Craig Cunningham off of some great work along the boards, got the puck to Kevin Connauton at the point. Connauton threaded one through traffic and Brendan Gallagher snuck what would prove to be a rare rebound past Tadjdeh. The Chiefs got the puck past Jamie Tucker, who was his usual active self, when Mitch Wahl picked the far corner from the left face-off dot. The two teams played a pretty tight first, trading chances but never really looking very dangerous. The two goalies were solid.
The second was played much the same way, until just past the mid-way mark when JT Barnett stuck up for his team-mate who was at the wrong end of boarding infraction. Barnett got the instigator wiping out the checking from behind penalty and putting the boys 4 on 4. Lance Bouma was later picked and pushed into the Chiefs goalie and he and Baldwin threw down briefly. Bouma got the goalie interference and Baldwin the instigator. This set the stage for multiple roughings as the boys went hard to one another’s net. Then in a play that no-one in the arena, or in the broadcast booth or even seemingly on the bench actually saw happen -- a Chief player was suddenly on one knee like he had ruptured his spleen. Can you guess who the player was? Yup. The infamous Beatch, a very talented player that even the talent-starved Lethbridge Hurricanes could not abide to have in their dressing room. One has to wonder why what I considered to be a pretty classy franchise would pick up such a head-case as this. One also has to wonder why the league seems to be content to cater to every one of his whims. Beatch was of course out the very next shift, after holding his belly and rolling around on the ice as if he had been eviscerated for several minutes, drawing a bogus 4 minute double minor for a spear that apparently no-one actually saw. This put the Chiefs on the PP. Then the Chiefs got a boarding call go their way on David Musil during the ensuing man-advantage, putting the Giants down by two men. The zebras then tried to make up for that by calling a couple of penalties they ignored earlier in the game, but the damage had been done, they were already made fools of and the game was out of their hands.
The Chiefs scored on the ensuing 4 on 3, which is what it eventually became, with Jared Spurgeon getting a nice low shot to go post and in on a screened Tucker. Unfortunately that ended up being more of the story of the game. Beatch was given a 10 min misconduct late in the period when he came in late yapping away and the refs were aching to call him on something like that for embarrassing them, so they did. The Giants did well to weather the rest of the advantages against, but allowed themselves to be drawn into the kind of game they should have been able to avoid.
In the third the Chiefs sat back and the Giants pressed hard. The Spokane squad was fortunate that their goalie was so solid in this period as the strategy could easily have backfired. The whistles remained in the pockets until late in the period, as they refused to blow the whistle when a very extended holding of the puck and not moving it was occurring in the Giants end of the ice by the Chiefs. That lead to a Giants player finally giving the player a shot to squirt the puck loose and a very unnecessary roughing call was made. The G’s out-shot the Chiefs in the third 15-4, while it was the Chiefs who out-shot the Giants in the second 18-11. Tadjdeh had to be very good late in the game when the Giants were keeping the puck in the Chiefs zone and pressuring the front of the net. The Chiefs being a very solid team in their own end, allowed Tadjdeh to see the majority of shots and always seemed to have a player between the Giants attackers and the net. They played a very good close checking game.
The Giants out-shot the Chiefs 36-28. the home squad went 1 for 4, while the visitors went 1 for 6. I personally didn’t mind the reffing, until they became suckers and then it went south quickly. I also wasn’t terribly impressed with the lack of some calls in the third, but whatever its part of the game. The gong show they actively facilitated is not. Other than that it was good game, solid hockey, committed players battling hard at both ends of the ice, lots of chances and some good emotion.
I also have to applaud Don Hay for his post-game interview where he out and out called a spade a spade, fingering Beach as a phony player, who is known throughout the league for these kinds of antics. The most telling was that he was saying that Beach had so much talent that if he would just stop playing that kind of game he could easily be an elite player. From my perspective, the Blackhawks have inherited a head-case who will either be the most hated player in the NHL, or crap out off the bat, neither of which are desirable. I really hate that once again I have been forced to talk about this waste of a jersey due to the league catering to his antics. My personal favourite moment of last season, was when Chris Bruton playing for the Spokane Chiefs, cold-cocked Beatch after he poked him. The video and commentary was the absolute best. Yes, I am not a fan of him and am very biased against him as I truly believe this is kind of player that is killing the hockey we all knew and loved and has been high-jacked by whiny “pests”, who could use a great bloody beat down every time they pull their crap, but mostly refs who don’t fall for their tricks.
The Giants have one more at home, before they have to take to the road for a few extended road trips. It could be a blessing in disguise as these team is in desperate need of an identity away from home and bring their best game to other’s arena. Because of the Olympics they have played far too many games at home this fall and I believe its starting to take its toll. The Rockets come to town tomorrow and the Giants will hoping to end their home stand on a high note before taking to the road. Tonight’s game was a grand step in the right direction after failing to show up versus the Cougars in anyway whatsoever. The puck drops, as it usually does on Sundays, at 5pm and the house is going to be packed.
Three Stars
1. Michael Tadjdeh
2. Craig Cunningham
3. Mitch Wahl
Chiefs Fool Giants
Vancouver 1 Spokane 2
Don Robinson
It was a great, tightly played hockey game with a clown show in the middle, with the class clown being the usual suspect. No matter who he plays for Kyle Bea(t)ch manages to fool the refs with his coarse acting and the most unsportsmanlike manner and demeanour of any other player in the dub. The refs bought the act and others like it hook, line and sinker, allowing themselves to be played for fools in the process. The teams came out feisty, throwing down a couple of times in the first, setting the tone for the game. The Giants opened the scoring in this one playing hard in first. The Chiefs were able to get one back before the end of the opening frame. The second was gong show of mammoth proportions as the refs let the game get out of hand and were lead down the garden path by their nose. It lead to the Chiefs tallying one on the PP to take the lead, one they would not relinquish. The Giants pressed hard in the third, but the Chiefs sat back and defended their lead well and were rescued more than a few times by their usual back-up Michael Tadjdeh when the going got tough. The Chiefs were able to hold onto their one goal lead until the final whistle.
In the first shift of the game Lance Bouma and Beatch threw down early with Kyle waving his fingers tauntingly at Bouma before getting handily beat down, failing to get even one shot in before going to the ice. Dillon Scholten and Corbin Baldwin also fought early on to what could only be described as a draw. Both players got their shots in and both stayed on their feet trading blows until they were broken up. The Giants tallied one on the PP, when Craig Cunningham off of some great work along the boards, got the puck to Kevin Connauton at the point. Connauton threaded one through traffic and Brendan Gallagher snuck what would prove to be a rare rebound past Tadjdeh. The Chiefs got the puck past Jamie Tucker, who was his usual active self, when Mitch Wahl picked the far corner from the left face-off dot. The two teams played a pretty tight first, trading chances but never really looking very dangerous. The two goalies were solid.
The second was played much the same way, until just past the mid-way mark when JT Barnett stuck up for his team-mate who was at the wrong end of boarding infraction. Barnett got the instigator wiping out the checking from behind penalty and putting the boys 4 on 4. Lance Bouma was later picked and pushed into the Chiefs goalie and he and Baldwin threw down briefly. Bouma got the goalie interference and Baldwin the instigator. This set the stage for multiple roughings as the boys went hard to one another’s net. Then in a play that no-one in the arena, or in the broadcast booth or even seemingly on the bench actually saw happen -- a Chief player was suddenly on one knee like he had ruptured his spleen. Can you guess who the player was? Yup. The infamous Beatch, a very talented player that even the talent-starved Lethbridge Hurricanes could not abide to have in their dressing room. One has to wonder why what I considered to be a pretty classy franchise would pick up such a head-case as this. One also has to wonder why the league seems to be content to cater to every one of his whims. Beatch was of course out the very next shift, after holding his belly and rolling around on the ice as if he had been eviscerated for several minutes, drawing a bogus 4 minute double minor for a spear that apparently no-one actually saw. This put the Chiefs on the PP. Then the Chiefs got a boarding call go their way on David Musil during the ensuing man-advantage, putting the Giants down by two men. The zebras then tried to make up for that by calling a couple of penalties they ignored earlier in the game, but the damage had been done, they were already made fools of and the game was out of their hands.
The Chiefs scored on the ensuing 4 on 3, which is what it eventually became, with Jared Spurgeon getting a nice low shot to go post and in on a screened Tucker. Unfortunately that ended up being more of the story of the game. Beatch was given a 10 min misconduct late in the period when he came in late yapping away and the refs were aching to call him on something like that for embarrassing them, so they did. The Giants did well to weather the rest of the advantages against, but allowed themselves to be drawn into the kind of game they should have been able to avoid.
In the third the Chiefs sat back and the Giants pressed hard. The Spokane squad was fortunate that their goalie was so solid in this period as the strategy could easily have backfired. The whistles remained in the pockets until late in the period, as they refused to blow the whistle when a very extended holding of the puck and not moving it was occurring in the Giants end of the ice by the Chiefs. That lead to a Giants player finally giving the player a shot to squirt the puck loose and a very unnecessary roughing call was made. The G’s out-shot the Chiefs in the third 15-4, while it was the Chiefs who out-shot the Giants in the second 18-11. Tadjdeh had to be very good late in the game when the Giants were keeping the puck in the Chiefs zone and pressuring the front of the net. The Chiefs being a very solid team in their own end, allowed Tadjdeh to see the majority of shots and always seemed to have a player between the Giants attackers and the net. They played a very good close checking game.
The Giants out-shot the Chiefs 36-28. the home squad went 1 for 4, while the visitors went 1 for 6. I personally didn’t mind the reffing, until they became suckers and then it went south quickly. I also wasn’t terribly impressed with the lack of some calls in the third, but whatever its part of the game. The gong show they actively facilitated is not. Other than that it was good game, solid hockey, committed players battling hard at both ends of the ice, lots of chances and some good emotion.
I also have to applaud Don Hay for his post-game interview where he out and out called a spade a spade, fingering Beach as a phony player, who is known throughout the league for these kinds of antics. The most telling was that he was saying that Beach had so much talent that if he would just stop playing that kind of game he could easily be an elite player. From my perspective, the Blackhawks have inherited a head-case who will either be the most hated player in the NHL, or crap out off the bat, neither of which are desirable. I really hate that once again I have been forced to talk about this waste of a jersey due to the league catering to his antics. My personal favourite moment of last season, was when Chris Bruton playing for the Spokane Chiefs, cold-cocked Beatch after he poked him. The video and commentary was the absolute best. Yes, I am not a fan of him and am very biased against him as I truly believe this is kind of player that is killing the hockey we all knew and loved and has been high-jacked by whiny “pests”, who could use a great bloody beat down every time they pull their crap, but mostly refs who don’t fall for their tricks.
The Giants have one more at home, before they have to take to the road for a few extended road trips. It could be a blessing in disguise as these team is in desperate need of an identity away from home and bring their best game to other’s arena. Because of the Olympics they have played far too many games at home this fall and I believe its starting to take its toll. The Rockets come to town tomorrow and the Giants will hoping to end their home stand on a high note before taking to the road. Tonight’s game was a grand step in the right direction after failing to show up versus the Cougars in anyway whatsoever. The puck drops, as it usually does on Sundays, at 5pm and the house is going to be packed.
Three Stars
1. Michael Tadjdeh
2. Craig Cunningham
3. Mitch Wahl