Giants 4 Hitmen 3 OT/SO - Feb 4, 2011

[dondo]

Giants Clip Hitmen
Vancouver 4 Calgary 3 OT/SO


For the second game in a row the Giants won in a shootout, a place they have not historically had success, as Hayzer hates the shootout (and I’m with him) and tends not to practice it. Looks like Stastny is now one of our designated shooters though. Two shootouts, two goals from Stastny. Gallagher really stepped up in this one, despite being man-handled by the Hitmen with no calls; he managed to make his presence known with two goals. Also for the second game in a row, the Giants made the game tougher than it had to be. They came out flat and crappy in the first and when the Hitmen put a hand on them they weren’t earning the calls by battling through. The boys battled from behind and managed to tie the game after killing a monster five minute major plus a couple of soft bonus calls to add insult to injury. The G-Men gained momentum from the kill to tie the game and force OT, winning a game in which they never once held the lead, in a shootout.

Justin Kirsch opened the scoring for the home squad, breaking his 8 game goal-less drought in the process. Former Giant Mischa Fisenko made it a two goal lead on a Hitmen PP, when the Hitmen got a bonus penalty off of a scrum after the whistle. The Hitmen iced the puck with 6 seconds left in the period and it cost them as Gallagher found the twine off a quick face-off , with 3 seconds left in the first. That goal changed the tenor of the game and gave the Giants a bit of life going into the break. The visitors came out harder in the second and had a great chance on the doorstep, before the puck went back down the ice, for a 2 on 0 as the G’s made a seriously dumb and lazy change. Trevor Cheeks tapped home a Brooks Macek pass. Late in the second Brendan Rowinksi feathered a pass down the slot to a rushing Michael Burns who tipped it in driving hard to the net. Neil Manning got the other helper on the play. The Giants managed a major kill in the third, which gave them some momentum to get the tying goal. Gallagher had a couple of shifts after the kill driving toward the net, but was thwarted. He finally managed to whip around the net carrying the puck for a nice wrap-around late in the game to tie it up. Segal who was not too good, but not given much help in this one had to make a few clutch stops late as the Hitmen were pressing hard. The two teams each got a point with game going to a shootout where Stastny got the only goal and in the process the win.

Rookie Watch: Sward was an unhealthy scratch. Bellerive had a few nice shifts and was fore-checking hard. Hart was a –1 and just alright. Franson had PP and PK time and a few poor turnovers.

Fight Night: nada… a few scrums after whistles, but nothing really big. Bestland drew blood with his open ice hit though, which was probably the visor cutting the player. Bestland left his feet and was tagged with a charging major.

Zebra Cage: Chris Crich and Pat Smith basically sucked in this one, over-reacting, pocketing the whistle and then calling those same penalties they let go in spades earlier in the game, later in the game. Crich in particular was most visible being actively useless. The game they called was an inconsistent mess.

The Giants ended up out shooting the Hitmen 29-23, with decent numbers in the second and third. The G’s went 0 for 5 on the PP and their man-advantage looked anaemic and disorganized as they allowed the Hitmen to clear the puck very easily and were soft on the puck along the boards. The Hitmen went 1 for 6 with the man-advantage. It was not really a good game from the Giants stand-point, but the final result has them with full points in three Alberta games. James Henry who was back in the line-up after being out since Dec 27, left the game in the second for a reason as yet unknown.

The Giants finish up their four games in five nights tomorrow in Cranbrook, when they face the Kootenay Ice, hoping to come away with 8 points for their road trip. The boys still have some chemistry, but some of the guys who have returned from long term injury have kind of scrambled aspects of that chemistry and there is still a bit of adjustment required. The G-Men have been good battling back lately, winning games they have not given up on and coming from behind to eke out one or two points in games they would have been down for the count in the second - earlier in the season. That effort and confidence will put them in good stead come playoff time. The puck drops in Cranbrook 7:00pm local time.

Three Stars

1. Brendan Gallagher
2. Brendan Rowinski
3. Brooks Macek

Dondo’s Doghouse: Connor Redmond was soft as melted butter tonight. Franson was given special teams times I still have yet to see him deserve. The Giants PP was a mess and the boy’s puck support early was awful. It improved later in the game.

[west coast]

i saw the game on Shaw tv and it appeared that Bestland left his feet to hit the Hitmen player.It also appeared like it was a blindside hit to the head.Bestland will get a few games for the hit.The Hitman player looked like he was admiring his pass and had his head down on the play.Hockey seems to want to crack down on high hits to the head and quite frankly this was a blatant hit to the head of a player who couldnt defend himself.

[dondo]

It was a charge as he left his feet, but a blindside hit comes from the BLINDSIDE not face-on. "Blindside" is from a person's blindside (blind spot), as in from the back or the side. Player's with their heads down are not exempt from being hit except in the current confusion the NHL has put themselves in.

Regardless, the hits the NHL are trying to remove are hits the other player doesn't see coming, Bestland's hit was legal except for leaving his feet which was not only over-kill but a dumb thing to do in the circumstances. He keeps his elbows in and levels the player with a solid body check, damage from the visor to the player not-withstanding, he is not called. He did not come from the side or back.

Times were that players used to be responsible for their own safety. If every player can now skate through the neutral zone with their head down knowing they won't get hit, much like the idiots that deliberately turn their back to the play to face the boards so they "can't get hit" then our game is in for a even more massive downward spiral. With all of the bleeding hearts wanting to remove any and all emotion and intensity from the game its just a matter of time before we regulate ourselves out of any enjoyment. Hockey is a dangerous violent game and that is part of its attraction.

I don't condone Bestland for leaving his feet on that hit or following through with his arms, but to say "his head was down he shouldn't get hit" is crap. Players more than ever need to take care of themselves on the ice. For my money if your head is down you are fair game, keep your head up. If you are admiring your pass, you should get hit even harder, imnsho.

I freely admit I am old-school and would gladly return to players policing themselves on the ice, but in the current climate - adding more rules instead of adjusting protective equipment to be more protection, less weapon and reminding players that they are responsible for their own safety, is just wrong.

[west coast]

I am agreeing with your post.The Hitmen player had his head down and therefore left himself vulnerable to a powerful hit.Bestland had no reason to leave his feet.All he had to do was apply a shoulder hit .I guess he got excited about making a bit hit and couldnt resist taking out his man.The WHL is reviewing the hit and my guess is that they give him a one game suspension

[dondo]

Bestland ended up getting one game for the hit, which although I still think its reaching a bit, a major penalty usually carries a bonus one-game suspension. Luckily that game came before the team went to Whitehorse. It would have sucked for him to miss that game/event for an open ice hit in which his only crime was to leave his feet on the hit.

I still personally think its a 2 min charging penalty .. the major was referee over-reaction as we have seen fequently with WHL officiating. But then I have very little respect for our current crop of refs and how they are being instructed to call games.