dondo
03-12-2011, 02:23 AM
Cougars Chew Giants
Vancouver 0 Prince George 8
Are the Giants aware they had lost four straight going into this game? It sure as hell didn’t look like it, as not one player showed up to play let alone win. There were shifts here and there where you noticed Sward, or Martinook and maybe Bennett, but very few others even bothered to be noticed. The defense was beyond porous; seemingly more interested in putting pucks onto Cougar’s sticks than keep them on their own. The goaltenders, both of them, were unfocused and at times simply bad. The forwards would dump the puck in and then not forecheck, so that the puck would be cleared as easily as it was dumped into the zone. The effort to maintain possession was laughable; the commitment to the game was abysmal and insulting to the fans, arena staff and the very game itself.
I was extremely close to walking after the second period. I should have. The Giants behind 4-0 going into the third had a grand total of TWO shots in the final frame and the best chance to break the shut-out was a back-hand by Martinook off the post. From the drop of the puck the boys didn’t care if they lost this game. Did not care if they lost it by a stupidly large margin either. Did not care if the puck was on their sticks or not and did not care about the win, or their 5th straight loss. I have been a STH for a lot of years now and I have never seen such a hang-dog pathetic game out of our boys. I am used to less than skilled players, playing their butts off. However; I am not and will never be accepting of a team that does not care if they win or lose and does not fight for every possession. That’s the only kind of team I can respect. That’s a type of team I can get behind win or lose. I can’t get behind this group of freaking babies; these pouty players who have no compass with Gallagher out of the line-up.
Chad Scharff in the post-game interview said they had a good game plan, but did not execute. BULLSH*T. Their game plan was crap, dump and chase with no chase?? You call that a #@#$%&#@#%$& game plan?? :burningmad: The PP gave up one the worst most lack-lustre SH tallies I have ever had the misfortune to witness, where both goalie and defensemen stood around while the puck rebounded slowly to the wide-open. Their PP has gotten beyond poor. They spend three-quarters of every PP retrieving the puck from their end of the ice. They floated, they coughed up the puck as a matter of course and did not show up at either end of the ice. They haven’t showed up for three (make that four) home games now. They have a grand total of ONE goal in those four games. ONE. Portland and Tri-City ran roughshod over them, but the Cougars (not to mention the Bruins) who they should beat, who do not have a great defense, who have some dangerous players, but not ones that are unable to be shut-down, should not be that much of a challenge. We just didn’t execute. Are you kidding me? I truly hope you don’t believe that Scharffie and its just media chatter, because if you do then you guys should just forfeit the playoffs right now and let a team willing to actually play take your first round series. I want those 2 and-a-half hours back, not for a redo, but so I don’t have to watch that garbage perpetrated out on the ice.
The Cougars scored a shorthanded goal in which Segal came out to challenge the shooter, saved the shot only to allow it to trickle into the open. The two players, who had skated back in their zone supposedly as defenders of some sort, stood and watched Connolly bury it with the easiest goal he has ever scored. PG added three more in the second, one of which was on the PP and barely had to break a sweat to do it. Brendan Jensen started the third and held the Cougars out of his goal for about half the period and then the floodgates opened. The Cats scored at 11:45, 17:03 and then twice in the last minute. It was combination of horrible goaltending and uncaring lazy defense. It was awful to watch. Charles Inglis had a hat trick. His second goal was hot-dog tally, in which he cut across the crease and flipped the puck past Segal back between his legs ala Marek Malik’s shootout goal from years past. Credit Inglis for having the where-withal to do that, and the skill and shame on the defense for leaving such a skilled player wide open like that.
As usual the Giants have three guys in the corner digging for the puck and failing to come up with it. Ever hear of positioning? If you over-load like that you sure as hell better come up with the puck, but maybe its better to leave someone in front of the net, eh? On the offensive side too. How about we leave someone out front instead of five freaking players behind goal line failing to come up with the puck. Cougars win the easiest 8-0 game ever. Their goalie did not have to good or really be in the net at all. The Cougars did not have to out play or out-work the Giants cause the home team was too busy out-working itself and gifting the puck to their opponent.
Rookie Watch: Sward started off okay, but lost steam when he realized the other guys didn’t care. Had some nice early hits and forecheck, but was not given the ice time needed to keep that momentum. Bellerive looked best a bit later and has chops, but not in this one. Both Sward and Bellerive were even on the night in a line-up littered with minuses. Nathan Smith was a –3 with a fight and was mostly useless. Hodder was –1 and was probably the most solid defender for the Giants on a night where they had virtually no defense. Hart still out. Martinook really needs to believe in himself, he shows many very brief forays and then vanishes.
Fight Night: Teal Burns and Greg Fraser went toe-to-toe in what was looking to be a great fight and then the linesmen broke it up. Whaaat? Darren Bestland and Jaroslav Vlach fought with each getting in some good shots. Diminutive Nathan Smith took on Nick Buonassisi and held his own.
Zebra Cage: A bunch of soft as butter calls with the Giants getting most of the chances and squandering every single one of them, allowing a very bad SH goal in the process. Reffing was mostly harmless.
The Cougars out shot the Giants 32-16, they went 1 for 4 on the PP, while the G’s were 0 for 6. I cannot believe the game I saw and how seriously disinterested the whole team appeared to be. The Cougars took a bunch of penalties, which could have cost them but the Giants had no real chances and spent most of their PPs in their own zone dodging Cougar fore-checkers. The Giants now have ONE goal in four home games, while allowing 20 against. They have to get past Gallagher’s injury already and show up ready to play. Mourning time is over, put on the big boy pants and suck it up princesses. Time to actually do it for yourselves, the ability is there, but for the past four games the heart has not been even beating, let alone pumping.
The Giants have the Chilliwack rematch tomorrow in Chilliwack. Last time they were there they beat the Bruins 5-1 in their own barn. That was before Gallagher’s injury and the current team-wide fragility they are currently suffering (self-imposed suffering, but suffering none-the-less – add the fans into that suffering). They were man-handled and abused by the Bruins at the Coliseum, taking a few real injuries. The gutless league only gave Gogol one game for his mercenary vicious charge from behind on Vannieuwenhuizen, (attempting to smash him through the glass) even though Wes V got 7 games for a similar hit, yet not with the velocity or violence of the Gogol hit, on Robin Soudek (of the Bruins) in the fall of this season. Talk about mixed messages. I guess if you aren’t injured that it wasn’t a dangerous hit. Yeah, right. Gogol missed his one game, which is automatic with a major penalty and game misconduct so the league didn’t really add anything, (truly pathetic) tonight and will be ready to play in Chilliwack. Tyler Stahl will also have a target on his back for some of his cheap play. Sadly he had some nice big clean hits in that game, but undermined himself with a gutless slash to the back of the legs at the benches. First the Giants have to actually show-up and want to win, but I am hoping they will be sick of losing and thoroughly motivated up the valley on Saturday. Game is at 7pm at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack.
Three Stars
1. Charles Inglis
2. Taylor Stefishen
3. Brett Connolly
Dondo’s Doghouse: EVERYONE, coaches, trainers, equipment managers and all the players… and they are going to have to work very hard to get out.
Vancouver 0 Prince George 8
Are the Giants aware they had lost four straight going into this game? It sure as hell didn’t look like it, as not one player showed up to play let alone win. There were shifts here and there where you noticed Sward, or Martinook and maybe Bennett, but very few others even bothered to be noticed. The defense was beyond porous; seemingly more interested in putting pucks onto Cougar’s sticks than keep them on their own. The goaltenders, both of them, were unfocused and at times simply bad. The forwards would dump the puck in and then not forecheck, so that the puck would be cleared as easily as it was dumped into the zone. The effort to maintain possession was laughable; the commitment to the game was abysmal and insulting to the fans, arena staff and the very game itself.
I was extremely close to walking after the second period. I should have. The Giants behind 4-0 going into the third had a grand total of TWO shots in the final frame and the best chance to break the shut-out was a back-hand by Martinook off the post. From the drop of the puck the boys didn’t care if they lost this game. Did not care if they lost it by a stupidly large margin either. Did not care if the puck was on their sticks or not and did not care about the win, or their 5th straight loss. I have been a STH for a lot of years now and I have never seen such a hang-dog pathetic game out of our boys. I am used to less than skilled players, playing their butts off. However; I am not and will never be accepting of a team that does not care if they win or lose and does not fight for every possession. That’s the only kind of team I can respect. That’s a type of team I can get behind win or lose. I can’t get behind this group of freaking babies; these pouty players who have no compass with Gallagher out of the line-up.
Chad Scharff in the post-game interview said they had a good game plan, but did not execute. BULLSH*T. Their game plan was crap, dump and chase with no chase?? You call that a #@#$%&#@#%$& game plan?? :burningmad: The PP gave up one the worst most lack-lustre SH tallies I have ever had the misfortune to witness, where both goalie and defensemen stood around while the puck rebounded slowly to the wide-open. Their PP has gotten beyond poor. They spend three-quarters of every PP retrieving the puck from their end of the ice. They floated, they coughed up the puck as a matter of course and did not show up at either end of the ice. They haven’t showed up for three (make that four) home games now. They have a grand total of ONE goal in those four games. ONE. Portland and Tri-City ran roughshod over them, but the Cougars (not to mention the Bruins) who they should beat, who do not have a great defense, who have some dangerous players, but not ones that are unable to be shut-down, should not be that much of a challenge. We just didn’t execute. Are you kidding me? I truly hope you don’t believe that Scharffie and its just media chatter, because if you do then you guys should just forfeit the playoffs right now and let a team willing to actually play take your first round series. I want those 2 and-a-half hours back, not for a redo, but so I don’t have to watch that garbage perpetrated out on the ice.
The Cougars scored a shorthanded goal in which Segal came out to challenge the shooter, saved the shot only to allow it to trickle into the open. The two players, who had skated back in their zone supposedly as defenders of some sort, stood and watched Connolly bury it with the easiest goal he has ever scored. PG added three more in the second, one of which was on the PP and barely had to break a sweat to do it. Brendan Jensen started the third and held the Cougars out of his goal for about half the period and then the floodgates opened. The Cats scored at 11:45, 17:03 and then twice in the last minute. It was combination of horrible goaltending and uncaring lazy defense. It was awful to watch. Charles Inglis had a hat trick. His second goal was hot-dog tally, in which he cut across the crease and flipped the puck past Segal back between his legs ala Marek Malik’s shootout goal from years past. Credit Inglis for having the where-withal to do that, and the skill and shame on the defense for leaving such a skilled player wide open like that.
As usual the Giants have three guys in the corner digging for the puck and failing to come up with it. Ever hear of positioning? If you over-load like that you sure as hell better come up with the puck, but maybe its better to leave someone in front of the net, eh? On the offensive side too. How about we leave someone out front instead of five freaking players behind goal line failing to come up with the puck. Cougars win the easiest 8-0 game ever. Their goalie did not have to good or really be in the net at all. The Cougars did not have to out play or out-work the Giants cause the home team was too busy out-working itself and gifting the puck to their opponent.
Rookie Watch: Sward started off okay, but lost steam when he realized the other guys didn’t care. Had some nice early hits and forecheck, but was not given the ice time needed to keep that momentum. Bellerive looked best a bit later and has chops, but not in this one. Both Sward and Bellerive were even on the night in a line-up littered with minuses. Nathan Smith was a –3 with a fight and was mostly useless. Hodder was –1 and was probably the most solid defender for the Giants on a night where they had virtually no defense. Hart still out. Martinook really needs to believe in himself, he shows many very brief forays and then vanishes.
Fight Night: Teal Burns and Greg Fraser went toe-to-toe in what was looking to be a great fight and then the linesmen broke it up. Whaaat? Darren Bestland and Jaroslav Vlach fought with each getting in some good shots. Diminutive Nathan Smith took on Nick Buonassisi and held his own.
Zebra Cage: A bunch of soft as butter calls with the Giants getting most of the chances and squandering every single one of them, allowing a very bad SH goal in the process. Reffing was mostly harmless.
The Cougars out shot the Giants 32-16, they went 1 for 4 on the PP, while the G’s were 0 for 6. I cannot believe the game I saw and how seriously disinterested the whole team appeared to be. The Cougars took a bunch of penalties, which could have cost them but the Giants had no real chances and spent most of their PPs in their own zone dodging Cougar fore-checkers. The Giants now have ONE goal in four home games, while allowing 20 against. They have to get past Gallagher’s injury already and show up ready to play. Mourning time is over, put on the big boy pants and suck it up princesses. Time to actually do it for yourselves, the ability is there, but for the past four games the heart has not been even beating, let alone pumping.
The Giants have the Chilliwack rematch tomorrow in Chilliwack. Last time they were there they beat the Bruins 5-1 in their own barn. That was before Gallagher’s injury and the current team-wide fragility they are currently suffering (self-imposed suffering, but suffering none-the-less – add the fans into that suffering). They were man-handled and abused by the Bruins at the Coliseum, taking a few real injuries. The gutless league only gave Gogol one game for his mercenary vicious charge from behind on Vannieuwenhuizen, (attempting to smash him through the glass) even though Wes V got 7 games for a similar hit, yet not with the velocity or violence of the Gogol hit, on Robin Soudek (of the Bruins) in the fall of this season. Talk about mixed messages. I guess if you aren’t injured that it wasn’t a dangerous hit. Yeah, right. Gogol missed his one game, which is automatic with a major penalty and game misconduct so the league didn’t really add anything, (truly pathetic) tonight and will be ready to play in Chilliwack. Tyler Stahl will also have a target on his back for some of his cheap play. Sadly he had some nice big clean hits in that game, but undermined himself with a gutless slash to the back of the legs at the benches. First the Giants have to actually show-up and want to win, but I am hoping they will be sick of losing and thoroughly motivated up the valley on Saturday. Game is at 7pm at Prospera Centre in Chilliwack.
Three Stars
1. Charles Inglis
2. Taylor Stefishen
3. Brett Connolly
Dondo’s Doghouse: EVERYONE, coaches, trainers, equipment managers and all the players… and they are going to have to work very hard to get out.