dondo
09-25-2011, 12:36 AM
Royals Win First Home Game
Vancouver 3 Victoria 5 (EN)
A playoff atmosphere greeted the Royals in their first home game of the season and the franchise. 6000 cowbells were distributed (good lord!) to the fans who packed the arena with just over 7000 in attendance. Mark Donnelly, best known as the opera singer who sings the Canadian national anthem for the Canucks, did just that for the Royals – pausing at his usual moment and allowing the fans to continue singing.
The Royals were out-worked and out played last night in their loss to Vancouver. Tonight they were a bit more motivated by the energy of their home crowd who were ready cheer their butts off, but continued to give quality scoring chances to the visitors. The only difference tonight being that Keith Hamilton was far better than Gamble had been in his first game. The Giants badly out shot the Royals in the first two periods, but found themselves down early. They managed to tie the game back up on the PP, but it was then that the Royals players made their minimal chances count as Brendan Jensen had a very poor outing after putting together a great game in Vancouver. By the four minute mark of the second the Giants were down 4-1, Jensen pulled and 16 yr old Jackson Whistle installed between the pipes. The Royals were making their PPs count, even though I felt some of the calls were pretty soft and inconsistent throughout the night, while the Giants struggled on the PP and the PK. The Giants had a hard time finding the puck on the doorstep and could not capitalise when the Royals goalie was down and out. In third after Teal Burns rang one off the iron, a great forecheck by Nathan Burns started a play which would result in a goal for him. Popping the puck loose to Cain Franson a pass to James Henry up the boards found Burns cutting to the net and managing to get the puck past Hamilton’s out-stretched pad. Dalton Sward scored for the G’s late in the third to close within one. Henry got his second assist and third point of the night, while Ast got the other helper as Sward got to the front of the net and made no mistake ripping the puck low on Hamilton. Sundher managed an empty netter with seconds dying to clinch the game for the home squad.
Rookie Watch: Brett Kulak (17) had an alright game, but made a few rookie mistakes – some of which cost his team. Sward (17) was getting chances, but it was when he really made the effort to drive to the front of the net when he was most effective. Vetterl and Cooke (17) were a tad less noticeable tonight and need to keep their feet moving to be more effective. Logan Harland (16) had sporadic shifts, but rarely a liability that I saw. Jackson Whistle (16) was excellent in relief, did not allow a goal facing 11 shots and made a couple of great reaction saves when there were defensive breakdowns in front of him. He made it possible for his team to play for the come-back.
Fight Night: Soudek vs Franson .. Franson was game yet out-matched, hung in there until he lost his footing. Soudek got the take-down. McNaughton vs Traber was heavy-weight bout which was not quite as good as the McN / Pilton tilt, but close. Both players exchanged blows, with McNaughton getting in the better shots, but Traber getting the take-down.
Zebra Cage: Benbow and Knorr were mostly crap, inconsistent and let the Royals get away with a lot of solo punches to the head after the whistle. The kind of roughings they were not getting away with the previous night. As I saw it, they called the soft stuff and let some more serious stuff go. I particularly noticed an early head hit in which a Royal player left his feet, which is not only a “targeted hit” (see new head contact/point of contact rule), it is also a textbook charging penalty. Things like that were missed.
The Giants out-shot the Royals 51-25, badly out-shooting them in the first two periods before the Royals finally hit double digits in shots in the third. Keith Hamilton kept his team in early or the result of this one might have been quite different. Anything he saw he vacuumed in and he was set and ready for second shots when they came. It took some hard work for the Giants to finally solve him. The Royals went 2 for 7 on the PP, while the Giants were 1 for 5.
The Giants were out-hit and often out-worked in this one. They were garnering scoring chances, but needed to bear down better to make the most of their opportunities and were facing a very solid netminder when they did get their chances. The Giants were not really intimidated by the big hitting the Royals were doing, but I do think it affected their game. It didn’t stop them from going to the hard parts of the ice. The G-Men could have taken the body better in this game and given back what they were receiving. The Vancouver boys failed to move their feet in the defensive zone and were getting caught out of position too often.
James Henry had a solid game, as did Cain Franson who played with no fear and was one of the few Giants who was always thinking shot first instead of pass. Some of the G’s veteran D were caught chasing, instead of staying with their man to their team’s detriment. The G-Men were getting chances and driving the net well. I am enjoying seeing them crash the crease more than they have done previous years and are employing a delayed forecheck which has a fore-checker force the play and a second one pinch in as the opposing team begins to make their breakout move. Caught a few times, it’s mostly effective when executed well.
The G’s special teams sucked though. Their PK was confused and sloppy and their PP a collection of over-passing and looking for that perfect play. They need to work on attaining the offensive zone and pass a bit quicker. They are very good at getting traffic to the net though and cycling the puck well along the boards, so it might just be a matter of time until those sharp cross ice passes connect better.
Sward was noticed and Nathan Burns is showing more of a Machacek type of gritty game as the young season progresses. Tvrdon had a rough night, carrying a –2 and not quite getting his skill to work for him. He had some nice offensive forays though and was unlucky not to score a couple of times. Martinook had a couple of short-handed chances, but Hamilton doesn’t cheat off the post the way Gamble did and there was nothing on the short side. Other than that I’d like to see much more of that game from him more consistently throughout the game – I still get a bit of a disappearing act from him.
The Giants have a few days off to work on their special teams before taking on Everett at the Coliseum on Wednesday. I don’t see a goaltending controversy yet, but Jensen cannot have what we have seen in the past, an excellent outing followed by an unfocused one. I think we got that kind of game from both he and Segal last season and it hurt us as a team to have that kind of inconsistency between the pipes. That’s a back-up trait, by my estimation, not a starters trait. The puck drops at Pacific Coliseum on Wed. @ 7:00pm PDT.
Three Stars
1) Keith Hamilton
2) Kevin Sundher
3) James Henry
Dondos Hardhat: goes to Cain Franson, I know! last year I wouldn’t have even wobbled a hardhat in his direction, but this year he’s fearless, not afraid to the take the shot and not afraid to drop the gloves when necessary. He’s been the biggest pleasant surprise of the first two games for me. He’s also a sniper, something this team can always use.
Vancouver 3 Victoria 5 (EN)
A playoff atmosphere greeted the Royals in their first home game of the season and the franchise. 6000 cowbells were distributed (good lord!) to the fans who packed the arena with just over 7000 in attendance. Mark Donnelly, best known as the opera singer who sings the Canadian national anthem for the Canucks, did just that for the Royals – pausing at his usual moment and allowing the fans to continue singing.
The Royals were out-worked and out played last night in their loss to Vancouver. Tonight they were a bit more motivated by the energy of their home crowd who were ready cheer their butts off, but continued to give quality scoring chances to the visitors. The only difference tonight being that Keith Hamilton was far better than Gamble had been in his first game. The Giants badly out shot the Royals in the first two periods, but found themselves down early. They managed to tie the game back up on the PP, but it was then that the Royals players made their minimal chances count as Brendan Jensen had a very poor outing after putting together a great game in Vancouver. By the four minute mark of the second the Giants were down 4-1, Jensen pulled and 16 yr old Jackson Whistle installed between the pipes. The Royals were making their PPs count, even though I felt some of the calls were pretty soft and inconsistent throughout the night, while the Giants struggled on the PP and the PK. The Giants had a hard time finding the puck on the doorstep and could not capitalise when the Royals goalie was down and out. In third after Teal Burns rang one off the iron, a great forecheck by Nathan Burns started a play which would result in a goal for him. Popping the puck loose to Cain Franson a pass to James Henry up the boards found Burns cutting to the net and managing to get the puck past Hamilton’s out-stretched pad. Dalton Sward scored for the G’s late in the third to close within one. Henry got his second assist and third point of the night, while Ast got the other helper as Sward got to the front of the net and made no mistake ripping the puck low on Hamilton. Sundher managed an empty netter with seconds dying to clinch the game for the home squad.
Rookie Watch: Brett Kulak (17) had an alright game, but made a few rookie mistakes – some of which cost his team. Sward (17) was getting chances, but it was when he really made the effort to drive to the front of the net when he was most effective. Vetterl and Cooke (17) were a tad less noticeable tonight and need to keep their feet moving to be more effective. Logan Harland (16) had sporadic shifts, but rarely a liability that I saw. Jackson Whistle (16) was excellent in relief, did not allow a goal facing 11 shots and made a couple of great reaction saves when there were defensive breakdowns in front of him. He made it possible for his team to play for the come-back.
Fight Night: Soudek vs Franson .. Franson was game yet out-matched, hung in there until he lost his footing. Soudek got the take-down. McNaughton vs Traber was heavy-weight bout which was not quite as good as the McN / Pilton tilt, but close. Both players exchanged blows, with McNaughton getting in the better shots, but Traber getting the take-down.
Zebra Cage: Benbow and Knorr were mostly crap, inconsistent and let the Royals get away with a lot of solo punches to the head after the whistle. The kind of roughings they were not getting away with the previous night. As I saw it, they called the soft stuff and let some more serious stuff go. I particularly noticed an early head hit in which a Royal player left his feet, which is not only a “targeted hit” (see new head contact/point of contact rule), it is also a textbook charging penalty. Things like that were missed.
The Giants out-shot the Royals 51-25, badly out-shooting them in the first two periods before the Royals finally hit double digits in shots in the third. Keith Hamilton kept his team in early or the result of this one might have been quite different. Anything he saw he vacuumed in and he was set and ready for second shots when they came. It took some hard work for the Giants to finally solve him. The Royals went 2 for 7 on the PP, while the Giants were 1 for 5.
The Giants were out-hit and often out-worked in this one. They were garnering scoring chances, but needed to bear down better to make the most of their opportunities and were facing a very solid netminder when they did get their chances. The Giants were not really intimidated by the big hitting the Royals were doing, but I do think it affected their game. It didn’t stop them from going to the hard parts of the ice. The G-Men could have taken the body better in this game and given back what they were receiving. The Vancouver boys failed to move their feet in the defensive zone and were getting caught out of position too often.
James Henry had a solid game, as did Cain Franson who played with no fear and was one of the few Giants who was always thinking shot first instead of pass. Some of the G’s veteran D were caught chasing, instead of staying with their man to their team’s detriment. The G-Men were getting chances and driving the net well. I am enjoying seeing them crash the crease more than they have done previous years and are employing a delayed forecheck which has a fore-checker force the play and a second one pinch in as the opposing team begins to make their breakout move. Caught a few times, it’s mostly effective when executed well.
The G’s special teams sucked though. Their PK was confused and sloppy and their PP a collection of over-passing and looking for that perfect play. They need to work on attaining the offensive zone and pass a bit quicker. They are very good at getting traffic to the net though and cycling the puck well along the boards, so it might just be a matter of time until those sharp cross ice passes connect better.
Sward was noticed and Nathan Burns is showing more of a Machacek type of gritty game as the young season progresses. Tvrdon had a rough night, carrying a –2 and not quite getting his skill to work for him. He had some nice offensive forays though and was unlucky not to score a couple of times. Martinook had a couple of short-handed chances, but Hamilton doesn’t cheat off the post the way Gamble did and there was nothing on the short side. Other than that I’d like to see much more of that game from him more consistently throughout the game – I still get a bit of a disappearing act from him.
The Giants have a few days off to work on their special teams before taking on Everett at the Coliseum on Wednesday. I don’t see a goaltending controversy yet, but Jensen cannot have what we have seen in the past, an excellent outing followed by an unfocused one. I think we got that kind of game from both he and Segal last season and it hurt us as a team to have that kind of inconsistency between the pipes. That’s a back-up trait, by my estimation, not a starters trait. The puck drops at Pacific Coliseum on Wed. @ 7:00pm PDT.
Three Stars
1) Keith Hamilton
2) Kevin Sundher
3) James Henry
Dondos Hardhat: goes to Cain Franson, I know! last year I wouldn’t have even wobbled a hardhat in his direction, but this year he’s fearless, not afraid to the take the shot and not afraid to drop the gloves when necessary. He’s been the biggest pleasant surprise of the first two games for me. He’s also a sniper, something this team can always use.