dondo
10-25-2012, 02:33 AM
This game made me angry. Chances squandered, lack of focus and wasting a solid golatending performance that actually gave them a shot at winning. far too many fly-bys that should have been hits and many dumb passes.
Wheaties Shred Giants
Vancouver 2 Brandon 3
Payton Lee was called up from the Richmond Sockeyes for tonight’s start and he gave his team a great chance to get a win, only to be hung out to dry by a bunch of lazy, soft players doing their laundry. The Giants opened the scoring only to allow three unanswered once again putting themselves in a hole. They got one back, but the passenger quotient tonight made me very angry. I watched fly-bys that should have been hits, players giving up far too easily on the puck opting to wave their sticks ineffectually instead of taking the body and poor passes made into traffic.
The boys seemed to lack the confidence to take the shot and not until the third did they actually create some real energy. Most of the game was one of Don Hay’s “team lulls” and the intensity after losing 4 straight was frankly unacceptable. Dalton Sward was one of the few with energy and he was squandered playing in a wholly ineffectual third line role, his only points coming on the PP. This game was extremely frustrating as I watched players give up far too easily, choose not to battle, lose face-offs and allow themselves to be effortlessly stripped of the puck. Sadly it was one the few games where I did not witness any future positives, other than maybe Lee. I saw a team beating themselves, making poor decisions and lacking the confidence to play to their ability. For example: Cain Franson failed to make a saucer pass for an open net look (on a 2 on 1), something we all know he can do in his sleep and a play he had time and space to make. Instead he put it off the defender’s stick when he bobbled it looking rattled as he tried the maneuver. Instead of galvanizing the team, their recent losses have taken a toll on the team’s confidence. It appears as if they expect to lose and willing to accept a loss and that is never good. They finally get goaltending that should give them a chance to win and they squander it on the PK and by not willing to pay the price at either end of the arena to get the win. A win they desperately need.
The Giants opened the scoring just over 2 minutes into the game. Jackson Houck put a loose puck in front past Corbin Boes. Marek Tvrdon held possession, throwing the puck at the net. The puck was either kicked out by Boes or hit someone in front and Houck made no mistake. The Giants had chances to extend their lead, but could not bury their chances. Boes spent almost the entire game scrambling on his knees and was very good down low, but the G’s failed to get it up where there was a ton of space to put a puck. The home squad was badly out shot in the first two periods closing that gap in the third. The boys sleepwalked through the second period, allowing a goal against by failing to shut down a lane. They did not press in the third until they were behind, coughing up back-to-back PP markers against. Victims of a bit of bad puck luck they also didn’t do themselves any favours in their own end of the ice and the hunger that was evident in the first two kills, went AWOL in the last two. The G’s made it close on the PP with Brett Kulak pouncing on a loose puck, wheeling and firing in the slot. Houck and Sward had the helpers. With the goalie pulled and a couple of seconds left, the Wheatie player collapsed on the puck off of the face-off. Clearly delay of game, but it made no difference as the clock ticked down before the arm could come up. This coming after a nasty elbow to the head by a Brandon player on Franson(?). The player was given a major and game, but with 25 seconds left it didn’t make much difference. A deliberate and cowardly act, it could warrant a suspension.
Team Notes: Thomas Foster who was a plus and positive player on Saturday was scratched in this one. Carter Popoff was also scratched and I don’t recall seeing Riley Kieser out there either. Moar, Coyle and Vetterl were back in the line-up. The G’s have now lost 5 straight and don’t look to be capable of winning any time soon. They remain mired at the bottom of the entire CHL with two wins, no ties, no OTLs no SOLs and 9 losses – 2-9-0-0. Let’s hope they won’t be like the Sherbrooke, Phoenix in the Q who have 5 pts in 14 games played. I cannot recall a record this bad for the G’s or to have seen them at the bottom of the WHL let alone the CHL. They are broken, the parts are capable but they lack someone willing to step-up and take the team to a positive place. They also lack any sort of chemistry and continuity. The team has struggled with bad goaltending, but tonight that was not an excuse. They will need to look at themselves in the mirror and decide if they are wiling to pay the price at both ends of the ice for the full sixty minutes for more than just a game here and there. It is up to them, only they can change this. Liam Liston was the back-up to Lee tonight. Lee is scheduled to play for the Sockeyes on Friday.
Fisitcuffs: nada – and this game could have used some if only to get the crowd more involved.
Zebra Cage: Ryan Benbow and Mark Pearce – pretty sucky outing by both. Benbow indicated a goal that the goal judge didn’t acknowledge and which clearly went off the bar in the replay. Early he seemed decent and then made a few of what I considered to be reactive soft calls off of what appeared to be incidental contact. Pearce made some suspect calls as well. A quick whistle late blowing down play when the puck was still clearly loose added a bit of salt in the wounds.
The Giants out shot the Wheaties 29-28, using a third period 15-shot outburst to edge out the visitors. The G’s went 1 for 4 on the PP, but gave up 2 on 4 chances to the Wheat Kings. Sward and Houck seemed to be the only two forwards to show up tonight. Poor, low percentage passes continued to be the norm unfortunately. The G’s did not have great puck support for most of the game and were forced to make longer than necessary passes because of it. Their first two PKs looked very solid, hustling down loose pucks and getting in the face of the Wheaties puck carrier. The last two had guys taking shortcuts and leaving far too many people open. 16 yr old Payton Lee held his team in early and looked very solid and calm between the pipes as well as handling the puck. He had a bit of bad luck on the PP markers, both of which deflected in front, popping loose.
I have yet to see this team play a full 60 minutes this season, but when they got close to that commitment they got their wins. I am seeing too many lazy players who don’t seem willing to put in the effort required to win in this league other than some potent bursts usually coming when they are well behind. The guys seem to be content with the way they are playing and forging a culture of losing that they must reverse ASAP and that all starts with commitment and smart supportive effort. Friday they take on the Royals who have had their number so far in the three games these two teams have already played.
The G-Men desperately need a win and they need to earn it and work for it from the drop of the puck. I for one am tired of seeing skilled players playing well below their skill level while floating and gliding about the ice. Hunger, effort and sacrifice are the only things that will get them out of their own fetid swamp. One thing that might add some fire to the line-up at least is that Friday is expected to be Kale Kessy’s first night in a Giants jersey. Kessy can be a loose cannon, but he can also be a feared power forward who would rather go through you, than around you. He plays an aggressive intimidating game and if he can stay on the right side of the officials he could be effective. If he doesn’t his PK-challenged team is in for a long night. Musil should never have got a star nod. It should have gone to the Wheaties and more-so to former PG Cougar, Nick Buonassisi – who had two goals on the night. Puck on Friday drops at 7:30 PDT.
Three Stars
1. Corbin Boes
2. Payton Lee
3. David Musil
Dondo’s Hardhat: goes to… Dalton Sward - only one assist, but more because he was the only player who put in full effort every time he jumped over the boards. He was hampered playing on the third line tonight in my mind and should have been moved up later in the game when it was clear he was one of the few willing to pay the price. Frankly I’d love to see Tvrdon play third line minutes learn a better two-way game and learn how to use the grinders to their best ability.
Wheaties Shred Giants
Vancouver 2 Brandon 3
Payton Lee was called up from the Richmond Sockeyes for tonight’s start and he gave his team a great chance to get a win, only to be hung out to dry by a bunch of lazy, soft players doing their laundry. The Giants opened the scoring only to allow three unanswered once again putting themselves in a hole. They got one back, but the passenger quotient tonight made me very angry. I watched fly-bys that should have been hits, players giving up far too easily on the puck opting to wave their sticks ineffectually instead of taking the body and poor passes made into traffic.
The boys seemed to lack the confidence to take the shot and not until the third did they actually create some real energy. Most of the game was one of Don Hay’s “team lulls” and the intensity after losing 4 straight was frankly unacceptable. Dalton Sward was one of the few with energy and he was squandered playing in a wholly ineffectual third line role, his only points coming on the PP. This game was extremely frustrating as I watched players give up far too easily, choose not to battle, lose face-offs and allow themselves to be effortlessly stripped of the puck. Sadly it was one the few games where I did not witness any future positives, other than maybe Lee. I saw a team beating themselves, making poor decisions and lacking the confidence to play to their ability. For example: Cain Franson failed to make a saucer pass for an open net look (on a 2 on 1), something we all know he can do in his sleep and a play he had time and space to make. Instead he put it off the defender’s stick when he bobbled it looking rattled as he tried the maneuver. Instead of galvanizing the team, their recent losses have taken a toll on the team’s confidence. It appears as if they expect to lose and willing to accept a loss and that is never good. They finally get goaltending that should give them a chance to win and they squander it on the PK and by not willing to pay the price at either end of the arena to get the win. A win they desperately need.
The Giants opened the scoring just over 2 minutes into the game. Jackson Houck put a loose puck in front past Corbin Boes. Marek Tvrdon held possession, throwing the puck at the net. The puck was either kicked out by Boes or hit someone in front and Houck made no mistake. The Giants had chances to extend their lead, but could not bury their chances. Boes spent almost the entire game scrambling on his knees and was very good down low, but the G’s failed to get it up where there was a ton of space to put a puck. The home squad was badly out shot in the first two periods closing that gap in the third. The boys sleepwalked through the second period, allowing a goal against by failing to shut down a lane. They did not press in the third until they were behind, coughing up back-to-back PP markers against. Victims of a bit of bad puck luck they also didn’t do themselves any favours in their own end of the ice and the hunger that was evident in the first two kills, went AWOL in the last two. The G’s made it close on the PP with Brett Kulak pouncing on a loose puck, wheeling and firing in the slot. Houck and Sward had the helpers. With the goalie pulled and a couple of seconds left, the Wheatie player collapsed on the puck off of the face-off. Clearly delay of game, but it made no difference as the clock ticked down before the arm could come up. This coming after a nasty elbow to the head by a Brandon player on Franson(?). The player was given a major and game, but with 25 seconds left it didn’t make much difference. A deliberate and cowardly act, it could warrant a suspension.
Team Notes: Thomas Foster who was a plus and positive player on Saturday was scratched in this one. Carter Popoff was also scratched and I don’t recall seeing Riley Kieser out there either. Moar, Coyle and Vetterl were back in the line-up. The G’s have now lost 5 straight and don’t look to be capable of winning any time soon. They remain mired at the bottom of the entire CHL with two wins, no ties, no OTLs no SOLs and 9 losses – 2-9-0-0. Let’s hope they won’t be like the Sherbrooke, Phoenix in the Q who have 5 pts in 14 games played. I cannot recall a record this bad for the G’s or to have seen them at the bottom of the WHL let alone the CHL. They are broken, the parts are capable but they lack someone willing to step-up and take the team to a positive place. They also lack any sort of chemistry and continuity. The team has struggled with bad goaltending, but tonight that was not an excuse. They will need to look at themselves in the mirror and decide if they are wiling to pay the price at both ends of the ice for the full sixty minutes for more than just a game here and there. It is up to them, only they can change this. Liam Liston was the back-up to Lee tonight. Lee is scheduled to play for the Sockeyes on Friday.
Fisitcuffs: nada – and this game could have used some if only to get the crowd more involved.
Zebra Cage: Ryan Benbow and Mark Pearce – pretty sucky outing by both. Benbow indicated a goal that the goal judge didn’t acknowledge and which clearly went off the bar in the replay. Early he seemed decent and then made a few of what I considered to be reactive soft calls off of what appeared to be incidental contact. Pearce made some suspect calls as well. A quick whistle late blowing down play when the puck was still clearly loose added a bit of salt in the wounds.
The Giants out shot the Wheaties 29-28, using a third period 15-shot outburst to edge out the visitors. The G’s went 1 for 4 on the PP, but gave up 2 on 4 chances to the Wheat Kings. Sward and Houck seemed to be the only two forwards to show up tonight. Poor, low percentage passes continued to be the norm unfortunately. The G’s did not have great puck support for most of the game and were forced to make longer than necessary passes because of it. Their first two PKs looked very solid, hustling down loose pucks and getting in the face of the Wheaties puck carrier. The last two had guys taking shortcuts and leaving far too many people open. 16 yr old Payton Lee held his team in early and looked very solid and calm between the pipes as well as handling the puck. He had a bit of bad luck on the PP markers, both of which deflected in front, popping loose.
I have yet to see this team play a full 60 minutes this season, but when they got close to that commitment they got their wins. I am seeing too many lazy players who don’t seem willing to put in the effort required to win in this league other than some potent bursts usually coming when they are well behind. The guys seem to be content with the way they are playing and forging a culture of losing that they must reverse ASAP and that all starts with commitment and smart supportive effort. Friday they take on the Royals who have had their number so far in the three games these two teams have already played.
The G-Men desperately need a win and they need to earn it and work for it from the drop of the puck. I for one am tired of seeing skilled players playing well below their skill level while floating and gliding about the ice. Hunger, effort and sacrifice are the only things that will get them out of their own fetid swamp. One thing that might add some fire to the line-up at least is that Friday is expected to be Kale Kessy’s first night in a Giants jersey. Kessy can be a loose cannon, but he can also be a feared power forward who would rather go through you, than around you. He plays an aggressive intimidating game and if he can stay on the right side of the officials he could be effective. If he doesn’t his PK-challenged team is in for a long night. Musil should never have got a star nod. It should have gone to the Wheaties and more-so to former PG Cougar, Nick Buonassisi – who had two goals on the night. Puck on Friday drops at 7:30 PDT.
Three Stars
1. Corbin Boes
2. Payton Lee
3. David Musil
Dondo’s Hardhat: goes to… Dalton Sward - only one assist, but more because he was the only player who put in full effort every time he jumped over the boards. He was hampered playing on the third line tonight in my mind and should have been moved up later in the game when it was clear he was one of the few willing to pay the price. Frankly I’d love to see Tvrdon play third line minutes learn a better two-way game and learn how to use the grinders to their best ability.