dondo
03-12-2013, 10:37 PM
Hey Swando - you might not want to read this one ;)
Giants Skin Cougars
Vancouver 5 Prince George 3
Sunday was the first game I have seen live in well over a month. I have to say win or lose my heart hasn’t really been into writing a lot of these recaps and lately with the season dwindling the impetus for writing is even less, but I saw a decent game on Sunday so late or not I have a few things to say about this game. For those of you who think I am unreasonable when talking about reffing and WHL officiating in general you might want to avoid this recap as the two refs were simply incompetent at every end of the rink and with most every call. Missed calls, dumb calls and mind-bogglingly stupid wrong calls littered this game and it’s time the league established some real consistency and the officials (including linesmen) smartened up and focused on what is real and not what is made up in their brain. Also, word to the wise – if you don’t actually see an infraction don’t make assumptions if you see a guy fall or pitch themselves to the ice, because you just make yourself look more the fool. Big crowd for a Sunday versus the Cougars, but the upper-stands were filled with elementary students that saw a pretty good game in spite of the zebras bent on putting their stamp on the tilt.
The Giants opened the scoring, a rare occurrence this season to be sure but the numbers are better when they score first – as it is with most teams I suppose. Thomas Foster notched 3rd goal off of Brett Kulak and Cain Franson. A good hungry going to the net goal and nice finish. Jackson Houck gave the Giants a cushion mid-period assisted by Taylor Vickerman and Tyler Morrison. The Cougars scored on a PP in the second off of an infraction that originated with Alec Baer being hooked hard and then given a high-sticking penalty. I am still trying to figure out that one to this day. They tied it up a minute-plus later. Franson, who was in on most Giants goals, put the Giants back up by one on the PP. On a carry-over from a major penalty in the second the Cougars notched the tying marker 34 seconds into the final frame. Dalton Sward finally got some luck, having his shot carom off a couple of Cougars and find it’s way over Mac Engel. Franson had the lone assist. Jason Trott finally got one, scoring an insurance marker 5 minutes after the Sward goal. Franson and Riley Kieser helped out on the Trott tally. Payton Lee in his second consecutive start was good enough for the win, but needed his team to put some points up on the board.
Team Notes: Arvin Atwal was back in the line-up after being suspended by the team for academic infractions. The G’s have always been ones to focus and reward players who make sure they take care of their studies while they play hockey and evidently punish them when they don’t. Dalton Sward was back after being scratched for the past two games. I have a hard time believing Sward was a healthy scratch and I suspect there is more to this scratch than we know. 15 yr old Minnesota high-school free agent signing Alec Baer scored his first WHL goal in a losing effort versus the Royals on Friday in Victoria. Baer was at the Giants camp at the beginning of the season and turned a few heads.
Fight Night: Dalton Sward v. Colin Jacobs. In the first period not long after the Cougars scored a tying marker. A pretty decent tilt, which energized the crowd and the team. Arvin Atwal v. Klarc Wilson a good bout with Arvin getting in some solid punches early and Wilson finally resorting to dragging Atwal down.
Zebra Cage: Brett Montsion v. Sean Raphael – oh I guess I mean “and” (or do I?). They were both crap, but Montsion (a ref I have taken to call Munchie) seemed to love to make dumb calls from center-ice when the other guy was right there. Raphael stood and watched infractions happen right in front of him and did not make calls. Clear calls, like hooking, holding and holding the stick (all of this occurring just in my end of the ice). Sward’s “kneeing” call was actually Sward going in for a check and the other guy hanging out his knee, but the Cougar player collapsed to the ice so the call goes against Sward. Scott Cooke was tagged for a 5 minute major for boarding which looked worse than it was. The replay shows it was shoulder to shoulder, but looked pretty bad the way the guy fell into the boards. After the check Cooke was chased down, forced to the ice and cross-checked twice in the back of the head – a far worse and more dangerous infraction in my mind. Result 5 for boarding for Cooke, two for cross-checking and a bonus “roughing” on Vannieuwenhuizen “just because” yet none for the Cougars who were roughing back. Basically the refs failed to make the correct judgment on every single call on that play and then neglected to actually call what I consider to be the most dangerous play (namely a cross check (or 2) to the back of the head) as a 5 minute major. Add-in the missed calls and you get a perfect storm of crap officiating. Let’s not let these two play together any more, okay?
The Giants out-shot the Cougars 31-29. They were 1 for 1 on the PP, which is a joke considering the amount of Cougar holding and interference that went on in this one. The Cougars were 2 for 5. Cain Franson was around the puck all game long. He was in on almost every goal, notched 4 points in the contest and made those around him better. I liked Foster’s game and see potential for the player to produce well in coming years. I personally like Sward’s game, but there are a lot of naysayers out there who think he’s a first round bust. Sward may not be a Kane, but he does play a solid two-way game and is very good without the puck. He appeared to have a lot to prove in this one. His plus/minus numbers this season are poor and it took a while for him to find his stride, but he is getting better each game. He needs to be better offensively though and is capable.
Up Next: The Giants have the week off to practice and get ready for their final two tilts of the season. Their last home game on Friday should be close to packed to the rafters as it also an unused ticket night (why a final home-game is an unused ticket night is beyond me, but whatever). They face the high-flying Rockets who have the BC Division title pretty much sewn up. On Saturday the 16th they play in Kelowna in the Rockets final home game. The Giants are the worst team in the Dub this season and in full re-build, but have a great chance (not as great as this season should garner imo) to win the lottery and draft the best the player the dub has seen in some time and that’s saying something. So in the end their season of futility might pay off handsomely.
Three Stars
1. Cain Franson
2. Colin Jacobs
3. Thomas Foster
Dondo’s Hardhat: goes to Cain Franson – you can’t deny a four point game. Part of that coming from some excellent work along the boards gutting out pucks. Not usually a Franson trait, but he was hungry to make things happen in this one and just missed getting his 30th of the season. He’s got two more games to hit that plateau.
Giants Skin Cougars
Vancouver 5 Prince George 3
Sunday was the first game I have seen live in well over a month. I have to say win or lose my heart hasn’t really been into writing a lot of these recaps and lately with the season dwindling the impetus for writing is even less, but I saw a decent game on Sunday so late or not I have a few things to say about this game. For those of you who think I am unreasonable when talking about reffing and WHL officiating in general you might want to avoid this recap as the two refs were simply incompetent at every end of the rink and with most every call. Missed calls, dumb calls and mind-bogglingly stupid wrong calls littered this game and it’s time the league established some real consistency and the officials (including linesmen) smartened up and focused on what is real and not what is made up in their brain. Also, word to the wise – if you don’t actually see an infraction don’t make assumptions if you see a guy fall or pitch themselves to the ice, because you just make yourself look more the fool. Big crowd for a Sunday versus the Cougars, but the upper-stands were filled with elementary students that saw a pretty good game in spite of the zebras bent on putting their stamp on the tilt.
The Giants opened the scoring, a rare occurrence this season to be sure but the numbers are better when they score first – as it is with most teams I suppose. Thomas Foster notched 3rd goal off of Brett Kulak and Cain Franson. A good hungry going to the net goal and nice finish. Jackson Houck gave the Giants a cushion mid-period assisted by Taylor Vickerman and Tyler Morrison. The Cougars scored on a PP in the second off of an infraction that originated with Alec Baer being hooked hard and then given a high-sticking penalty. I am still trying to figure out that one to this day. They tied it up a minute-plus later. Franson, who was in on most Giants goals, put the Giants back up by one on the PP. On a carry-over from a major penalty in the second the Cougars notched the tying marker 34 seconds into the final frame. Dalton Sward finally got some luck, having his shot carom off a couple of Cougars and find it’s way over Mac Engel. Franson had the lone assist. Jason Trott finally got one, scoring an insurance marker 5 minutes after the Sward goal. Franson and Riley Kieser helped out on the Trott tally. Payton Lee in his second consecutive start was good enough for the win, but needed his team to put some points up on the board.
Team Notes: Arvin Atwal was back in the line-up after being suspended by the team for academic infractions. The G’s have always been ones to focus and reward players who make sure they take care of their studies while they play hockey and evidently punish them when they don’t. Dalton Sward was back after being scratched for the past two games. I have a hard time believing Sward was a healthy scratch and I suspect there is more to this scratch than we know. 15 yr old Minnesota high-school free agent signing Alec Baer scored his first WHL goal in a losing effort versus the Royals on Friday in Victoria. Baer was at the Giants camp at the beginning of the season and turned a few heads.
Fight Night: Dalton Sward v. Colin Jacobs. In the first period not long after the Cougars scored a tying marker. A pretty decent tilt, which energized the crowd and the team. Arvin Atwal v. Klarc Wilson a good bout with Arvin getting in some solid punches early and Wilson finally resorting to dragging Atwal down.
Zebra Cage: Brett Montsion v. Sean Raphael – oh I guess I mean “and” (or do I?). They were both crap, but Montsion (a ref I have taken to call Munchie) seemed to love to make dumb calls from center-ice when the other guy was right there. Raphael stood and watched infractions happen right in front of him and did not make calls. Clear calls, like hooking, holding and holding the stick (all of this occurring just in my end of the ice). Sward’s “kneeing” call was actually Sward going in for a check and the other guy hanging out his knee, but the Cougar player collapsed to the ice so the call goes against Sward. Scott Cooke was tagged for a 5 minute major for boarding which looked worse than it was. The replay shows it was shoulder to shoulder, but looked pretty bad the way the guy fell into the boards. After the check Cooke was chased down, forced to the ice and cross-checked twice in the back of the head – a far worse and more dangerous infraction in my mind. Result 5 for boarding for Cooke, two for cross-checking and a bonus “roughing” on Vannieuwenhuizen “just because” yet none for the Cougars who were roughing back. Basically the refs failed to make the correct judgment on every single call on that play and then neglected to actually call what I consider to be the most dangerous play (namely a cross check (or 2) to the back of the head) as a 5 minute major. Add-in the missed calls and you get a perfect storm of crap officiating. Let’s not let these two play together any more, okay?
The Giants out-shot the Cougars 31-29. They were 1 for 1 on the PP, which is a joke considering the amount of Cougar holding and interference that went on in this one. The Cougars were 2 for 5. Cain Franson was around the puck all game long. He was in on almost every goal, notched 4 points in the contest and made those around him better. I liked Foster’s game and see potential for the player to produce well in coming years. I personally like Sward’s game, but there are a lot of naysayers out there who think he’s a first round bust. Sward may not be a Kane, but he does play a solid two-way game and is very good without the puck. He appeared to have a lot to prove in this one. His plus/minus numbers this season are poor and it took a while for him to find his stride, but he is getting better each game. He needs to be better offensively though and is capable.
Up Next: The Giants have the week off to practice and get ready for their final two tilts of the season. Their last home game on Friday should be close to packed to the rafters as it also an unused ticket night (why a final home-game is an unused ticket night is beyond me, but whatever). They face the high-flying Rockets who have the BC Division title pretty much sewn up. On Saturday the 16th they play in Kelowna in the Rockets final home game. The Giants are the worst team in the Dub this season and in full re-build, but have a great chance (not as great as this season should garner imo) to win the lottery and draft the best the player the dub has seen in some time and that’s saying something. So in the end their season of futility might pay off handsomely.
Three Stars
1. Cain Franson
2. Colin Jacobs
3. Thomas Foster
Dondo’s Hardhat: goes to Cain Franson – you can’t deny a four point game. Part of that coming from some excellent work along the boards gutting out pucks. Not usually a Franson trait, but he was hungry to make things happen in this one and just missed getting his 30th of the season. He’s got two more games to hit that plateau.