Giants 2 Zebras 2/Rockets 3 EN - Mar 6th, 2015

[dondo]

Don't have time to write a recap tonight, but I'll put one together tomorrow sometime. Thought I'd start the thread though.

A decent tilt with good effort and then the zebras became involved, completely over-reacted and ruined the game. Meanwhile they missed two high-sticks on Ronning and numerous infractions around the puck that were pretty obvious earlier in the game.

I'm pretty mad right now, but I have to credit the boys for actually showing up to this one for the most part.

[Giantsfan]

Yeah, once again Bruce Hamilton & his deep pockets makes a phone call to the officials & thanks them for the bullsh*t call on Jones. Eerily similar to the one on Benson early in the season that gave the Rockets the game when they had no business winning that game. The officials are terrified of calling penalties against the Rockets. There were so many hooks, highsticks, not called & phantoms calls on Thrower & a solid hit by Jones that turned a close game to one that guaranteed a Rocket victory. It's unbelievable how the rest of the league just buries their heads in the sand or bends over & takes it. The WHL loses all credibility. Just like when they picked up Leon Draisaitl. He was basically just given to the Rockets. It's like here you go Bruce, win the Mem Cup for the WHL you deserve it.

As for the game, if the Giants had put in even half that effort vs Kamloops, Spokane or TC they wouldn't be out of the playoffs. This is the type of effort the fans wanna see a lot more of.

Great game by Osipov. Laid a few devastating hits & a had a great fight. He was easily a star but whoever picked the stars, (probably Hamilton) chose Draisaitl over Osipov? Why? He's a guy with NHL experience, you expect him to be good whereas Osipov played the best game he's ever played in the WHL & was a way bigger factor than either Lee or Draisaitl or even Goulbourne.

Speaking of Goulbourne he turned down Geertsen three times tonight. You could see them talking numerous times & I was told that he wanted no part of Mason & you could see it. He took several runs at Merkley & nobody did a thing.

Either way they played much better than I had anticipated but the outcome was never in doubt in my mind. Thought the first period was probably the best all season, lots of physical play, & emotion.

I'm sure it'll be a big let down tomorrow because Constantine plays a boring, patient game that almost lulls the opposition to sleep. Hopefully Geertsen will destroy Scherbak with a few more big hits.

[Knuckles Muldoon]

Was listening at home and it struck me that maybe, just maybe, we've finally seen a player who finally said "I'm tired of being bent over taking it anymore."

I just never would have guessed that it would be Osipov who would be the guy.

Okay, maybe that's not the way it really was, but he threw two great hits and stood in and went toe-to-toe, and of course he's not a fighter. But finally somebody's pride was so beat down that he decided enough was enough. Good on him...it's like a hockey Bar Mitzvah for the young man.

This team is not making the playoffs, but I ask, for the love of God, please play out the string with some attitude. The game is always more fun to play that way. Bruise somebody up. Make them pay a price. Don't just take it anymore. Stand up for yourselves and make somebody proud of you. This season has become a disaster, but a turnaround in attitude for this weak organization can start at anytime, even now when all else is lost.

Thank you Dmitry for giving me a faint glimmer of hope that somebody still cares.

[scrunt]

Well, that game really pissed me off.

I'm sick and tired of players turning their backs to the play and staring at their feet four feet from the boards, and drawing penalties when they get hit.

The reffing was crap, as noted in the posts above. The lack of consistency is appalling. Don't pick one little infraction out of 20 to call... call them all or none.

And why can't the Giants play with that much effort and passion against the likes of PG, TC and Kamloops? This game had two great fights, lots of big hits (Osipov and Houck were notable to me), some net traffic (but still not enough), and the players hustling to the bench on line changes.

Too bad the Giant's don't show up like that against teams we are fighting with for a playoff spot.

I thought Atwal played a good game, as did Houck and Menell. Sadly Roach looked lost on the few occasions I noticed him.

[Giantsfan]

I saw Roach on the ice twice I think it was in the 3rd, could've been the 2nd period. The only time I noticed Ramsay was when he was serving Jone's penalty. Didn't even know he was playing. I think Bellerive was the other 4th liner & I saw him a few times.

[Lucic]

Can't complain about the effort here. The officiating is a different story. Although I still believe Kelowna would have won that game no matter what. But the ridiculous five minute major certainly made that task a lot easier. I knew that was going to be a major the second after the hit was made. Not because it was deserving just the overall state of the game and how they overreact to everything. The league is proud of the fact the the current season is on pace to set the record for lowest penalty minutes and number of hits. The fact they are proud and happy about that says it all. Not hard to connect the dots and see why a two minute penalty at most is deemed a major. ****ty new age hockey at it's finest. The first two calls of the game were soft as well. That "slash" on Geersten wouldn't even be a penalty in a rec league game. And whatever the call was on Thrower (I assume charging?) was bull****. Soft ass penalties.

It's unfortunate a game is decided on a **** penalty but it happens all too often now. It's just too bad they didn't have this effort several games earlier. Might have saved their season and given them a chance to get knocked out by the Rockets. That is if the Rockets have any players left. They are really banged up right now. Giants didn't really help that cause either. Which I am proud of. It's nice to physically take it to an opponent for a change.

[Giantsfan]

It was suprising that the hit by Osipov wasn't a penalty. He destroyed that guy, I think Quinney?

Lucic you never commented about Geertsen asking Goulbourne all night. You were quick to jump down his throat last game but you have to admit that Goulbourne had many chances to fight Mason but he had no interest in doing so.

[Lucic]

It was suprising that the hit by Osipov wasn't a penalty. He destroyed that guy, I think Quinney?

Lucic you never commented about Geertsen asking Goulbourne all night. You were quick to jump down his throat last game but you have to admit that Goulbourne had many chances to fight Mason but he had no interest in doing so.

I didn't see any clear challenge by Geertsen. Otherwise I would have been the first to mention it. A few conversations but not much else. When they did collide a few times during the game nothing even close to a fight broke out. Geertsen usually goes after an opponent again later in the shift (after initial contact) but he doesn't with Goulbourne. You don't see him cross check him in front of the net or anything like he does against most players. I stand by what I said previously I don't think Geertsen really wants to fight him. I'm not saying he won't but I think Goulbourne would have to force the issue. And Goulbourne isn't the type to do that unless something blatant happens.

Either way I don't really want to see that fight. Goulbourne is going to win more often than not. I want to see Thrower fight him. But it really doesn't seem like Goulbourne wants to fight him. The one confrontation they had in front of the net seemed very brief and one sided (with Thrower being the aggressor). It seemed Thrower had to practically beg Braid to find a dance partner.

Oh well. Two more games between these two teams but I'm not getting my hopes up. Especially with Kelowna having several injuries as it is and not wanting to risk further injury heading into the playoffs.

[Giantsfan]

Geertsen's dad told me Mason asked him three times to go & Goulbourne won't fight him. Since Hay left Mason has been ichin' to get into a lot more fights than ever before. Hay told him not to fight & I think it hurt him as that's a huge part of his game.

Also, is anyone else sick of Ronning? I was last season but he's completely useless out there. He skates around & rarely gets a scoring chance & loses almost every board battle. I really hope he's not back next season. He brings nothing & takes up a roster spot I'd rather see almost anyone have.

[dondo]

Frustrating in a lot of ways, but I appreciated seeing some of the boys step it up and the commitment to a close checking game for a couple of periods. Here's my long version take on the game.

Rockets Stripe Giants
Vancouver 2 Kelowna 5 EN


At least the Giants came out to play in this one and were at least ready to stay close to the dangerous Rockets, but in the end they had to contend with forces outside their play to have a chance and that proved too much. The reffing in this game was, in a word, abysmal. If they weren’t too busy ignoring high-sticks and players being cut down from behind, they were over-reacting and inflicting punishments far beyond the actual scope of the infraction. It was a joke. The Gs played two competitive periods against the best team in the league and if they weren’t gaining ground they were at least able to hold level. Not too many regulars at the arena expected a win in this game considering the Giants play of late and the level of the competition, but this is why we play the game because you never know what can happen. What happened was a goal early in the third by the visitors off of some pretty shoddy work along the boards and the Gs inability to clear the puck. A few minutes later the Giants were given a five minute major for a hit that was possibly not a penalty at all, as the player being hit turned his back as he was lined up shoulder to shoulder. It was in no way a deliberate intent to injure, which is what a five-minute major penalty represents. The Gs scored a goal SH’d on that major early on, but ending up coughing up two during the major penalty, which essentially was the game. The Rockets added a SH’d marker of their own when the Giants misplayed a face-off and were caught flat-footed as the Rocket player powered down the ice and put it home. The Giants got one back, but the visitors were able to add an empty net goal.

The two teams skated to a 0-0 draw after two periods. In the first period Jakob Stukel was hauled down from behind on a breakaway and given a penalty shot he failed to cash in on. The Rockets opened the scoring, taking a shot from the sideboards near the blue-line and deflecting it in the slot past Payton Lee. The Giants responded while killing off the major penalty. Jackson Houck found open ice and rumbled his way down the ice, being hooked and held the whole way. A delayed penalty was going to be called, but the puck was flipped to the front of the net where Thomas Foster put it past Michael Herringer before a Rocket player could touch it. I thought the player rumbling down the ice was Osipov, but maybe it was Houck and then again it is a distinct possibility that the WHL stats folks got it wrong. 22/27 – they look alike. The Rockets cashed in two goals during the rest of the major. They added a shorthander a few minutes later to gain a three-goal bulge. The Giants made it a little closer later with time ticking down on a PP. Houck found the back off the net off of a nice feed from Brennan Menell. The Kelowna squad added an empty net goal late.

Team Notes: Now on a 5 game losing streak the Giants sit at the bottom of the BC Division and their only hope is that Tri-City sinks enough that a wild card spot opens up. The Giants have to help themselves by beating Everett on Saturday though. Dalton Sward is out for the rest of the season with an upper body injury. Mason Geertsen is currently wearing the C, with three As spread around the line-up.

Fight Night: A couple of good fights. Josh Thrower v. Chance Braid mid-way through the first. A good toe to toe battle with both players connecting. Slight nod to Braid, but I think it was even. Dmitry Osipov v. Rodney Southam. Osipov had laid out a Rockets player with a great hard open ice hit and Southam took him to task later in the shift. Osipov was slightly out matched but he held his own, took some good hard shots and stayed standing before getting in a few nice over-hands. Good fight. I love that Dmitry dropped the mitts and was amenable to stand up for himself.

Zebra Cage: Steve Papp and Mike Langin. As mentioned above these two had a tough time figuring out what their actual job was on the ice. Early on Ronning was high sticked with no call and there was a bunch of clutching and tripping which went uncalled as well. The major penalty call was simply a huge over-reaction and giving that kind of gift to the best PP in the Dub for a questionable infraction was just irresponsible. Very late in the game a Rockets player crushed a Giants player from behind into the end boards, which was an act that was more of a major than the one they called. No call. A very frustrating outing by a couple of clowns who actively decided the game by what calls they chose to make or not make.

The Giants were out shot 32-27. They went 1 for 2 on the PP, while the Rockets were 2 for 3 with the man advantage. Both teams coughed up shorthanded markers. I liked the work of a few Giants players for the most part and appreciated how they brought a decent forecheck and a heavier hitting game than in recent outings. Houck had some nice shifts. I appreciated the game that Osipov brought and the fact he was hitting hard and stuck up for himself. Had he not been a first overall euro pick I would actually like his game more, but I still can’t get over what we should have got as opposed to what we did get. Geertsen was solid, but sloppy at times. Benson is so close to being an impact player I can taste it, but not there yet and might not be there next year unless we get some quality players to challenge him and elevate his skill-set. Atwal was also one of those players who was making things happen at both ends and was making solid safe plays out his own end. I liked his physical game as well. It was good to see Zane Jones playing with Benson as well. Sadly Thrower again left his feet on a nothing play to take a charging call against a team that is deadly on the man advantage. Stukel had some good shifts as well and could be one of those players who will elevate next year. It’s a shame the kid missed a season due to injury.

It was nice to at least see a better and smarter effort by the Giants, but their few errors seem to be quite costly lately. I do not agree that Lee should have been second star. He was solid and did his job and stopped one nice breakaway, but overall his performance was not star worthy in my mind. We face the Rockets twice more before the end of the season and we have got to figure out a way to play the game we played for two periods for the full three. It was a bit of a frustrating game to watch from the stands as you saw potential and no real finish. Looking at a half-full glass I guess I should be happy that there was potential being shown and that effort that had been woefully absent on the road was at least back to a certain degree.

The Giants have a home tilt versus the Silvertips, a team they have struggled with this year. They will be in tough Saturday night at the Coliseum. The puck drops at 7pm PST.

Three Stars

1. Tyrell Goulbourne
2. Payton Lee
3. Leon Draisatl

Dondo’s Hardhat: I’m giving it to Osipov in this one. He was even on a night when his line-mate was a –2. A good fight. I enjoyed his effort and how he hustled at both ends.

[Lucic]

Geertsen's dad told me Mason asked him three times to go & Goulbourne won't fight him. Since Hay left Mason has been ichin' to get into a lot more fights than ever before. Hay told him not to fight & I think it hurt him as that's a huge part of his game.

I'll have to take his word for it as I didn't see any obvious or clear challenge by either player last night. Goulbourne was really giving it to him after that empty net goal though. You could hear the audio clearly on the TV feed. There was a clear f-bomb as well, I believe from Geersten. Hard to tell as the camera was on Goulbourne. Kind of stupid given the game was already long decided and gloating about beating a lowly Giants team is hardly anything worth bragging about. Then again it sounded more like it was about his hat trick rather than the victory itself. I hope some of that animosity carries over to the final weekend of the season but I'm not holding my breath.

[johnnyradiant]

I see Ronning with a lot of spirit and willingness and maybe slightly above average skill (just average combined with his size I don't think would have got him a spot even with his last name), but he has not come close to figuring out how to use his body to his advantage so that he can be a factor. At best he becomes a neutral but often times he takes away from team potential. Unless he can figure out how to play his body to come across as being bigger or to draw penalties he isn't worth the roster spot in my mind. Gally and other smaller guys over the years have done well because they played bigger or figured out how to take the hit and take the puck too.

A couple games back he threw a hit, I couldn't quite see because he was agains the boards on my side but his upper body height increase lead me to believe he might have even left the ice. The other guy barely flinched from the hit and Ronning looked like he coulda almost somersaulted in mid air as he bounced off the guy and went splat. The only detriment to the other team was they had to skate around him momentarily while he picked himself up.

A lot of the players this season have gotten one of Miss Drizzles items right - make mistakes, several have not been afraid to take chances, and some have not been afraid to get dirty. More of the team needs to be willing to do this and they need to get on the same page and follow her advice on two of her three every night and skip the mistake item lots.

[Giantsfan]

Who is Miss Drizzles?