Kassian
01-29-2005, 03:32 AM
From: http://www.vancouvergiants.com
The Vancouver Giants improved as the game wore on Friday, counting goals in each period to beat the Tri-City Americans 3-1. After scoring just once in two previous defeats versus their US Division rival, the G-Men finally solved top prospect, goalie Carey Price and out-skated the Ams over a complete 60 minutes.
Defenseman Andrej Meszaros opened the scoring detail, cruising in for a one-timer from the faceoff dot to Price's left on a 5-on-3 powerplay at 17:01 of the first period. Mitch Bartley netted his milestone 20 th in the first minute of the second, the eventual game-winner. Top scoring centre, Gilbert Brule, iced the game with a shorthanded empty-netter from just inside the Americans' blueline at 18:22 of the final frame.
Instead of sitting back with a lead like the club did in Wednesday's 3-3 tie in Kamloops , the Giants kept at Tri-City and never stopped pushing, or pushing back, against the Ams' complement of large bodies.
We talked about building on the lead and I thought we did a good job (of that), Head Coach Don Hay reported. We really kept our focus in the third period, we kept our feet moving and when you keep your feet moving you're paying attention to details. We played a pretty solid game with a big penalty kill at the end. That was just a huge kill by our guys I don't think we gave them any (scoring) opportunities.
Marek Schwarz wasn't too busy in goal for Vancouver , shoving out 15 of the 16 shots directed at him. Blueliner Logan Stephenson beat the skinny Czech stopper on a powerplay at 6:33 of the second period, but he was solid the rest of the way. Price, the top-ranked goalie in North America for the next National Hockey League entry draft, allowed two pucks to get by him and faced 28 shots for Tri-City.
Bartley, who now has three goals in his last two games, would belong on Team Timex along with his linemates Brule and Tim Kraus if one existed. The 19-year-old's game is all about taking (and giving) a licking on the ice, but to definitely keep on ticking as he has of late.
I think that's how Don wants all the guys to play every night, Bartley said in regards to finishing each and every check. You don't just go out there and say what you have to do you go out there and do what you have to do. A lot of the older guys stepped it up tonight.
Off to a sluggish start, goals-wise for him, Bartley now needs 11 markers in the last part of the season to match his career high of 31 established last year. 20 may be a mark for some people, but not the Maple Ridge, BC native.
I guess you could say that, but I'm shooting for more of what I had last year than what I have so far this year, he said of the magic 20 number. If I can just keep putting them in the way I've been putting them in, I'll be fine, I hope.
Next up for the 26-20-2-2 Giants is the defending Memorial Cup champions and top team in the Western League, the Kelowna Rockets. Hard-pressed to catch either Kelowna or the Kootenay Ice for the top two spots in the BC Division, Vancouver is bound to face the Rockets at some point in the playoffs. Luckily, they have five games left against the perennial juggernaut to test their mettle, including four contests at the Pacific Coliseum. Over 10,000 tickets have already been sold for Saturday's 7PM matchup, Kelowna 's first visit to Vancouver this season.
We're going to get another test against Kelowna , Hay said. Kelowna has proven that they're a very talented, hard-working hockey team and they deserve to be where they are. For us, we have to come out and prove to ourselves that we can play with them.
The Vancouver Giants improved as the game wore on Friday, counting goals in each period to beat the Tri-City Americans 3-1. After scoring just once in two previous defeats versus their US Division rival, the G-Men finally solved top prospect, goalie Carey Price and out-skated the Ams over a complete 60 minutes.
Defenseman Andrej Meszaros opened the scoring detail, cruising in for a one-timer from the faceoff dot to Price's left on a 5-on-3 powerplay at 17:01 of the first period. Mitch Bartley netted his milestone 20 th in the first minute of the second, the eventual game-winner. Top scoring centre, Gilbert Brule, iced the game with a shorthanded empty-netter from just inside the Americans' blueline at 18:22 of the final frame.
Instead of sitting back with a lead like the club did in Wednesday's 3-3 tie in Kamloops , the Giants kept at Tri-City and never stopped pushing, or pushing back, against the Ams' complement of large bodies.
We talked about building on the lead and I thought we did a good job (of that), Head Coach Don Hay reported. We really kept our focus in the third period, we kept our feet moving and when you keep your feet moving you're paying attention to details. We played a pretty solid game with a big penalty kill at the end. That was just a huge kill by our guys I don't think we gave them any (scoring) opportunities.
Marek Schwarz wasn't too busy in goal for Vancouver , shoving out 15 of the 16 shots directed at him. Blueliner Logan Stephenson beat the skinny Czech stopper on a powerplay at 6:33 of the second period, but he was solid the rest of the way. Price, the top-ranked goalie in North America for the next National Hockey League entry draft, allowed two pucks to get by him and faced 28 shots for Tri-City.
Bartley, who now has three goals in his last two games, would belong on Team Timex along with his linemates Brule and Tim Kraus if one existed. The 19-year-old's game is all about taking (and giving) a licking on the ice, but to definitely keep on ticking as he has of late.
I think that's how Don wants all the guys to play every night, Bartley said in regards to finishing each and every check. You don't just go out there and say what you have to do you go out there and do what you have to do. A lot of the older guys stepped it up tonight.
Off to a sluggish start, goals-wise for him, Bartley now needs 11 markers in the last part of the season to match his career high of 31 established last year. 20 may be a mark for some people, but not the Maple Ridge, BC native.
I guess you could say that, but I'm shooting for more of what I had last year than what I have so far this year, he said of the magic 20 number. If I can just keep putting them in the way I've been putting them in, I'll be fine, I hope.
Next up for the 26-20-2-2 Giants is the defending Memorial Cup champions and top team in the Western League, the Kelowna Rockets. Hard-pressed to catch either Kelowna or the Kootenay Ice for the top two spots in the BC Division, Vancouver is bound to face the Rockets at some point in the playoffs. Luckily, they have five games left against the perennial juggernaut to test their mettle, including four contests at the Pacific Coliseum. Over 10,000 tickets have already been sold for Saturday's 7PM matchup, Kelowna 's first visit to Vancouver this season.
We're going to get another test against Kelowna , Hay said. Kelowna has proven that they're a very talented, hard-working hockey team and they deserve to be where they are. For us, we have to come out and prove to ourselves that we can play with them.