Kassian
01-30-2005, 07:48 PM
From: http://www.vancouvergiants.com
The Vancouver Giants turned in their best effort of the season on Saturday and were unlucky to lose to the Kelowna Rockets 2-1 at the Pacific Coliseum. Dead even with one of the Canadian Hockey League's best teams for about 58 minutes, mass confusion in front of a panicked Marek Schwarz led to the game-winning goal in the last two minutes of regulation time.
A scoreless first period spilt over into the second when the two clubs got goals a few minutes apart at the midway point. Blake Comeau got the Rockets going with a powerplay marker at 8:38, before the Giants tied it on a two-man advantage at 11:15. After Cam Cunning and Gilbert Brule both had chances, Adam Courchaine buried his 21 st tally of the campaign to tie the match. Justin Keller potted his 20 th to decide the contest at 18:10 of the third, supremely bad luck for Vancouver who was busy out-shooting Kelowna 11-6 in the final stanza and 26-24 in the game. The G-Men peppered Rockets' goalie Derek Yeomans with 22 shots in the second and third periods following a guarded start.
“I thought we had a real solid game,” Giants' Head Coach Don Hay said. “We did a lot of good things in the third period. We were physical, we created a lot of turnovers, we had a lot of scoring chances and we made one mistake and they capitalized on it. That's the sign of a real good hockey team – they can capitalize when they get the opportunity. We had more opportunities to score, but we couldn't put it away.”
Wingers Cam Cunning and Triston Grant made numerous hits to cause turnovers in the third period, jarring the puck loose for linemates in position to go on the attack. Cunning alone knocked down four or five Rockets and Grant fought twice. Kelowna 's Liam Couture gave the Giants' captain a good bout early on, but Grant beat up a bigger Troy Bodie later in the game.
Cunning came to Vancouver from Kamloops in a trade deadline deal for fighter Matt Kassian and the Powell River product did not disappoint on Saturday. He collected an assist for the second straight night and really asserted himself physically.
“I think I did what they wanted me to do when they brought me here,” Cunning said. “This game was like a playoff game and that's how it's going to be.”
Skating on a top line alongside Courchaine and Matt Robinson for the past few weeks, Cunning played with Brule and Mitch Bartley for most of the game versus Kelowna .
“Brule's a really skilled player,” he smiled. “You just give him the puck and work around him. I was laying the body out there to create some space for those guys so they can put the puck in the net.”
If Vancouver plays the way they did on Saturday when they head out on the road next week, it could be a very successful trip. The Western Hockey League schedule maker was a little more kind this time around as the Giants embark on a foray through the Central Division. They played five games in six nights on a similar venture at the beginning of November, but have an extra couple of days to rest and practice. They also come back via Spokane and will be away from home until February 16.
“We battled very hard and that's what you have to do against Kelowna ,” Hay surmised. “They're a team that really works and comes at you. Maybe we deserved a tie, but we sure didn't deserve the loss.”
The Giants play on Wednesday in Red Deer , then head to Swift Current and Lethbridge next Friday and Saturday. They're in Medicine Hat on February 8th and Calgary the following night. The team will wrap up their journey on February 12th against the Chiefs.
The Vancouver Giants turned in their best effort of the season on Saturday and were unlucky to lose to the Kelowna Rockets 2-1 at the Pacific Coliseum. Dead even with one of the Canadian Hockey League's best teams for about 58 minutes, mass confusion in front of a panicked Marek Schwarz led to the game-winning goal in the last two minutes of regulation time.
A scoreless first period spilt over into the second when the two clubs got goals a few minutes apart at the midway point. Blake Comeau got the Rockets going with a powerplay marker at 8:38, before the Giants tied it on a two-man advantage at 11:15. After Cam Cunning and Gilbert Brule both had chances, Adam Courchaine buried his 21 st tally of the campaign to tie the match. Justin Keller potted his 20 th to decide the contest at 18:10 of the third, supremely bad luck for Vancouver who was busy out-shooting Kelowna 11-6 in the final stanza and 26-24 in the game. The G-Men peppered Rockets' goalie Derek Yeomans with 22 shots in the second and third periods following a guarded start.
“I thought we had a real solid game,” Giants' Head Coach Don Hay said. “We did a lot of good things in the third period. We were physical, we created a lot of turnovers, we had a lot of scoring chances and we made one mistake and they capitalized on it. That's the sign of a real good hockey team – they can capitalize when they get the opportunity. We had more opportunities to score, but we couldn't put it away.”
Wingers Cam Cunning and Triston Grant made numerous hits to cause turnovers in the third period, jarring the puck loose for linemates in position to go on the attack. Cunning alone knocked down four or five Rockets and Grant fought twice. Kelowna 's Liam Couture gave the Giants' captain a good bout early on, but Grant beat up a bigger Troy Bodie later in the game.
Cunning came to Vancouver from Kamloops in a trade deadline deal for fighter Matt Kassian and the Powell River product did not disappoint on Saturday. He collected an assist for the second straight night and really asserted himself physically.
“I think I did what they wanted me to do when they brought me here,” Cunning said. “This game was like a playoff game and that's how it's going to be.”
Skating on a top line alongside Courchaine and Matt Robinson for the past few weeks, Cunning played with Brule and Mitch Bartley for most of the game versus Kelowna .
“Brule's a really skilled player,” he smiled. “You just give him the puck and work around him. I was laying the body out there to create some space for those guys so they can put the puck in the net.”
If Vancouver plays the way they did on Saturday when they head out on the road next week, it could be a very successful trip. The Western Hockey League schedule maker was a little more kind this time around as the Giants embark on a foray through the Central Division. They played five games in six nights on a similar venture at the beginning of November, but have an extra couple of days to rest and practice. They also come back via Spokane and will be away from home until February 16.
“We battled very hard and that's what you have to do against Kelowna ,” Hay surmised. “They're a team that really works and comes at you. Maybe we deserved a tie, but we sure didn't deserve the loss.”
The Giants play on Wednesday in Red Deer , then head to Swift Current and Lethbridge next Friday and Saturday. They're in Medicine Hat on February 8th and Calgary the following night. The team will wrap up their journey on February 12th against the Chiefs.