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View Full Version : Disputed goal...Citizen artical 03.01.06



Sput
03-01-2006, 03:44 PM
Wednesday, March 1, 2006


Disputed goal boosts Rockets past Cats


by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor

The Prince George Cougars are learning the importance of every single point, and its effect on the standings.
On Tuesday, they learned how integral every second can be.

The Cougars earned a valuable point but lost an overtime decision to the Kelowna Rockets when Chris Ray's shot slid through the legs of Prince George netminder Scott Bowles as time expired.

Television replays -- the game was broadcast on Shaw Cable 10 -- were inconclusive as to whether the puck was across the line before the green light went on. Prince George head coach Mike Vandekamp argued to no avail, wanting to see the game go to a shootout where another point would have been there for the taking.

"I don't really want to say much about it -- obviously there's going to be some disappointment about what went on (at the end), and we'd like to have that back," said Vandekamp, who told the Kelowna Daily Courier "it's a travesty."

Vandekamp was upset to see the goal judge "openly celebrating, jumping up and down. That's concerning to me."

"If (referee Matt Kirk) is so sure, why does he have a one-minute conference with his linesmen? It's an excellent point to make -- we don't have a meeting after every goal. His actions prove he wasn't certain, so it's tough to take, and we believe the green light coming on signifies the end of the game. The green light is there for a reason. Would we win the shootout? Who knows, but we'd like to have a shot at getting that other point."

The Rockets seemed to be appreciative of the gift win.

"To tell the truth, I didn't know if I had scored," Ray said. "I knew there was little time left, so I did a wraparound in front. I guess you can judge for yourself."

Regardless, the Cougars now have a four-point edge over the Kamloops Blazers in the battle for the final B.C. Division playoff berth. The Cats, riding high after an impressive weekend sweep of the Vancouver Giants at CN Centre, made something of one of the games in hand over Kamloops, with the two teams set for a monstrous series this weekend in Prince George. The Blazers and Cougars face each other Friday and Saturday.

"This is as big a series as a regular season series can be," said Vandekamp.

"We've loosened up, we're not playing stressed, and we're showing confidence. We've had a pretty good stretch here and this point was a big point for us. It's a big point considering the situation we're in. We have to just play the game.

"One thing I'm going to try and do is not over-coach for these games. You can break it down too far in trying to see what the other team is going to do, but this team seems to respond better when we focus on our game only. Obviously we'll look at things like their special teams and what their tendencies are, but we're not going to get bogged down by over-preparing."

The Cougars have now earned five of a possible six points over their last three games, removing the sting from a nine-game slide that saw them net just three points, allowing the Blazers to temporarily move into fourth.

In Tuesday's game, the Cougars took a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes on goals by overagers Devin Featherstone and Myles Zimmer, both assisted by Eric Hunter.

Kelowna fought back to tie it in the first seven minutes of the second period when Kirt Hill and Tyler Spurgeon, who tallied shorthanded, beat Bowles.

Featherstone's second of the night -- both via the power play, and assisted again by Hunter -- put the Cougars ahead 3-2, but Alexander Edler converted a Kelowna power play in the final minute to knot the game 3-3.

Bowles, who has started six games in a row, finished with 28 saves in front of a Prospera Place crowd of 6,039. Derek Yeomans faced 35 Prince George shots.

• Defenceman Jesse Dudas won't be available this weekend. The 17-year-old has gone to Edmonton for further evaluation of his bruised leg, and should return to Prince George on the weekend to continue his rehabilitation. No timeframe is set for his return to the ice.

Triton
03-01-2006, 04:07 PM
Anyone have a replay of that goal?

Sput
03-01-2006, 06:10 PM
I didn't get a chance to see it, but its causing quite the contraversy isn't it? I'm sure if you ask most any Cougar fan it wasn't in before the time ran out, but ask most any Rockets fan and it was clearly in. With no absolute proof, we will forever have to agree to disagree.

Cougar Guy
03-01-2006, 07:20 PM
My gut feeling is that it was in, but in all honesty, I thought the replay's were inconclusive.

My big concern is how the ref could tell at full speed, not necessarily being in great position and especially since the green light went on before the red light did (signifying that the goal judge did not call it before time ran out).

It won't be changed now. All the Coogs can do is use it as incentive to come out and smack the Blazers around :)