dondo
11-19-2006, 01:26 AM
well I didn't see Beaner in his seat so I assume he's working tonight so I'll start this thread.
A very defensive battle tonight and although both teams were skating hard all night it was more about what didn't happen than what did..
here's the recap
Giants Stand Up Pats
Vancouver 2 Regina 0
It was the “Captains of the Coliseum” night at the Pacific Coliseum and drew over 12,000 people to watch the Giants take on the Regina Pats in what turned out to be an epic defensive battle. The Giants came out flying but the quick footed Pats seemed to be one step ahead most of the night closing quickly and giving the Giants little room to work the puck around. The Pats, currently sitting in third place in tight Eastern Conference race and edging out the Chilliwack Bruins the previous night, looked ready to give the G-Men a challenge. The Pats started 17 yr old goalie Linden Rowat, when most of the fans were probably expecting that former Giant Tommy Tartaglione would get the start.
The Giants opened the scoring on the PP after a Regina player took an interference penalty in the neutral zone off the drop of the puck. Mitch Czibere pressed in the Pats zone, stripped a Regina D of the puck and threw the biscuit to Brett Festerling at the point. Festerling ( one of two in the game as his twin brother plays for the Regina squad.) snapped the shot at the net and off the rebound Kyle Lamb, cutting across the crease, backhanded the loose puck over Rowat’s outstretched pad. The goal came just 1:05 into the game and would be the only one scored until the 19 minute mark of the third. The game would turn into a defensive clinic as both squads flexed their blue-line muscle and virtually eliminated quality scoring chances throughout the evening.
I’m not sure if it was the defensive play of the Regina Pats or the lack of hunger for the home team but the shots were low for the Giants and they almost all came from the outside. The G-Men did not seem interested in driving the net and played more of a perimeter game most of the night. In their own zone they limited scoring chances and did not give up quality scoring chances. Oddly enough it was fast paced game as both teams skated up the ice hard, but were stymied when they got into the offensive zone. The Giants matched the Regina squad speed for speed and move for move, but they did not throw a lot of pucks on the net or work the Pats in their own zone as hard as they usually would and the Giants seemed to be content to play a mostly defensive battle.
The G-Men had the better opportunities to score in the end and Linden Rowat absolutely robbed Mikkelson on the doorstep at one point. Early in the second, Scott Brownlee and Garet Hunt dropped the gloves to treat the fans to a lively combat with both players trading blows back and forth until they finally fell into a clutch and were stopped by the linesmen. Call it a draw. Its was like that for most of the game and at times it was a frustrating kind of game to watch and had me on the edge of my seat as one mistake could completely change the game. I would be able to stop holding my breath when on the Giants 7th PP of the evening they would break the tension. The Pats would take a late penalty with 2:30 left in the game and it would allow the Giants to put them away. Milan Lucic fed the puck behind the net where Mario Bliznak, tipped it out front to Michal Repik who snapped it past Rowat to put the Giants up by two and salt away the game. The Giants worked the dying minute and the Regina squad did not elect to pull the goalie with 1:00 left in the game even though they had face-off in the offensive end of the ice. Sexsmith would notch his third shutout of the season and the Giants would get their 20th win of the season.
The Giants went 2 for 7 on the PP while holding their opponent to 0 for 7, and the shots were tied at 23 apiece. Don Hay in the post game interview was musing about how his team needs to forge an identity for this season as up ‘til this point they have been riding the identity from last season and even though they have been winning its time to acknowledge the kind of team they have now and commit to all of its facets. One of his comments was that he sees the team as more of depth scoring team without bona fide snipers to put games away and that it will necessary to find scoring throughout the line-up and the necessity of get a lot of rubber on the opposing net. He was saying that his only real disappointment of the evening was the lack of shots on the Regina net and he’d like to see that improve on this coming road trip.
The Giants next game is down in Spokane on Wed Nov 22, which will be the first of three games in four nights through the US Division, but the Giants won’t see the much vaunted Everett team until Dec 15/16th and both squads will be lacking star players who will be at the World Junior camp. The puck drops at 7pm MST in Spokane.
Three Stars
1 – Brett Festerling
2 – Brendan Mikkelson
3 – Logan Pyett
A very defensive battle tonight and although both teams were skating hard all night it was more about what didn't happen than what did..
here's the recap
Giants Stand Up Pats
Vancouver 2 Regina 0
It was the “Captains of the Coliseum” night at the Pacific Coliseum and drew over 12,000 people to watch the Giants take on the Regina Pats in what turned out to be an epic defensive battle. The Giants came out flying but the quick footed Pats seemed to be one step ahead most of the night closing quickly and giving the Giants little room to work the puck around. The Pats, currently sitting in third place in tight Eastern Conference race and edging out the Chilliwack Bruins the previous night, looked ready to give the G-Men a challenge. The Pats started 17 yr old goalie Linden Rowat, when most of the fans were probably expecting that former Giant Tommy Tartaglione would get the start.
The Giants opened the scoring on the PP after a Regina player took an interference penalty in the neutral zone off the drop of the puck. Mitch Czibere pressed in the Pats zone, stripped a Regina D of the puck and threw the biscuit to Brett Festerling at the point. Festerling ( one of two in the game as his twin brother plays for the Regina squad.) snapped the shot at the net and off the rebound Kyle Lamb, cutting across the crease, backhanded the loose puck over Rowat’s outstretched pad. The goal came just 1:05 into the game and would be the only one scored until the 19 minute mark of the third. The game would turn into a defensive clinic as both squads flexed their blue-line muscle and virtually eliminated quality scoring chances throughout the evening.
I’m not sure if it was the defensive play of the Regina Pats or the lack of hunger for the home team but the shots were low for the Giants and they almost all came from the outside. The G-Men did not seem interested in driving the net and played more of a perimeter game most of the night. In their own zone they limited scoring chances and did not give up quality scoring chances. Oddly enough it was fast paced game as both teams skated up the ice hard, but were stymied when they got into the offensive zone. The Giants matched the Regina squad speed for speed and move for move, but they did not throw a lot of pucks on the net or work the Pats in their own zone as hard as they usually would and the Giants seemed to be content to play a mostly defensive battle.
The G-Men had the better opportunities to score in the end and Linden Rowat absolutely robbed Mikkelson on the doorstep at one point. Early in the second, Scott Brownlee and Garet Hunt dropped the gloves to treat the fans to a lively combat with both players trading blows back and forth until they finally fell into a clutch and were stopped by the linesmen. Call it a draw. Its was like that for most of the game and at times it was a frustrating kind of game to watch and had me on the edge of my seat as one mistake could completely change the game. I would be able to stop holding my breath when on the Giants 7th PP of the evening they would break the tension. The Pats would take a late penalty with 2:30 left in the game and it would allow the Giants to put them away. Milan Lucic fed the puck behind the net where Mario Bliznak, tipped it out front to Michal Repik who snapped it past Rowat to put the Giants up by two and salt away the game. The Giants worked the dying minute and the Regina squad did not elect to pull the goalie with 1:00 left in the game even though they had face-off in the offensive end of the ice. Sexsmith would notch his third shutout of the season and the Giants would get their 20th win of the season.
The Giants went 2 for 7 on the PP while holding their opponent to 0 for 7, and the shots were tied at 23 apiece. Don Hay in the post game interview was musing about how his team needs to forge an identity for this season as up ‘til this point they have been riding the identity from last season and even though they have been winning its time to acknowledge the kind of team they have now and commit to all of its facets. One of his comments was that he sees the team as more of depth scoring team without bona fide snipers to put games away and that it will necessary to find scoring throughout the line-up and the necessity of get a lot of rubber on the opposing net. He was saying that his only real disappointment of the evening was the lack of shots on the Regina net and he’d like to see that improve on this coming road trip.
The Giants next game is down in Spokane on Wed Nov 22, which will be the first of three games in four nights through the US Division, but the Giants won’t see the much vaunted Everett team until Dec 15/16th and both squads will be lacking star players who will be at the World Junior camp. The puck drops at 7pm MST in Spokane.
Three Stars
1 – Brett Festerling
2 – Brendan Mikkelson
3 – Logan Pyett