Vancouver Giants fall 2-1 to Victoria Royals as late penalty shot fails

VANCOUVER SUN OCTOBER 7, 2012

VANCOUVER -- A shorthanded goal in the first minute and a power play goal 6:15 into the second period was all the Victoria Royals needed on Sunday as they squeezed out a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Giants in front of 4,507 fans at the Pacific Coliseum.

The Giants had a great opportunity late in the game to tie the score when Cain Franson was awarded a penalty shot for the Royals deliberately dislodging the net in the final two minutes. Franson tried to deke to the backhand and go five-hole on Royals goalie Patrick Polivka but Polivka stayed with him and made the butterfly save to preserve the victory for his team.

The Giants received a power play just 20 seconds into the hockey game, but only 10 seconds later, the Royals’ Brandon Magee broke down the middle and opened the scoring shorthanded on a snap shot from the high slot. It was the fourth time in seven games that the Giants opponents scored on their first shot on goal. Vancouver returned the favour just 40 seconds into the second period when Nathan Burns got his team back on even ground, outwaiting a sprawled out Polivka on a rebound to bury the puck into an open net. But the Royals regained the lead on a power play goal at 6:15 of the second when Logan Nelson set up Austin Carroll for an open net tap-in at the side of the goal to put the Royals up 2-1.

The two goaltenders, Tyler Fuhr for Vancouver and Polivka, were perfect the rest of the way in a tight-checking contest on both ends of the ice. Despite the Giants pouring it on in the third and outshooting the Royals 11-4, Polivka and the Royals defense held down the fort. Polivka finished the night with an impressive 29 saves on 30 shots and was named the game’s first star. Fuhr earned third star honours with 20 saves on 22 shots faced.