The myth of the Giants lacking scoring punch is being proved wrong as the scoring by committee continued for the Vancouver team tonight at the Coliseum. The Giants had six different goal scorers for their seven goals with a lot of the scoring punch coming from what would be considered more role players than snipers. This is a team which looks poised on greatness not because of their raft of superstars, but for their team work-ethic and team play. Their passing is crisp and accurate, and the whole team can skate a weapon they utilise frequently to great success. The squad are also being coached to be tenacious fore checkers, while having not only defensive responsibilities, but loyalty and responsibility to their team mates. In short they are being coached to be a chanion team by a man who knows what that is all about.

The scoring parade tonight was lead by JD Watt with 2 goals, and Garet Hunt with a Gordie Howe hat-trick (a goal, an assist and a fight (well two fights in this case). Euro phenom Michal who Repik notched two assists and was all over the ice and making plays in and out of the corners. Cody Franson added two more assists to his tally, as did sometimes defensive partner Brendan Mikkelson, Mitch Czibere got a (SH) goal and an assist as well, and the scoring was rounded out by Tim Kraus, Jason Reese, and defenseman Jonny Blum who earned a star for his effort this evening.

Garet Hunt opened the scoring at 2:40 on the PP, as he went to the net to chip a loose puck over Andrew Pinsent after a rocket of shot from Michal Repik rebounded off of the goalie’s pad. The G-men would go up by two late in the first, again on the PP. Michal Repik came out of the corner to feed Franson at the point. Cody and Michal work the puck around to an open Kraus who snaps the puck past Pinsent. Then with a mere eight seconds left in the first period, Hunt blocks a clearing attempt and the puck tumbles onto Watt’s stick to buries it top shelf, ringing it off the iron and in.

The Giants continued their scoring parade, halfway into the second, when Spencer Machacek works the puck out of the corner and feeds Jonny Blum storming down the slot. Blum buries the sweet pass to put the home team up four zip. Then a couple of minutes later off of some very aggressive forechecking along the boards in the Chilliwack end by Lance Bouma and Czibere, the puck goes to Watt at the side of the net and he chips it home for his second of the night putting the G-Men up by five.

The Bruins get one back 5:36 into the final stanza on the power-play off of an odd happening. It looked like Dustin Slade had the angle and his glove in the perfect position, but the red light still came on. As the shot came it appeared to pass through Slade’s glove and into the net. Slade took a long look at his glove after the goal and apparently decided that there was something wrong with it as he wore back-up Tommy Tartaglione’s glove for several minutes while his was being repaired. That would be the only goal Chilliwack would get, but the Giants would add two more. A couple of minutes later Franson feeds Kenton Dulle who charges down the slot and gets a quick wrister off only to be stymied by Pinsent who kicks out the rebound. Reese finds the loose puck going to the net and flips the loose puck up and over the Bruins goalie for the Giants fan appetiser tally. Then while on the penalty kill Brendan Mikkelson presses the Bruins in the neutral zone and liberates the puck to a hard skating Czibere. Czibere feeds it back to Mikkelson on a two on one and Mikkelson takes the shot creating a rebound which Czibere taps past Pinsent.

The Giants out-shot the Bruins 39-17, and they went 2 for 15 on the power-play while the visitors went 1 for 11. The game was a very physical affair and the home fans were treated to crushing hits dealt by Hunt, and Milan Lucic among others. The refereeing was a bit inconsistent between the two refs as they were clearly looking for different infractions, but in the end it proved to be a fast paced game which delighted almost 7000 fans. The G-Men are now 3-0 on the new season and head down the Seattle for a tilt on Saturday and then bus back up to Vancouver for a 5:00 pm game versus the Prince George Cougars at home on Sunday.

Three Stars
1 – Garet Hunt
2 – Jonathon Blum
3 – JD Watt