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		<title><![CDATA[GiantsHQ - forum - All Forums]]></title>
		<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/</link>
		<description>GiantsHQ - forum - http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum</description>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Jul 2010 23:19:31 -0700</pubDate>
		<generator>MyBB</generator>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[newbie here]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=552</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:48:17 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=552</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[hello to all, Danny here from IL, nice to be here]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[hello to all, Danny here from IL, nice to be here]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[EA Sports announces new partnership with the CHL]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=551</link>
			<pubDate>Sat, 22 May 2010 16:17:05 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=551</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[The Giants are coming to NHL 11!

http://chl.ca/fullstory.php?id=1510]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[The Giants are coming to NHL 11!

http://chl.ca/fullstory.php?id=1510]]></content:encoded>
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			<title><![CDATA[Nike Shoes Wholesale China]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=548</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2010 03:37:05 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=548</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Hey,friend
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Welcome to our sites,and We are professional and honest wholesaler of all kinds of brand sports shoes,fashion apparel and accessories, top quality and best price, Paypal payment accept and  free
shipping, take  about 4-7 working days to worldwide,and please belive that we will establish a hard partner relationship. We are looking forward to co-operating with you,if you have any questions please contact with me without any hestitation.thanks]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Hey,friend
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Fashion accessories:&nbsp;&nbsp;http://picasaweb.google.com/kewayu 
New Sports Shoes:&nbsp;&nbsp;http://picasaweb.google.com/meimeiwu2010
Website: http://www.nikelrg.com
Msn:shoesgod265@hotmail.com
Welcome to our sites,and We are professional and honest wholesaler of all kinds of brand sports shoes,fashion apparel and accessories, top quality and best price, Paypal payment accept and  free
shipping, take  about 4-7 working days to worldwide,and please belive that we will establish a hard partner relationship. We are looking forward to co-operating with you,if you have any questions please contact with me without any hestitation.thanks]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Cheap Jordans Wholesale]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=545</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 16 May 2010 03:34:02 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=545</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Hey,friend
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Fashion accessories:  http://picasaweb.google.com/kewayu 
New Sports Shoes:  http://picasaweb.google.com/meimeiwu2010
Website: http://www.nikelrg.com
Msn:shoesgod265@hotmail.com
Welcome to our sites,and We are professional and honest wholesaler of all kinds of brand sports shoes,fashion apparel and accessories, top quality and best price, Paypal payment accept and  free
shipping, take  about 4-7 working days to worldwide,and please belive that we will establish a hard partner relationship. We are looking forward to co-operating with you,if you have any questions please contact with me without any hestitation.thanks]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Hey,friend
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Fashion accessories:  http://picasaweb.google.com/kewayu 
New Sports Shoes:  http://picasaweb.google.com/meimeiwu2010
Website: http://www.nikelrg.com
Msn:shoesgod265@hotmail.com
Welcome to our sites,and We are professional and honest wholesaler of all kinds of brand sports shoes,fashion apparel and accessories, top quality and best price, Paypal payment accept and  free
shipping, take  about 4-7 working days to worldwide,and please belive that we will establish a hard partner relationship. We are looking forward to co-operating with you,if you have any questions please contact with me without any hestitation.thanks]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd 3 Game 6: Giants vs Americans]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=544</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 28 Apr 2010 23:24:20 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=544</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Wrote half my recap after the game and then just lost steam.&nbsp;&nbsp;

I have to say that I was pretty disappointed in the boys in their home games in Round 3.&nbsp;&nbsp;They have much better games than that in them and I expect them to leave it all out on the ice and I felt they did not do that.&nbsp;&nbsp;Their scoring dried up when they needed it the most and to be honest their puck luck left them as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;There was a whole lotta clanging off of red iron in those games, but teams create their puck luck and the G's didn't work hard enough to do that.&nbsp;&nbsp;I'm still not sure why this team would ever sit back versus a squad that has speed and mobility as their strengths.&nbsp;&nbsp;The only way to combat that is to slow 'em down with aggressive play and an intense forecheck.&nbsp;&nbsp;The PP bugged me as well as the boys did not make it hard for Owsley.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mark Segal was not a star in this game any realm of anybody's imagination.&nbsp;&nbsp;Our defense had a rough time of it and the guys frequently got caught flat-footed and standing around.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was a tough loss to watch especially since it featured (and I mean featured), as both of these tiny little men seemed to think they were the stars, refs BUTCHERING this game with beyond horrific calls.&nbsp;&nbsp;I have to say that watching that kind of officiating makes me almost consider not watching hockey, almost.

The Ams did what they had to do in this one though, kept the Giants in ineffectual positions that the home town boys didn't battle through.&nbsp;&nbsp;Good luck to the Americans moving on they should give the Hitmen a bit of challenge as the Hitmen play wide open hockey and frequently give up odd-man rushes.&nbsp;&nbsp;the Giants had very few odd-man rushes in this game and it stopped them from really challenging the Ams or playing their best game.


Quote:Americans Crush Giants&nbsp;&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp; 	 
Rd 3 Game 6: Vancouver 2 Tri-City 5

Don Robinson  	

Bad goals, poor defensive coverage, weak goaltending, simply horrific reffing and a decided lack of drive and impetus to score at all costs. The Giants lost this game poorly; the Americans out-raced them and at times out-worked and out-hit them. The Giants came out for the first ten minutes playing the game they needed to play for the full 60. The stifling reffing killed any and all emotion and energy this game promised to have for the first half of the opening frame. The Giants special teams were poor tonight and it was the major difference in the game. Despite opening the game on a PP and getting their only other goal on the PP, the man-advantage looked bad and the PK even worse. Ten penalties (8 PP chances) were called in the first period between two teams that had a grand total of three called in the entire game 5 in TC. Are you telling me that the games were that different or is it simply that the officiating in this league is all too entirely suspect and inconsistent. TC tied it up on the PP and then added a go-ahead marker on the PP. Neither of the goals was hard won, but rather easy advantage taken of bad goalmouth scrambles. Vancouver got one back in the second tying the game going into the third. TC found the net three times in the third, scoring more easy goals and it was done.

Milan Kytnar opened the scoring on the PP right on the doorstep, a place all too infrequently occupied by the Giants in this series and these playoffs and I am still trying to figure out why. James Henry dug out the puck and got it to Kevin Connauton. Kytnar tipped the shot between the wickets on Drew Owsley. Less than a minute later Johnny Lazo put home a bad rebound on a TC PP. A couple of minutes after that Justin Feser notched another PP marker off of yet another poorly handled puck in the crease. Craig Cunningham scored one getting his own rebound to go. James Henry did an excellent job stripping the puck along the boards with a smart check separating the player from the puck, another tactic under-utilised by the Giants this season and these playoffs. The puck went to Neil Manning for the point shot. The two teams went into the second intermission tied at 2’s.

The third period was all TC, out shooting the G’s 11-6 and easily getting through the seams left in their coverage. The Giants did not play the body and seemed to be caught sitting back instead of really pushing. After their big push in the second I was hoping for the home team to come out guns a-blazing, but instead they allowed themselves to be run out of minutes for the third straight game. Drew Owsley held his team in there in the middle frame when the Giants brought their best pressure. The Americans re-established their lead 26 seconds into the third off of a cheesy play by Patrick Holland and it was all TC from then on. The Giants appeared to have spent their bolt in the second and were being beat to loose pucks and sat four back sending in a lone force-checker to protect a lead they didn’t have for the majority of the final frame. Kruise Reddick put one home on the PP at 3:06 to pad their lead to 2 goals. It was kind of sad to see how badly the Giants were being outplayed and sitting back in the neutral zone, when they really were capable of competing against this team, but just weren’t putting in efficient effective effort. Sergei Drozd potted a wide open tally later in the third, finishing of a tic-tac-toe play that had the whole ice to use as the Giants were nowhere to be found, possibly on a bad change. It was a very poor way to end a promising playoff run and not the best way to leave your fans for your final home game.

The Giants did not bring a physical game, did not challenge the puck carrier and were guilty of soft passing and allowing themselves to be forced to the outside. It was a poor outing for a game 6 and the Americans fully deserved the win and the series as they clearly out-worked, out-netminded and out skated the Vancouver squad. The Giants deficiencies were exposed as their goaltending and D were both broken down too easily when their scoring left them. Up ‘til that point the Giants had been out-scoring their mistakes in most of their wins in these playoffs, but TC clogged up the neutral zone and capitalised with a very speedy mobile game. The Ams had very quick sticks and they gave the Giants fits coming into the offensive zone. The G’s rarely got quality shots on net and seemed content to be forced to the outside instead of creating a lane with their bigger bodies and at least draw a penalty. It was a very frustrating series to watch to say the least.

Shots were 32 apiece in this one and the Americans scored 3 of 7 on the PP, while the Giants went 2 for 9, badly squandering some of their PPs with sloppy passing and no traffic in front of Owsley. All that said though, this season was a odd one with all of those home games played in the fall because of the Olympics, not getting 18 yr old sniper Evander Kane back and only getting 19 yr old James Wright back around the trade deadline after he had played 40 something NHL games. Having a revolving door in net with four goalies vying for the number one spot at various times this season added more question marks. Bonner made a few savvy trades at the deadline to fix a few poor trades and address some of the team’s deficiencies. He failed to acquire a veteran goaltender and at least one top shut down D-man ala Schira or Festerling and in the end these could have made a difference.

The Giants had a good run this season though; surprised a lot of people by winning their fifth straight division title and despite having some challenges this season had yet another good deep run in the playoffs. For what was supposed to be if not a rebuilding year at least a re-tooling year the boys did very well. I am always amazed at how competitive Don Hay’s teams are and despite my own personal opinions about some of the team strategies this season, Hay always manages to get the most out of his group. Hay became the winningest WHL playoff coach, notching his 101st career playoff win this season. The Giants are very fortunate to have him in the fold and the fans should always trust that he’ll put good competitive product on the ice and in the process forge some player’s careers and make them better men as well as better players. Currently I am disappointed, but when I look back in a few weeks I’ll see more good than bad out of this season. Bantam draft is tomorrow and so it begins again. Good luck to OAs Breitkreuz, Toigo and Kytnar in their future endeavours.

Three Stars

1. Drew Owsley
2. Kruise Reddick
3. Mark Segal (what?? – um no.)

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Wrote half my recap after the game and then just lost steam.&nbsp;&nbsp;

I have to say that I was pretty disappointed in the boys in their home games in Round 3.&nbsp;&nbsp;They have much better games than that in them and I expect them to leave it all out on the ice and I felt they did not do that.&nbsp;&nbsp;Their scoring dried up when they needed it the most and to be honest their puck luck left them as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;There was a whole lotta clanging off of red iron in those games, but teams create their puck luck and the G's didn't work hard enough to do that.&nbsp;&nbsp;I'm still not sure why this team would ever sit back versus a squad that has speed and mobility as their strengths.&nbsp;&nbsp;The only way to combat that is to slow 'em down with aggressive play and an intense forecheck.&nbsp;&nbsp;The PP bugged me as well as the boys did not make it hard for Owsley.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mark Segal was not a star in this game any realm of anybody's imagination.&nbsp;&nbsp;Our defense had a rough time of it and the guys frequently got caught flat-footed and standing around.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was a tough loss to watch especially since it featured (and I mean featured), as both of these tiny little men seemed to think they were the stars, refs BUTCHERING this game with beyond horrific calls.&nbsp;&nbsp;I have to say that watching that kind of officiating makes me almost consider not watching hockey, almost.

The Ams did what they had to do in this one though, kept the Giants in ineffectual positions that the home town boys didn't battle through.&nbsp;&nbsp;Good luck to the Americans moving on they should give the Hitmen a bit of challenge as the Hitmen play wide open hockey and frequently give up odd-man rushes.&nbsp;&nbsp;the Giants had very few odd-man rushes in this game and it stopped them from really challenging the Ams or playing their best game.


Quote:Americans Crush Giants&nbsp;&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp; 	 
Rd 3 Game 6: Vancouver 2 Tri-City 5

Don Robinson  	

Bad goals, poor defensive coverage, weak goaltending, simply horrific reffing and a decided lack of drive and impetus to score at all costs. The Giants lost this game poorly; the Americans out-raced them and at times out-worked and out-hit them. The Giants came out for the first ten minutes playing the game they needed to play for the full 60. The stifling reffing killed any and all emotion and energy this game promised to have for the first half of the opening frame. The Giants special teams were poor tonight and it was the major difference in the game. Despite opening the game on a PP and getting their only other goal on the PP, the man-advantage looked bad and the PK even worse. Ten penalties (8 PP chances) were called in the first period between two teams that had a grand total of three called in the entire game 5 in TC. Are you telling me that the games were that different or is it simply that the officiating in this league is all too entirely suspect and inconsistent. TC tied it up on the PP and then added a go-ahead marker on the PP. Neither of the goals was hard won, but rather easy advantage taken of bad goalmouth scrambles. Vancouver got one back in the second tying the game going into the third. TC found the net three times in the third, scoring more easy goals and it was done.

Milan Kytnar opened the scoring on the PP right on the doorstep, a place all too infrequently occupied by the Giants in this series and these playoffs and I am still trying to figure out why. James Henry dug out the puck and got it to Kevin Connauton. Kytnar tipped the shot between the wickets on Drew Owsley. Less than a minute later Johnny Lazo put home a bad rebound on a TC PP. A couple of minutes after that Justin Feser notched another PP marker off of yet another poorly handled puck in the crease. Craig Cunningham scored one getting his own rebound to go. James Henry did an excellent job stripping the puck along the boards with a smart check separating the player from the puck, another tactic under-utilised by the Giants this season and these playoffs. The puck went to Neil Manning for the point shot. The two teams went into the second intermission tied at 2’s.

The third period was all TC, out shooting the G’s 11-6 and easily getting through the seams left in their coverage. The Giants did not play the body and seemed to be caught sitting back instead of really pushing. After their big push in the second I was hoping for the home team to come out guns a-blazing, but instead they allowed themselves to be run out of minutes for the third straight game. Drew Owsley held his team in there in the middle frame when the Giants brought their best pressure. The Americans re-established their lead 26 seconds into the third off of a cheesy play by Patrick Holland and it was all TC from then on. The Giants appeared to have spent their bolt in the second and were being beat to loose pucks and sat four back sending in a lone force-checker to protect a lead they didn’t have for the majority of the final frame. Kruise Reddick put one home on the PP at 3:06 to pad their lead to 2 goals. It was kind of sad to see how badly the Giants were being outplayed and sitting back in the neutral zone, when they really were capable of competing against this team, but just weren’t putting in efficient effective effort. Sergei Drozd potted a wide open tally later in the third, finishing of a tic-tac-toe play that had the whole ice to use as the Giants were nowhere to be found, possibly on a bad change. It was a very poor way to end a promising playoff run and not the best way to leave your fans for your final home game.

The Giants did not bring a physical game, did not challenge the puck carrier and were guilty of soft passing and allowing themselves to be forced to the outside. It was a poor outing for a game 6 and the Americans fully deserved the win and the series as they clearly out-worked, out-netminded and out skated the Vancouver squad. The Giants deficiencies were exposed as their goaltending and D were both broken down too easily when their scoring left them. Up ‘til that point the Giants had been out-scoring their mistakes in most of their wins in these playoffs, but TC clogged up the neutral zone and capitalised with a very speedy mobile game. The Ams had very quick sticks and they gave the Giants fits coming into the offensive zone. The G’s rarely got quality shots on net and seemed content to be forced to the outside instead of creating a lane with their bigger bodies and at least draw a penalty. It was a very frustrating series to watch to say the least.

Shots were 32 apiece in this one and the Americans scored 3 of 7 on the PP, while the Giants went 2 for 9, badly squandering some of their PPs with sloppy passing and no traffic in front of Owsley. All that said though, this season was a odd one with all of those home games played in the fall because of the Olympics, not getting 18 yr old sniper Evander Kane back and only getting 19 yr old James Wright back around the trade deadline after he had played 40 something NHL games. Having a revolving door in net with four goalies vying for the number one spot at various times this season added more question marks. Bonner made a few savvy trades at the deadline to fix a few poor trades and address some of the team’s deficiencies. He failed to acquire a veteran goaltender and at least one top shut down D-man ala Schira or Festerling and in the end these could have made a difference.

The Giants had a good run this season though; surprised a lot of people by winning their fifth straight division title and despite having some challenges this season had yet another good deep run in the playoffs. For what was supposed to be if not a rebuilding year at least a re-tooling year the boys did very well. I am always amazed at how competitive Don Hay’s teams are and despite my own personal opinions about some of the team strategies this season, Hay always manages to get the most out of his group. Hay became the winningest WHL playoff coach, notching his 101st career playoff win this season. The Giants are very fortunate to have him in the fold and the fans should always trust that he’ll put good competitive product on the ice and in the process forge some player’s careers and make them better men as well as better players. Currently I am disappointed, but when I look back in a few weeks I’ll see more good than bad out of this season. Bantam draft is tomorrow and so it begins again. Good luck to OAs Breitkreuz, Toigo and Kytnar in their future endeavours.

Three Stars

1. Drew Owsley
2. Kruise Reddick
3. Mark Segal (what?? – um no.)

]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd 3 Game 5: Giants @ Americans Apr 23, 2010]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=543</link>
			<pubDate>Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:48:15 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=543</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[A lot of people have been expecting the Giants goaltending to have been a reason for their troubles and although its been admittedly inconsistent, they have managed to out score their woes and rebound from poor outings by their netminder.&nbsp;&nbsp;The past two games are examples of when you don't get great 'tending and don't score your way out of trouble.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Americans have been playing a stifling game and the Giants are allowing themselves to be lulled by it.&nbsp;&nbsp;The games have had no emotion and no real drive to the net enmasse with the sole aim to get the freaking puck in the net.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After watching a couple of games live I have to say that I feel the Americans are very guilty of running interfering traffic and not being called on it.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Giants have to battle through it of course and make sure they draw those penalties, but when a linchpin Game 5 has a grand total of 3 penalties called there's either something wrong with the effort, the zebras or both.&nbsp;&nbsp;Considering that Kirk and Zalaski are two of the most suspect refs in the league I have to say that they were a factor in the loss, if only by pointed omission.

That said, Owsley stood on his head and stoned the Giants when they really put the push on.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mark Segal was not able to hold his team in there, but blame also has to go to the Giants for not pressuring the puck carrier while on the PK.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Giants need to win the next two to face Calgary for the WHL title.&nbsp;&nbsp;They are capable, but they need Segal to play his best two games and they need to have the hunger to get the wins at all costs.


Quote:Americans Stop Giants&nbsp;&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp; 	 
Rd 3 Game 5: Vancouver 1 Tri-City 4

Don Robinson  	

The Giants were hoping to go up in the series by stealing one in Tri-City, but the American’s goalie had other ideas. Tri opened the scoring in the first. The Giants got that one back in the second, but then it was the Drew Owsley show. The Giants pressed hard and heavy to the Americans net in the middle frame, but could not solve the netminder. Meantime the Americans went 2 for 2 on the PP in a game that saw very few penalties called. TC held on in the third. The Americans ran the Giants out of minutes for the second straight game, potting a late one in the final frame to put the game out of reach. There was very little emotion in this one despite a great toe-to-toe scrap between Nolan Toigo and Mike Brown in the first.

16 yr old D-man Zach Yuen got his first of the season when his shot went in off of Toigo’s stick. Toigo had made a nice defensive play before the mishap, but was in the wrong place when the point shot was released. Toigo and Brown squared off with Toigo getting a hailstorm of shots in early. Brown came back a bit, but the decision went to Toigo. Lance Bouma ripped a rocket past Owsley off of a nice feed from Craig Cunningham in the second to tie the game. Tyler Schmidt got credit for a PP goal that was originally waived off due to the net being dislodged from its moorings. After going upstairs it was called a goal. Brooks Macek got another PP marker a few minutes later. Brendan Shinnimin potted one late in the third to put the game out of reach. The Giants out shot the Ams 41-31. They were 0 for 1 on the PP, while the Americans went 2 for 2. The Giants need to win one at home to force a game 7 back in TC. Game 6 is at the Coliseum on Sunday, the puck drops at 5pm PDT.

Three Stars

1. Drew Owsley
2. Brendan Shinnimin
3. Mason Wilgosh

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[A lot of people have been expecting the Giants goaltending to have been a reason for their troubles and although its been admittedly inconsistent, they have managed to out score their woes and rebound from poor outings by their netminder.&nbsp;&nbsp;The past two games are examples of when you don't get great 'tending and don't score your way out of trouble.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Americans have been playing a stifling game and the Giants are allowing themselves to be lulled by it.&nbsp;&nbsp;The games have had no emotion and no real drive to the net enmasse with the sole aim to get the freaking puck in the net.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After watching a couple of games live I have to say that I feel the Americans are very guilty of running interfering traffic and not being called on it.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Giants have to battle through it of course and make sure they draw those penalties, but when a linchpin Game 5 has a grand total of 3 penalties called there's either something wrong with the effort, the zebras or both.&nbsp;&nbsp;Considering that Kirk and Zalaski are two of the most suspect refs in the league I have to say that they were a factor in the loss, if only by pointed omission.

That said, Owsley stood on his head and stoned the Giants when they really put the push on.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mark Segal was not able to hold his team in there, but blame also has to go to the Giants for not pressuring the puck carrier while on the PK.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Giants need to win the next two to face Calgary for the WHL title.&nbsp;&nbsp;They are capable, but they need Segal to play his best two games and they need to have the hunger to get the wins at all costs.


Quote:Americans Stop Giants&nbsp;&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp; 	 
Rd 3 Game 5: Vancouver 1 Tri-City 4

Don Robinson  	

The Giants were hoping to go up in the series by stealing one in Tri-City, but the American’s goalie had other ideas. Tri opened the scoring in the first. The Giants got that one back in the second, but then it was the Drew Owsley show. The Giants pressed hard and heavy to the Americans net in the middle frame, but could not solve the netminder. Meantime the Americans went 2 for 2 on the PP in a game that saw very few penalties called. TC held on in the third. The Americans ran the Giants out of minutes for the second straight game, potting a late one in the final frame to put the game out of reach. There was very little emotion in this one despite a great toe-to-toe scrap between Nolan Toigo and Mike Brown in the first.

16 yr old D-man Zach Yuen got his first of the season when his shot went in off of Toigo’s stick. Toigo had made a nice defensive play before the mishap, but was in the wrong place when the point shot was released. Toigo and Brown squared off with Toigo getting a hailstorm of shots in early. Brown came back a bit, but the decision went to Toigo. Lance Bouma ripped a rocket past Owsley off of a nice feed from Craig Cunningham in the second to tie the game. Tyler Schmidt got credit for a PP goal that was originally waived off due to the net being dislodged from its moorings. After going upstairs it was called a goal. Brooks Macek got another PP marker a few minutes later. Brendan Shinnimin potted one late in the third to put the game out of reach. The Giants out shot the Ams 41-31. They were 0 for 1 on the PP, while the Americans went 2 for 2. The Giants need to win one at home to force a game 7 back in TC. Game 6 is at the Coliseum on Sunday, the puck drops at 5pm PDT.

Three Stars

1. Drew Owsley
2. Brendan Shinnimin
3. Mason Wilgosh

]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd 3 Game 4: Giants vs Americans]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=542</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:55:21 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=542</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[It was Playoff Hockey Lite.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Neither team was willing to gut out a win and that suits the Americans as it plays right into their wheelhouse.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Giants laid the body a few times, but not enough to rattle the smaller Ams and they really need to punish the American squad if they hope to get some open ice and chances.&nbsp;&nbsp;Very little emotion almost none actually.&nbsp;&nbsp;Segal was worse (he wasn't horrible, but allowed two goals he probably shouldn't have but his team is to blame as well) and Owsley was better and to be honest that's about the story.&nbsp;&nbsp;The G's ran themselves out of time playing perimeter hockey and rarely making it tough for Owsley in this one (although the Tri-City netminder made a couple of very nice stops when the pressure was on).&nbsp;&nbsp;The Ams ran a lot of traffic and if the Giants hope to come out on top in this series they need to fight through that traffic and get bodies and that black rubber thingy to the net and across the line.&nbsp;&nbsp;I expect much better, much hungrier in TC.


Quote:Americans Jam Giants&nbsp;&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp; 	 
Rd 3 Game 4: Vancouver 2 Tri-City 5* EN (2)*

Don Robinson  	

The Giants did a lot of things better in this game than they did in game 3. They had better puck pressure, they moved the puck better, but in the end took the loss when they allowed a few too many seams; their goalie wasn’t as solid as the previous game and the Ams goalie played better. The Giants opened the scoring on the PP about mid-first. The Ams tied that up before the end of the period. The Ams went ahead in the second, but the Giants got another PP marker to go, tying it up. The Ams got a PP marker of their own to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Giants failed to drive the net with the puck and were still not getting enough traffic to the net. They rattled a few great chances off of the red iron. The Ams added two late empty net goals to pads their stats. Considering that the Giants had lost the pressure they had been putting on the Ams, pulling the goalie a second time down two with about 40 seconds left was rather dumb. It served to make the game appear more lop-sided and gave the Ams a lift going back to TC. Usually I like the idea of trying to get the goal at any costs, but at that point in the game the Giants were getting handled along the boards easily and not driving to get chances despite having an extra guy on the ice. Giants were very guilty of over-passing and not taking the shots quickly enough.

Brendan Gallagher opened the scoring with his 11th of this post-season. James Wright kept it in getting the puck to Craig Cunningham who fed Gallagher at the side of the net. Gallagher tried to pass it cross crease to a pinching Musil and the puck went in off of the defender’s skate. A couple of minutes later Brett Plouffe drifted one from the point, which caromed off of a Giants player changing direction and going past Mark Segal. In the second, Jordan Messier put one in at the side of the net as the Giants allowed TC to come out of the corner unmolested. Not a great goal against by any stretch. David Musil took a Milan Kytnar feed on another PP back door play, with the puck getting across to Musil this time and the big 16-year-old defenseman making no mistake putting it home. The Ams got a PP chance not shortly after and made it count as a soft point shot was badly rebounded by Segal, giving a wide-open Adam Hughesman an easy gift.

The Giants squandered the rest of the second, being handily kept to the outside and never really trying to force their way to the net and when they did get their chances Drew Owsley was ready. Early in the third Segal made a brilliant stop and that seemed to give the boys a lift. They got their cycle game going in the Americans end of the ice and it felt like they would be able to tie it up, if not take the win. Goals have not been a concern for the Giants for most of these playoffs. The problem was that they didn’t really make it tough for Owsley. They did not create traffic on the edge of the blue-ice, they did not drive the net with the puck or even make the attempt very often and they did not gut out scoring chances. In short, they did not really hunger for the win nearly as much as they should have and played a patient game until they ran themselves out of the minutes.

The Giants allowed themselves to float through the better part of two periods and although they had forays of intensity they never brought the full enchilada. Credit the Ams for their close checking and quick sticks, but unlike game 3 where the Americans were first to the puck and looked like the road-runner to the Giants coyote in this one the Giants kept up, were not beat to the outside and were on the puck quickly. They just didn’t gut it out when they had the puck and create their scoring opportunities. The Ams are a very beatable team, and a very beatable team by this Giants squad, but the G’s have to up their physical game and punish the Ams every single time they touch a puck, they have to get into man on man situations and not sit back and allow the Ams to do what they do best, which is their fast transition game. Tonight they allowed that game to come to fore and took the loss.

The reffing was odd in this one. The Giants drew a bunch of early penalties, getting tripped and hacked down from behind then the refs shifted their attention to evening up those calls with some soft as butter calls, as they had been letting a hell of a lot go in this one, but seemed happy to select a few. Segal was run hard after a shot on net from a driving Am player who made no attempt to stop or shift direction. No call. Another situation occurred where a Giants player was taken down from behind and there was a late boarding hit in the corner occurring on the delayed penalty, which should have put the G’s on a 5 on 3 situation, but the second penalty just seemed to vanish. The Ams are guilty of running pick plays and interfering as a matter of course. It’s a pretty basic part of their game and yet they seem to get away with it a lot. Obviously this sounds like sour grapes, but really it’s not as the refs didn’t call anything in third, despite players being taken down and obstructed all over the ice. Whistles in pockets is one thing, calling soft even up calls just because is bad reffing.

The Giants out shot the Americans 32-25. They went 2 for 3 on their meagre PP chances and should have been granted a few more by my reckoning; however they didn’t earn a lot of those real calls because they were not fighting through that traffic. The Americans went 1 for 2. Emotion was lacking in this one and for the Giants not to use their size better than they did was poor. They need to bring their full arsenal and not selected elements. The Giants could have used a lot more battle and hunger from my perspective. Neither team really earned quality-scoring chances and although pucks went in none of the goals came from pure drive. It was Playoff Hockey Lite. The two teams tangle in TC on Friday night at 7:05pm. It’ll be interesting to see how fatigue plays into game 5. It now a best of three with Game 6 back at the Coliseum on Sunday. The Giants need to find their real game and on the road they usually do simplify their game so that bodes well.

Three Stars

1. Drew Owsley
2. Kruise Reddick
3. Brendan Gallagher

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[It was Playoff Hockey Lite.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Neither team was willing to gut out a win and that suits the Americans as it plays right into their wheelhouse.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Giants laid the body a few times, but not enough to rattle the smaller Ams and they really need to punish the American squad if they hope to get some open ice and chances.&nbsp;&nbsp;Very little emotion almost none actually.&nbsp;&nbsp;Segal was worse (he wasn't horrible, but allowed two goals he probably shouldn't have but his team is to blame as well) and Owsley was better and to be honest that's about the story.&nbsp;&nbsp;The G's ran themselves out of time playing perimeter hockey and rarely making it tough for Owsley in this one (although the Tri-City netminder made a couple of very nice stops when the pressure was on).&nbsp;&nbsp;The Ams ran a lot of traffic and if the Giants hope to come out on top in this series they need to fight through that traffic and get bodies and that black rubber thingy to the net and across the line.&nbsp;&nbsp;I expect much better, much hungrier in TC.


Quote:Americans Jam Giants&nbsp;&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp; 	 
Rd 3 Game 4: Vancouver 2 Tri-City 5* EN (2)*

Don Robinson  	

The Giants did a lot of things better in this game than they did in game 3. They had better puck pressure, they moved the puck better, but in the end took the loss when they allowed a few too many seams; their goalie wasn’t as solid as the previous game and the Ams goalie played better. The Giants opened the scoring on the PP about mid-first. The Ams tied that up before the end of the period. The Ams went ahead in the second, but the Giants got another PP marker to go, tying it up. The Ams got a PP marker of their own to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Giants failed to drive the net with the puck and were still not getting enough traffic to the net. They rattled a few great chances off of the red iron. The Ams added two late empty net goals to pads their stats. Considering that the Giants had lost the pressure they had been putting on the Ams, pulling the goalie a second time down two with about 40 seconds left was rather dumb. It served to make the game appear more lop-sided and gave the Ams a lift going back to TC. Usually I like the idea of trying to get the goal at any costs, but at that point in the game the Giants were getting handled along the boards easily and not driving to get chances despite having an extra guy on the ice. Giants were very guilty of over-passing and not taking the shots quickly enough.

Brendan Gallagher opened the scoring with his 11th of this post-season. James Wright kept it in getting the puck to Craig Cunningham who fed Gallagher at the side of the net. Gallagher tried to pass it cross crease to a pinching Musil and the puck went in off of the defender’s skate. A couple of minutes later Brett Plouffe drifted one from the point, which caromed off of a Giants player changing direction and going past Mark Segal. In the second, Jordan Messier put one in at the side of the net as the Giants allowed TC to come out of the corner unmolested. Not a great goal against by any stretch. David Musil took a Milan Kytnar feed on another PP back door play, with the puck getting across to Musil this time and the big 16-year-old defenseman making no mistake putting it home. The Ams got a PP chance not shortly after and made it count as a soft point shot was badly rebounded by Segal, giving a wide-open Adam Hughesman an easy gift.

The Giants squandered the rest of the second, being handily kept to the outside and never really trying to force their way to the net and when they did get their chances Drew Owsley was ready. Early in the third Segal made a brilliant stop and that seemed to give the boys a lift. They got their cycle game going in the Americans end of the ice and it felt like they would be able to tie it up, if not take the win. Goals have not been a concern for the Giants for most of these playoffs. The problem was that they didn’t really make it tough for Owsley. They did not create traffic on the edge of the blue-ice, they did not drive the net with the puck or even make the attempt very often and they did not gut out scoring chances. In short, they did not really hunger for the win nearly as much as they should have and played a patient game until they ran themselves out of the minutes.

The Giants allowed themselves to float through the better part of two periods and although they had forays of intensity they never brought the full enchilada. Credit the Ams for their close checking and quick sticks, but unlike game 3 where the Americans were first to the puck and looked like the road-runner to the Giants coyote in this one the Giants kept up, were not beat to the outside and were on the puck quickly. They just didn’t gut it out when they had the puck and create their scoring opportunities. The Ams are a very beatable team, and a very beatable team by this Giants squad, but the G’s have to up their physical game and punish the Ams every single time they touch a puck, they have to get into man on man situations and not sit back and allow the Ams to do what they do best, which is their fast transition game. Tonight they allowed that game to come to fore and took the loss.

The reffing was odd in this one. The Giants drew a bunch of early penalties, getting tripped and hacked down from behind then the refs shifted their attention to evening up those calls with some soft as butter calls, as they had been letting a hell of a lot go in this one, but seemed happy to select a few. Segal was run hard after a shot on net from a driving Am player who made no attempt to stop or shift direction. No call. Another situation occurred where a Giants player was taken down from behind and there was a late boarding hit in the corner occurring on the delayed penalty, which should have put the G’s on a 5 on 3 situation, but the second penalty just seemed to vanish. The Ams are guilty of running pick plays and interfering as a matter of course. It’s a pretty basic part of their game and yet they seem to get away with it a lot. Obviously this sounds like sour grapes, but really it’s not as the refs didn’t call anything in third, despite players being taken down and obstructed all over the ice. Whistles in pockets is one thing, calling soft even up calls just because is bad reffing.

The Giants out shot the Americans 32-25. They went 2 for 3 on their meagre PP chances and should have been granted a few more by my reckoning; however they didn’t earn a lot of those real calls because they were not fighting through that traffic. The Americans went 1 for 2. Emotion was lacking in this one and for the Giants not to use their size better than they did was poor. They need to bring their full arsenal and not selected elements. The Giants could have used a lot more battle and hunger from my perspective. Neither team really earned quality-scoring chances and although pucks went in none of the goals came from pure drive. It was Playoff Hockey Lite. The two teams tangle in TC on Friday night at 7:05pm. It’ll be interesting to see how fatigue plays into game 5. It now a best of three with Game 6 back at the Coliseum on Sunday. The Giants need to find their real game and on the road they usually do simplify their game so that bodes well.

Three Stars

1. Drew Owsley
2. Kruise Reddick
3. Brendan Gallagher

]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd 3 Game 3: Giants vs Americans]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=541</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 23:55:40 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=541</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Not too many stand-outs on the Giants squad.  Their most consistent player tonight was surprisingly, Segal.  He held his team in there and although he did not need to find a brilliant game much tonight, he did play a very solid game for his team.  The Americans are a skilled team and very quick with their sticks both defensively and offensively.  The reffing sucked, but what do you expect when you have Herman and Montsion (who I have taken to calling Munchy!).  In the end though the Giants did virtually nothing with the man-advantage so it worked out.  Gally was the only Giant who stayed consistent through all the periods.  The Giants D was very solid tonight, keeping the Ams out of the choice scoring areas and forcing them to score scramble goals and rebound goals.  Happy to get the win.  I would have preferred a more entertaining game and better puck pressure and intensity, but in the end its all about the W and the Giants brought pressure early and pressure in OT and that's all they needed.


Quote:Giants Squeak By Ams  	   	 
Rd 3 Game 3: Vancouver 3 Tri-City 2 OT

Don Robinson  	

The Giants came out well in the first, getting two goals for their trouble. They were skating hard and fore-checking well and then they decided to sit back. Part of the sit back was the fact that they had a couple of players damaged and were running with a short bench in the second, but another part was simply trying not to lose as opposed to trying to win. I hate that. It’s boring hockey and usually ineffective. The Americans are a quick team; quick to loose pucks, quick sticks to chip the puck off of their opponent’s lumber and a very quick transition game. It makes no sense for the Giants to sit back versus a team like this and not bring a good forecheck to force them to make poor plays. In the second and third though the Giants did just that. Squandering almost every PP chance by over-passing, not creating traffic in front of the net and not taking quick shots. They allowed the Americans back into a game they should have easily shut them out of and got very few shots on the Ams net. It’s a good thing the Tri-City netminder had a tough night, or the Giants could have come out of this game being down 2-1, instead up in the series. The Americans got two PP markers, one in the second and one in the third to draw even. The home squad got a bad angle shot to go in OT and that was the game.

The Giants had a new look starting line-up and it almost hurt them as the Americans were getting to the Giants net early. The G’s battled back though and were fortunate to get what appeared to be a harmless shot to find the top of the net. James Wright cut across the American’s blue-line and wristed a partially screened shot. His knuckler found its way past Drew Owsley to bulge the top corner. A good shot, but one that Owsley would want another stab at. Lance Bouma had the lone assist on the play. Neil Manning scored the Giants only PP goal just past the mid-way mark of the period. Craig Cunningham initiated the cycle working hard along the boards, getting it out to Brendan Gallagher who found Manning pinching in from the point. Manning filled the gaping 6 x 4 to put the home squad up 2-0. The Giants played the kind of first they wanted, got a bit of luck and worked for the puck. They had the Americans pinned well most of the time, so someone tell me why they stopped what they were doing for the rest of the game.

The Giants came out flat, flat, flat in the second. Stopped hitting, over-passed and sat back in the neutral zone sending in one disinterested fore-checker. They were very fortunate that Mark Segal, their goaltender, had a solid night keeping his team in the game. The Americans were very good stripping the puck and getting some chances, but they did not manage to battle their way to the sweet spots on the ice for scoring. The Giants were decent clearing the front of their net of pucks, but not so decent getting the puck out of their zone and as such spent a bit of time in their end. Early in the second the Giants got a 5 min PP chance, when James Henry was nailed from behind and got a huge gash on his nose. But instead of getting them back into the game, they allowed the very easy kill to give them the Ams the momentum. The Giants managed a paltry 6 shots on net in the middle frame and let the Americans back into the game with a PP marker. Brooks Macek jammed home a loose puck in Segal’s crease after a very poor scramble occurred when the Giants did not challenge the puck carriers. The Americans got a few byes from the zebras tonight and with what the Giants were doing on their man-advantages it’s probably just as good. Frequent hooks and pick plays were ignored and my favourite the full suplex throw to the ice, with the slack-jawed orange striper looking on like he didn’t even see it happen. I’m not sure why the whistles were stowed tonight, but they were and I am sure the Giants got away with a few as well, but the missed/ignored infractions I witnessed were about as blatant as they get.

I was hoping the Giants would show up in the third as they had in the first, but they continued to play that patient passive fore-check game. This is not the team against which you want to employ this kind of strategy as their transition game and passing easily defuse a neutral zone trap. The way to keep the Ams at bay is to punish them in their own end of the ice, but the Giants played the patient game. The G-Men opened the third on the PP and spent most of the time chasing the puck to their end of the ice. The Americans probably should have been able to take this game had they really pressed the attack hard at the Giants net, but they were not playing their best game either. Jordan Messier was able to tie the game with a PP marker mid-third, finding a loose puck off of a rebound. The Giants held on. Segal made a couple of very good stops with time ticking down and by the end of the period the Giants were putting some good pressure on Owsley. In OT the Giants brought back a better forecheck game, creating traffic in front of the Americans cage. A good shift by the fourth liners garnered a face-off in the offensive zone. Wright won the face-off getting the puck to Tomas Vincour. Vincour cut around the net and fired the puck from the goal line, squeaking the puck between Owsley’s arm and chest, giving the Giants the game winner. I actually laughed out loud when he scored the goal as the Giants won a game they mostly earned, but spent most of the contest not playing their best game.

The Giants allowed themselves to be out shot in the game 35-27. The hometown boys went 1 for 4 on the PP, while allowing the Ams to go 2 for 3. The Giants were awful on the PK, failing to challenge the puck carriers and really force the Ams to make mistakes as they usually do when they are on. The G’s PP was equally suspect as the boys were soft on the puck, went for that extra pass and couldn’t pull the trigger when they got their chances. All in all it was not a really entertaining game, although the Americans work on the puck was pretty impressive and in my mind the Giants were fortunate to get the win. Just keeping it real folks. When the boys drive and battle then I give them kudos, but this lack-lustre effort for most of the game is not really acceptable in my mind. This is supposed to be playoff hockey, when you have an advantage you need to press it hard all over the ice and you have to play the full sixty. That did not happen tonight and although the win is what you shoot for, they could easily have had a loss with the level of play they brought. I love it when the Giants wind it up, press the attack and pressure the puck carrier and they are successful doing it, so why sit back? Game 4 goes on Thursday at the Coliseum 7pm PDT. Need more fans there, just over 6K is not what I call a decent playoff crowd. The boys deserve the support and energy in the building begets energy on the ice.

Three Stars

1. Mark Segal
2. James Wright
3. Justin Feser

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Not too many stand-outs on the Giants squad.  Their most consistent player tonight was surprisingly, Segal.  He held his team in there and although he did not need to find a brilliant game much tonight, he did play a very solid game for his team.  The Americans are a skilled team and very quick with their sticks both defensively and offensively.  The reffing sucked, but what do you expect when you have Herman and Montsion (who I have taken to calling Munchy!).  In the end though the Giants did virtually nothing with the man-advantage so it worked out.  Gally was the only Giant who stayed consistent through all the periods.  The Giants D was very solid tonight, keeping the Ams out of the choice scoring areas and forcing them to score scramble goals and rebound goals.  Happy to get the win.  I would have preferred a more entertaining game and better puck pressure and intensity, but in the end its all about the W and the Giants brought pressure early and pressure in OT and that's all they needed.


Quote:Giants Squeak By Ams  	   	 
Rd 3 Game 3: Vancouver 3 Tri-City 2 OT

Don Robinson  	

The Giants came out well in the first, getting two goals for their trouble. They were skating hard and fore-checking well and then they decided to sit back. Part of the sit back was the fact that they had a couple of players damaged and were running with a short bench in the second, but another part was simply trying not to lose as opposed to trying to win. I hate that. It’s boring hockey and usually ineffective. The Americans are a quick team; quick to loose pucks, quick sticks to chip the puck off of their opponent’s lumber and a very quick transition game. It makes no sense for the Giants to sit back versus a team like this and not bring a good forecheck to force them to make poor plays. In the second and third though the Giants did just that. Squandering almost every PP chance by over-passing, not creating traffic in front of the net and not taking quick shots. They allowed the Americans back into a game they should have easily shut them out of and got very few shots on the Ams net. It’s a good thing the Tri-City netminder had a tough night, or the Giants could have come out of this game being down 2-1, instead up in the series. The Americans got two PP markers, one in the second and one in the third to draw even. The home squad got a bad angle shot to go in OT and that was the game.

The Giants had a new look starting line-up and it almost hurt them as the Americans were getting to the Giants net early. The G’s battled back though and were fortunate to get what appeared to be a harmless shot to find the top of the net. James Wright cut across the American’s blue-line and wristed a partially screened shot. His knuckler found its way past Drew Owsley to bulge the top corner. A good shot, but one that Owsley would want another stab at. Lance Bouma had the lone assist on the play. Neil Manning scored the Giants only PP goal just past the mid-way mark of the period. Craig Cunningham initiated the cycle working hard along the boards, getting it out to Brendan Gallagher who found Manning pinching in from the point. Manning filled the gaping 6 x 4 to put the home squad up 2-0. The Giants played the kind of first they wanted, got a bit of luck and worked for the puck. They had the Americans pinned well most of the time, so someone tell me why they stopped what they were doing for the rest of the game.

The Giants came out flat, flat, flat in the second. Stopped hitting, over-passed and sat back in the neutral zone sending in one disinterested fore-checker. They were very fortunate that Mark Segal, their goaltender, had a solid night keeping his team in the game. The Americans were very good stripping the puck and getting some chances, but they did not manage to battle their way to the sweet spots on the ice for scoring. The Giants were decent clearing the front of their net of pucks, but not so decent getting the puck out of their zone and as such spent a bit of time in their end. Early in the second the Giants got a 5 min PP chance, when James Henry was nailed from behind and got a huge gash on his nose. But instead of getting them back into the game, they allowed the very easy kill to give them the Ams the momentum. The Giants managed a paltry 6 shots on net in the middle frame and let the Americans back into the game with a PP marker. Brooks Macek jammed home a loose puck in Segal’s crease after a very poor scramble occurred when the Giants did not challenge the puck carriers. The Americans got a few byes from the zebras tonight and with what the Giants were doing on their man-advantages it’s probably just as good. Frequent hooks and pick plays were ignored and my favourite the full suplex throw to the ice, with the slack-jawed orange striper looking on like he didn’t even see it happen. I’m not sure why the whistles were stowed tonight, but they were and I am sure the Giants got away with a few as well, but the missed/ignored infractions I witnessed were about as blatant as they get.

I was hoping the Giants would show up in the third as they had in the first, but they continued to play that patient passive fore-check game. This is not the team against which you want to employ this kind of strategy as their transition game and passing easily defuse a neutral zone trap. The way to keep the Ams at bay is to punish them in their own end of the ice, but the Giants played the patient game. The G-Men opened the third on the PP and spent most of the time chasing the puck to their end of the ice. The Americans probably should have been able to take this game had they really pressed the attack hard at the Giants net, but they were not playing their best game either. Jordan Messier was able to tie the game with a PP marker mid-third, finding a loose puck off of a rebound. The Giants held on. Segal made a couple of very good stops with time ticking down and by the end of the period the Giants were putting some good pressure on Owsley. In OT the Giants brought back a better forecheck game, creating traffic in front of the Americans cage. A good shift by the fourth liners garnered a face-off in the offensive zone. Wright won the face-off getting the puck to Tomas Vincour. Vincour cut around the net and fired the puck from the goal line, squeaking the puck between Owsley’s arm and chest, giving the Giants the game winner. I actually laughed out loud when he scored the goal as the Giants won a game they mostly earned, but spent most of the contest not playing their best game.

The Giants allowed themselves to be out shot in the game 35-27. The hometown boys went 1 for 4 on the PP, while allowing the Ams to go 2 for 3. The Giants were awful on the PK, failing to challenge the puck carriers and really force the Ams to make mistakes as they usually do when they are on. The G’s PP was equally suspect as the boys were soft on the puck, went for that extra pass and couldn’t pull the trigger when they got their chances. All in all it was not a really entertaining game, although the Americans work on the puck was pretty impressive and in my mind the Giants were fortunate to get the win. Just keeping it real folks. When the boys drive and battle then I give them kudos, but this lack-lustre effort for most of the game is not really acceptable in my mind. This is supposed to be playoff hockey, when you have an advantage you need to press it hard all over the ice and you have to play the full sixty. That did not happen tonight and although the win is what you shoot for, they could easily have had a loss with the level of play they brought. I love it when the Giants wind it up, press the attack and pressure the puck carrier and they are successful doing it, so why sit back? Game 4 goes on Thursday at the Coliseum 7pm PDT. Need more fans there, just over 6K is not what I call a decent playoff crowd. The boys deserve the support and energy in the building begets energy on the ice.

Three Stars

1. Mark Segal
2. James Wright
3. Justin Feser

]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd 3 Game 2: Giants @ Americans April 17, 2010]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=540</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 18 Apr 2010 00:52:19 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=540</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[I didn't like this one for obvious reasons.  The officiating was simply invented garbage, making punitive and lop-sided calls for no apparent reason that I could determine and yet not making calls for equal and worse on the other side of the puck.  The boys needed to get more drive to the net and traffic in front of Owsley.  The PP sucked badly.  The Giants allowed the smaller Ams to out-work them and get to the puck.  The G's were awful in their own end, after being so good in game one.  Segal was okay, but not good.  Allowing 4 goals on 18 shots is not so good and despite turning away 22 of 26, he has better games in him.  In fairness though the team left him high and dry frequently.  I expect much better in Game 3 and hope that the officials are not a visible factor.

Americans Gouge Giants  	   	 
Rd 3 Game 2: Vancouver 0 Tri-City 4

Don Robinson  	

The Giants had the momentum through most of the first period, until a poor give-away in their own end allowed a bad team goal against. Late in the first the refs found something extreme to call, despite blatantly ignoring what lead to the invisible headbutt they said they saw, from one of the least penalized players in the league. Adding an insult to injury extra roughing for a minor push started by the other guy was the ultimate insult. If it was actually a real headbutt then it’s a 5 min penalty and a Game according to their own rules, so I’m not sure how they justify any of their calls tonight. The Ams capitalised early in the second on the tail end of their long 5 on 3 PP. They continued to roll through the back half of the double minor gaining momentum, which permanently shifted the ice towards the Giants net. They scored shortly after the extra penalty expired. The Giants for their own part gave in too easily and were extremely sloppy in their own end of the ice with the puck. They made a lot of their own problems in this one and were not very active clearing the front of their net. Their goalie was okay tonight after being excellent on Friday. The G-Men were guilty of letting the game get away from them and allowing their energy to be sucked out. By the end of the second they didn’t seem to have any more desire to drive to get a goal, let alone a win.

Kevin Connauton was handling the puck behind his own net and the next thing you know it’s a bang, bang, bang play and in the back of his net. The defenseman made a horrific give-away gifting the Ams a prime scoring opportunity at which they did not turn up their noses. Jordan Messier opened the scoring at 7:50 of the first. A dangerous hit on Craig Cunningham had Brett Breitkreuz immediately drop the mitts and begin to beat the crap out of Tyler Schmidt who was a cheap piece of work tonight and deserved a few more beat downs. Breitkreuz got the extra 10 min misconduct when the penalties were handed out.

The Americans went into the break with a minute plus left in their 5 on 3, which carried over into the second period. Brendan Shinnimin put TC up by two on that PP. Johnny Lazo scored not long later getting a weird bounce past Mark Segal, increasing the Americans lead to 3. The Giants managed to weather the Ams other PP chances. Despite out shooting the Ams in the first and second periods they could not solve Drew Owsley who was both good and lucky as most goalies that get a shutout are. The Giants made it tough for Owsley in the second period with a late flurry, but he turned aside all of their chances. The Giants badly squandered every one of their PP chances. The Ams were quick to the puck and cleared their zone almost surgically. They hustled well and kept shots to the outside for the majority. The Giants failed to get good traffic in front of Owsley and earned themselves few good scoring chances. They let the adversity in the game get to them and that’s not Giants hockey. Kruise Reddick salted away the game in the third scoring an unassisted tally off of yet another bad give-away, putting away a wrap-around behind Segal. The Giants managed a paltry 5 shots in the third and felt as if they had essentially given into their fate and that I don’t like. It ain’t over ‘til its over and teams in this league can score 4 and 5 goals in a period, with the Giants being one of those teams. Credit Owsley for keeping his squad with the momentum by defusing any and all of the Giants scoring chances.

The two teams both had 26 shots on net, with the Ams getting the majority of the rubber in the third period. The Americans went 1 for 7 on the PP, while the Giants were 0 for 3. Few bright spots in the Giants line-up as the majority of players throughout the line-up carried minuses. James Henry’s 11 game point streak was unceremoniously broken tonight, but he was one of the few Giants players who was even on the night. In my opinion, Nathan Wieler and Trevor Hanson, both young refs, should hang up their orange stripes as they did not call the game in front of them, but deliberately and adversely affected a game with poor calls, poor decisions (and non-calls) throughout the game. I have a problem when refs take it upon themselves to make a difference in a game and they did in this one. I get very disappointed when the officiating is a story in a game and feel that names should be named when they fail to do their jobs. The series heads to Vancouver for Game 3 on Tuesday. The Americans guaranteed themselves a game 5 back home, but the Giants are hoping to be back in the drivers seat using home ice as an advantage. The puck drops at the Coliseum at 7pm PDT.

Three Stars

1. Drew Owsley
2. Johnny Lazo
3. Tyler Schmidt]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[I didn't like this one for obvious reasons.  The officiating was simply invented garbage, making punitive and lop-sided calls for no apparent reason that I could determine and yet not making calls for equal and worse on the other side of the puck.  The boys needed to get more drive to the net and traffic in front of Owsley.  The PP sucked badly.  The Giants allowed the smaller Ams to out-work them and get to the puck.  The G's were awful in their own end, after being so good in game one.  Segal was okay, but not good.  Allowing 4 goals on 18 shots is not so good and despite turning away 22 of 26, he has better games in him.  In fairness though the team left him high and dry frequently.  I expect much better in Game 3 and hope that the officials are not a visible factor.

Americans Gouge Giants  	   	 
Rd 3 Game 2: Vancouver 0 Tri-City 4

Don Robinson  	

The Giants had the momentum through most of the first period, until a poor give-away in their own end allowed a bad team goal against. Late in the first the refs found something extreme to call, despite blatantly ignoring what lead to the invisible headbutt they said they saw, from one of the least penalized players in the league. Adding an insult to injury extra roughing for a minor push started by the other guy was the ultimate insult. If it was actually a real headbutt then it’s a 5 min penalty and a Game according to their own rules, so I’m not sure how they justify any of their calls tonight. The Ams capitalised early in the second on the tail end of their long 5 on 3 PP. They continued to roll through the back half of the double minor gaining momentum, which permanently shifted the ice towards the Giants net. They scored shortly after the extra penalty expired. The Giants for their own part gave in too easily and were extremely sloppy in their own end of the ice with the puck. They made a lot of their own problems in this one and were not very active clearing the front of their net. Their goalie was okay tonight after being excellent on Friday. The G-Men were guilty of letting the game get away from them and allowing their energy to be sucked out. By the end of the second they didn’t seem to have any more desire to drive to get a goal, let alone a win.

Kevin Connauton was handling the puck behind his own net and the next thing you know it’s a bang, bang, bang play and in the back of his net. The defenseman made a horrific give-away gifting the Ams a prime scoring opportunity at which they did not turn up their noses. Jordan Messier opened the scoring at 7:50 of the first. A dangerous hit on Craig Cunningham had Brett Breitkreuz immediately drop the mitts and begin to beat the crap out of Tyler Schmidt who was a cheap piece of work tonight and deserved a few more beat downs. Breitkreuz got the extra 10 min misconduct when the penalties were handed out.

The Americans went into the break with a minute plus left in their 5 on 3, which carried over into the second period. Brendan Shinnimin put TC up by two on that PP. Johnny Lazo scored not long later getting a weird bounce past Mark Segal, increasing the Americans lead to 3. The Giants managed to weather the Ams other PP chances. Despite out shooting the Ams in the first and second periods they could not solve Drew Owsley who was both good and lucky as most goalies that get a shutout are. The Giants made it tough for Owsley in the second period with a late flurry, but he turned aside all of their chances. The Giants badly squandered every one of their PP chances. The Ams were quick to the puck and cleared their zone almost surgically. They hustled well and kept shots to the outside for the majority. The Giants failed to get good traffic in front of Owsley and earned themselves few good scoring chances. They let the adversity in the game get to them and that’s not Giants hockey. Kruise Reddick salted away the game in the third scoring an unassisted tally off of yet another bad give-away, putting away a wrap-around behind Segal. The Giants managed a paltry 5 shots in the third and felt as if they had essentially given into their fate and that I don’t like. It ain’t over ‘til its over and teams in this league can score 4 and 5 goals in a period, with the Giants being one of those teams. Credit Owsley for keeping his squad with the momentum by defusing any and all of the Giants scoring chances.

The two teams both had 26 shots on net, with the Ams getting the majority of the rubber in the third period. The Americans went 1 for 7 on the PP, while the Giants were 0 for 3. Few bright spots in the Giants line-up as the majority of players throughout the line-up carried minuses. James Henry’s 11 game point streak was unceremoniously broken tonight, but he was one of the few Giants players who was even on the night. In my opinion, Nathan Wieler and Trevor Hanson, both young refs, should hang up their orange stripes as they did not call the game in front of them, but deliberately and adversely affected a game with poor calls, poor decisions (and non-calls) throughout the game. I have a problem when refs take it upon themselves to make a difference in a game and they did in this one. I get very disappointed when the officiating is a story in a game and feel that names should be named when they fail to do their jobs. The series heads to Vancouver for Game 3 on Tuesday. The Americans guaranteed themselves a game 5 back home, but the Giants are hoping to be back in the drivers seat using home ice as an advantage. The puck drops at the Coliseum at 7pm PDT.

Three Stars

1. Drew Owsley
2. Johnny Lazo
3. Tyler Schmidt]]></content:encoded>
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			<title><![CDATA[Rd 3 Game 1: Giants @ Americans Apr 16 2010]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=539</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:25:55 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=539</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Toigo gets three points.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lamoureux gets his first playoff goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;Segal was surprisingly very solid between the pipes and kept his team in there.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was ncie to see him not lose focus in this one.&nbsp;&nbsp;Giants now have 6 straight playoff road wins and zero road losses.&nbsp;&nbsp;Game Two tomorrow.


Quote:Giants Addle Americans&nbsp;&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp; 	 
Rd 3 Game 1: Vancouver 4 Tri-City 2

Don Robinson&nbsp;&nbsp;	

The Giants did not start out well in this one, but they finished very well. The G’s took a penalty in the first 30 seconds of the game and the Ams capitalised. The goal came off the Americans first shot of the game. The G’s bounced back eventually after their goalie weathered a tough first period. The Giants seemed surprised by the Ams speed, but late in the period the visitors began to use the body a bit better. It didn’t help matters that the refs were on crack tonight calling ticky-tack garbage and missing other things completely. The Giants tied it up late in the period only to give up another PP marker with time ticking down. The Giants rebounded in the second though, scoring two goals in the first five minutes. They controlled the play in the middle frame and despite taking poor penalties, or would that be given poor penalties, they managed to not allow another PP goal for the rest of the game. The Giants added an insurance marker mid-third, finally getting their PP to connect. They got some great goaltending from their ‘tender and despite being badly out shot by the home squad, got the win. The Giants have now not lost a road playoff game this season, notching their 6th road playoff win tonight.

The Giants came out a bit flat, taking a poor penalty with not even 30 ticks off the clock. Tyler Schmidt scored a PP marker on the ensuing man-advantage. James Henry, increasing his point streak to 11 straight games, bulged the twine tying it up late in the first. Neil Manning and Nolan Toigo got the helpers. Schmidt scored another PP goal in the final minute of the period, putting his team back up by one and heading into the dressing room with momentum, or so they thought. I’m not sure what Hay said in the break, but whatever it was did the job as the Giants came out with no fear in the second and ready to take this game. Brendan Gallagher scored one at 1:45 of the second, a goal originally thought to be Toigo’s but Gally got a piece. Milan Kytnar got the other assist. Greg Lamoureux the speedy 17 yr old got his first goal of the playoffs in his fifth game in the line-up. A very nice tally assisted by Lance Bouma and Toigo. Tomas Vincour got his 6th of the campaign in the third, finally getting the Giants PP going. Craig Cunningham and Kevin Connauton got the helpers.

The Americans out shot the Giants 44-23. They went 2 for 9 on the PP, while the Giants managed just 1 for 7. Nolan Toigo had a three-point night assisting on all of the Giants even-strength markers. Tomas Vincour paid the price tonight, had some good chances all over the ice and was unlucky not to get more points. Henry was very good as usual and rock solid. Cunningham, just recently named the WHL Western Conference Player of the Year, had his nose in there as well. Mark Segal turned away 42 of 44, was only beat on the PP and both of those goals were good ones, even though the first marker came on the first shot he faced. It’s good to see this young ‘tender seeming to find a bit more of his playoff game and settling down better. His consistency is still a bit of a concern, but his last two outings have been solid. Segal should have got a star nod tonight. Milan Kytnar quietly put up a +3 tonight and is a very reliable two-way player in the crunch. The two teams tangle again Saturday in Kennewick for Game 2. The Giants are very eager to make it two, but the Americans are probably just as eager to make it 1-1. Should be a good one. Puck drops at 7:35 in Kennewick.

Three Stars

1. Tomas Vincour
2. Nolan Toigo
3. Tyler Schmidt

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Toigo gets three points.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lamoureux gets his first playoff goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;Segal was surprisingly very solid between the pipes and kept his team in there.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was ncie to see him not lose focus in this one.&nbsp;&nbsp;Giants now have 6 straight playoff road wins and zero road losses.&nbsp;&nbsp;Game Two tomorrow.


Quote:Giants Addle Americans&nbsp;&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp; 	 
Rd 3 Game 1: Vancouver 4 Tri-City 2

Don Robinson&nbsp;&nbsp;	

The Giants did not start out well in this one, but they finished very well. The G’s took a penalty in the first 30 seconds of the game and the Ams capitalised. The goal came off the Americans first shot of the game. The G’s bounced back eventually after their goalie weathered a tough first period. The Giants seemed surprised by the Ams speed, but late in the period the visitors began to use the body a bit better. It didn’t help matters that the refs were on crack tonight calling ticky-tack garbage and missing other things completely. The Giants tied it up late in the period only to give up another PP marker with time ticking down. The Giants rebounded in the second though, scoring two goals in the first five minutes. They controlled the play in the middle frame and despite taking poor penalties, or would that be given poor penalties, they managed to not allow another PP goal for the rest of the game. The Giants added an insurance marker mid-third, finally getting their PP to connect. They got some great goaltending from their ‘tender and despite being badly out shot by the home squad, got the win. The Giants have now not lost a road playoff game this season, notching their 6th road playoff win tonight.

The Giants came out a bit flat, taking a poor penalty with not even 30 ticks off the clock. Tyler Schmidt scored a PP marker on the ensuing man-advantage. James Henry, increasing his point streak to 11 straight games, bulged the twine tying it up late in the first. Neil Manning and Nolan Toigo got the helpers. Schmidt scored another PP goal in the final minute of the period, putting his team back up by one and heading into the dressing room with momentum, or so they thought. I’m not sure what Hay said in the break, but whatever it was did the job as the Giants came out with no fear in the second and ready to take this game. Brendan Gallagher scored one at 1:45 of the second, a goal originally thought to be Toigo’s but Gally got a piece. Milan Kytnar got the other assist. Greg Lamoureux the speedy 17 yr old got his first goal of the playoffs in his fifth game in the line-up. A very nice tally assisted by Lance Bouma and Toigo. Tomas Vincour got his 6th of the campaign in the third, finally getting the Giants PP going. Craig Cunningham and Kevin Connauton got the helpers.

The Americans out shot the Giants 44-23. They went 2 for 9 on the PP, while the Giants managed just 1 for 7. Nolan Toigo had a three-point night assisting on all of the Giants even-strength markers. Tomas Vincour paid the price tonight, had some good chances all over the ice and was unlucky not to get more points. Henry was very good as usual and rock solid. Cunningham, just recently named the WHL Western Conference Player of the Year, had his nose in there as well. Mark Segal turned away 42 of 44, was only beat on the PP and both of those goals were good ones, even though the first marker came on the first shot he faced. It’s good to see this young ‘tender seeming to find a bit more of his playoff game and settling down better. His consistency is still a bit of a concern, but his last two outings have been solid. Segal should have got a star nod tonight. Milan Kytnar quietly put up a +3 tonight and is a very reliable two-way player in the crunch. The two teams tangle again Saturday in Kennewick for Game 2. The Giants are very eager to make it two, but the Americans are probably just as eager to make it 1-1. Should be a good one. Puck drops at 7:35 in Kennewick.

Three Stars

1. Tomas Vincour
2. Nolan Toigo
3. Tyler Schmidt

]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Schedule for Westerns Finals vs TC]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=538</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 14 Apr 2010 17:36:18 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=538</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[
Quote:Round 3 vs Tri-City Americans
Game 1 – Fri Apr 16 at TC – 7:05pm
Game 2 – Sat Apr 17 at TC– 7:35pm
Game 3 – Tue Apr 20 at Van – 7pm
Use ticket: Round 3/Home Game 1
Game 4 – Thu Apr 22 at Van – 7pm
Use ticket: Round 3/Home Game 2
*Game 5 – Sat Apr 24 at TC – TBD
*Game 6 – Mon Apr 26 at Van – 7pm
Use ticket: Round 3/Home Game 3
*Game 7 – Wed Apr 28 at TC – 7:05pm

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Quote:Round 3 vs Tri-City Americans
Game 1 – Fri Apr 16 at TC – 7:05pm
Game 2 – Sat Apr 17 at TC– 7:35pm
Game 3 – Tue Apr 20 at Van – 7pm
Use ticket: Round 3/Home Game 1
Game 4 – Thu Apr 22 at Van – 7pm
Use ticket: Round 3/Home Game 2
*Game 5 – Sat Apr 24 at TC – TBD
*Game 6 – Mon Apr 26 at Van – 7pm
Use ticket: Round 3/Home Game 3
*Game 7 – Wed Apr 28 at TC – 7:05pm

]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd 2 Game 6: Giants @ Winterhawks Apr 13 2010]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=537</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:21:08 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=537</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Solid road game, the Giants have yet to lose on the road, but that stat will be tested on Friday as they face the Americans for the Western Final.  Mark Segal bounced back and put together a solid outing.  The Giants were better around their own net and at the other end of the ice.  Real two-way playoff hockey, with commitment to taking care of the lanes and their own end of the ice first and the other end second.  Close checking and a very solid, patient shut-down game.  Henry and Vincour looked great tonight and Wrighter, Gally and Cunner were a threat at times as well.

Curious to see how the Giants match up versus the Americans in these playoffs.  Are they going to be able to make Owsley look ordinary as they did to the Portland and Kamloops goaltenders?  Goal is still a question mark, but slowly (very slowly) becoming less of one, but the inconsistency of Segal still drives me mental.


Quote:Giants Punt Portland  	   	 
Rd 2 Game 6: Vancouver 3 Portland 1

Don Robinson  	

It was a special teams night as the Giants got solid goaltending and played shut down hockey, limiting the Hawks chances and working very hard on the forecheck and back check. The zebras called some seriously soft stuff on both sides of the puck and proved they lacked any balls whatsoever. All of goals came either on the PP or PK. The Giants opened the scoring SH in the first. The Hawks replied on the same PP. In the second the Giants had a goal waived off, but ended up taking the lead on the PP shortly thereafter. The visitors added another one in the third and were able to hold onto the victory and clinch the series. Not a lot of real rough stuff in this one as the Winterhawks went down with very little fight, losing their 6th straight home game in these playoffs and failing to get even one win at home in the post-season. It's shame for their fans after having had so many poor seasons and owner/management grief recently to finally have their team make the playoffs and then not see a home win.

Brendan Gallagher scored his ninth of the campaign, taking a nice feed off the rush from James Henry. The goal came short-handed. The Winterhawks got it back almost immediately though, getting the puck past Mark Segal on the same PP. Nino Niederreiter got his eighth of the post-season. The Giants were out shot in the first and did not have their best period. The Portland squad could not take advantage and would regret it. A goal was waived off in the second when the Giants brought the puck to the net. Craig Cunningham skating to the net had it go in off his skate. The call on the ice was a goal, but going upstairs it was determined to be kicked in, even though the skate never left the ice and a clear kicking motion is not seen on video replay. The Giants were able to make a PP not much later count for them. Tomas Vincour deflected a James Wright shot past Mac Carruth, for the go-ahead goal. James Henry found the net with a PP marker in the third to put the game away and clinch the series. Kevin Connauton and Milan Kytnar (who should have got a second assist on the Vincour goal) got the helpers.

The Winterhawks out shot the Giants 33-29 in the game. They went 1 for 5 on their PP, while the G’s managed to get 2 for 4 to go for them. The Giants played a very solid two-way game tonight, not the most scintillating hockey to be sure but it got the job done. The Winterhawks were not able to get their scoring machine going and although Segal didn’t have to be great, he was good turning away 32 shots and keeping his team in there after putting in a less than excellent outing on Saturday. Carruth who was so good in the Spokane series met his match in the Giants snipers, who picked him apart for the majority of games. The Giants head straight to Kennewick tonight or tomorrow from Portland to get ready for their third straight Western Conference final series. They are hoping to get through to the WHL finals this year as the winner of the West now has a better than average chance of getting to the Mem Cup. Game 1 of the Western Finals takes place in Kennewick vs the Tri-City Americans on Friday April 16th. Puck drops at 7:05 pm local time.

Three Stars

1. Tomas Vincour
2. Nino Niederreiter
3. James Henry

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Solid road game, the Giants have yet to lose on the road, but that stat will be tested on Friday as they face the Americans for the Western Final.  Mark Segal bounced back and put together a solid outing.  The Giants were better around their own net and at the other end of the ice.  Real two-way playoff hockey, with commitment to taking care of the lanes and their own end of the ice first and the other end second.  Close checking and a very solid, patient shut-down game.  Henry and Vincour looked great tonight and Wrighter, Gally and Cunner were a threat at times as well.

Curious to see how the Giants match up versus the Americans in these playoffs.  Are they going to be able to make Owsley look ordinary as they did to the Portland and Kamloops goaltenders?  Goal is still a question mark, but slowly (very slowly) becoming less of one, but the inconsistency of Segal still drives me mental.


Quote:Giants Punt Portland  	   	 
Rd 2 Game 6: Vancouver 3 Portland 1

Don Robinson  	

It was a special teams night as the Giants got solid goaltending and played shut down hockey, limiting the Hawks chances and working very hard on the forecheck and back check. The zebras called some seriously soft stuff on both sides of the puck and proved they lacked any balls whatsoever. All of goals came either on the PP or PK. The Giants opened the scoring SH in the first. The Hawks replied on the same PP. In the second the Giants had a goal waived off, but ended up taking the lead on the PP shortly thereafter. The visitors added another one in the third and were able to hold onto the victory and clinch the series. Not a lot of real rough stuff in this one as the Winterhawks went down with very little fight, losing their 6th straight home game in these playoffs and failing to get even one win at home in the post-season. It's shame for their fans after having had so many poor seasons and owner/management grief recently to finally have their team make the playoffs and then not see a home win.

Brendan Gallagher scored his ninth of the campaign, taking a nice feed off the rush from James Henry. The goal came short-handed. The Winterhawks got it back almost immediately though, getting the puck past Mark Segal on the same PP. Nino Niederreiter got his eighth of the post-season. The Giants were out shot in the first and did not have their best period. The Portland squad could not take advantage and would regret it. A goal was waived off in the second when the Giants brought the puck to the net. Craig Cunningham skating to the net had it go in off his skate. The call on the ice was a goal, but going upstairs it was determined to be kicked in, even though the skate never left the ice and a clear kicking motion is not seen on video replay. The Giants were able to make a PP not much later count for them. Tomas Vincour deflected a James Wright shot past Mac Carruth, for the go-ahead goal. James Henry found the net with a PP marker in the third to put the game away and clinch the series. Kevin Connauton and Milan Kytnar (who should have got a second assist on the Vincour goal) got the helpers.

The Winterhawks out shot the Giants 33-29 in the game. They went 1 for 5 on their PP, while the G’s managed to get 2 for 4 to go for them. The Giants played a very solid two-way game tonight, not the most scintillating hockey to be sure but it got the job done. The Winterhawks were not able to get their scoring machine going and although Segal didn’t have to be great, he was good turning away 32 shots and keeping his team in there after putting in a less than excellent outing on Saturday. Carruth who was so good in the Spokane series met his match in the Giants snipers, who picked him apart for the majority of games. The Giants head straight to Kennewick tonight or tomorrow from Portland to get ready for their third straight Western Conference final series. They are hoping to get through to the WHL finals this year as the winner of the West now has a better than average chance of getting to the Mem Cup. Game 1 of the Western Finals takes place in Kennewick vs the Tri-City Americans on Friday April 16th. Puck drops at 7:05 pm local time.

Three Stars

1. Tomas Vincour
2. Nino Niederreiter
3. James Henry

]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd. 2 Gm. 5 - Winterhawks @ Giants - April 10th]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=536</link>
			<pubDate>Sat, 10 Apr 2010 10:03:14 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=536</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Portland Winterhawks @ Vancouver Giants 
Saturday, April 10th, 2010
Pacific Coliseum
7:00PM
Radio: CISL 650AM 
TV: NONE
Web: http://livestream.whl.ca/

Giants
Classic win for the Giants in game 4 to give them a chance to close out at home tonight and punch their ticket to the Western Conf. Final. It was a combo of hard work in the corners, good puck movement and a couple of beautiful solo efforts. Most noteable would be James Wright undressing Sbisa to get in alone.

Don Hay and many other coaches always say that good teams know how to close out a series. They smell that blood and move in for the kill. The fans last night could smell that blood too and should be amped up to give the boys that little bit of extra drive.

Tonight I would think that the Giants want to run the same game plan. When they were in the Portland zone and especially around the net they had the 'Hawks D in a bit of scramble mode and then the Giants were able to get quality chances towards Curtis. Either that or drew penalties out of the 'Hawks.

Winterhawks
They did well to answer back last night after the first Giants goal but then they didn't handle the waves of Giants pressure well. They left their positions and didn't get into passing lanes as well as they did in game 3. As well, the Giants didn't allow them to get much between the faceoff dots in the offensive zone. They will have to try and battle into those areas.

Portland is a young team. They have solid leadership behind the bench but many of the players themselves haven't had much experience in a situation like this. They will have to try and keep things simple and ensure they take care of their assignments.

Players To Watch
Giants
Nolan Toigo - Solid game last night. Had great body position.

Winterhawks
Brad Ross - After his actions last night, he better keep his head up. Weasle dick hitting people from behind.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Portland Winterhawks @ Vancouver Giants 
Saturday, April 10th, 2010
Pacific Coliseum
7:00PM
Radio: CISL 650AM 
TV: NONE
Web: http://livestream.whl.ca/

Giants
Classic win for the Giants in game 4 to give them a chance to close out at home tonight and punch their ticket to the Western Conf. Final. It was a combo of hard work in the corners, good puck movement and a couple of beautiful solo efforts. Most noteable would be James Wright undressing Sbisa to get in alone.

Don Hay and many other coaches always say that good teams know how to close out a series. They smell that blood and move in for the kill. The fans last night could smell that blood too and should be amped up to give the boys that little bit of extra drive.

Tonight I would think that the Giants want to run the same game plan. When they were in the Portland zone and especially around the net they had the 'Hawks D in a bit of scramble mode and then the Giants were able to get quality chances towards Curtis. Either that or drew penalties out of the 'Hawks.

Winterhawks
They did well to answer back last night after the first Giants goal but then they didn't handle the waves of Giants pressure well. They left their positions and didn't get into passing lanes as well as they did in game 3. As well, the Giants didn't allow them to get much between the faceoff dots in the offensive zone. They will have to try and battle into those areas.

Portland is a young team. They have solid leadership behind the bench but many of the players themselves haven't had much experience in a situation like this. They will have to try and keep things simple and ensure they take care of their assignments.

Players To Watch
Giants
Nolan Toigo - Solid game last night. Had great body position.

Winterhawks
Brad Ross - After his actions last night, he better keep his head up. Weasle dick hitting people from behind.
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd. 2 Gm. 4 - Winterhawks @ Giants - April 9th]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=535</link>
			<pubDate>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:01:34 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=535</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Portland Winterhawks @ Vancouver Giants 
Friday, April 9th, 2010
Pacific Coliseum
7:30PM
Radio: CISL 650AM 
TV: NONE
Web: http://livestream.whl.ca/

Giants
Not quite the effort and result the Giants were looking for. A fairly solid first period even though they were down 1-0 after 20mins. A quick goal from James Wright evened things up but the Giants seemed like they were almost lulled to sleep by the trap the Hawks had employed.  

Tonight the Giants need to find a way to break the Portland trap. Either thru a few set plays or heading the puck up ice a little quicker during Portland changes. The Giants were able to do that to Kamloops and got some quality chances out of it.   

Winterhawks
Did what they had to do on the road to avoid going down 3-0 in the series. Wasn't pretty, wasn't entertaining but it worked. And took the home crowd right out of it.

Not sure if they will employ the same tactics tonight. I think if the Giants had of shown a little more life in game 3 Portland would have had a rougher go of it and they probably know they will see a bigger and more consistant push tonight from the GMen.

Players To Watch
Giants
David Musil - Quietly has done his thing. He is a +8 in the playoffs and just a steady player.

Winterhawks
Luca Sbisa - Was being a bit of jackass after whistles on Wednesday. Wonder if he keeps it up if someone will pay him a little visit.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Portland Winterhawks @ Vancouver Giants 
Friday, April 9th, 2010
Pacific Coliseum
7:30PM
Radio: CISL 650AM 
TV: NONE
Web: http://livestream.whl.ca/

Giants
Not quite the effort and result the Giants were looking for. A fairly solid first period even though they were down 1-0 after 20mins. A quick goal from James Wright evened things up but the Giants seemed like they were almost lulled to sleep by the trap the Hawks had employed.  

Tonight the Giants need to find a way to break the Portland trap. Either thru a few set plays or heading the puck up ice a little quicker during Portland changes. The Giants were able to do that to Kamloops and got some quality chances out of it.   

Winterhawks
Did what they had to do on the road to avoid going down 3-0 in the series. Wasn't pretty, wasn't entertaining but it worked. And took the home crowd right out of it.

Not sure if they will employ the same tactics tonight. I think if the Giants had of shown a little more life in game 3 Portland would have had a rougher go of it and they probably know they will see a bigger and more consistant push tonight from the GMen.

Players To Watch
Giants
David Musil - Quietly has done his thing. He is a +8 in the playoffs and just a steady player.

Winterhawks
Luca Sbisa - Was being a bit of jackass after whistles on Wednesday. Wonder if he keeps it up if someone will pay him a little visit.
]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd. 2 Gm. 3 - Winterhawks @ Giants - April 7th 2010]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=534</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:41:28 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=534</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Portland Winterhawks @ Vancouver Giants 
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
Pacific Coliseum
7:00PM
Radio: CISL 650AM 
TV: NONE
Web: http://livestream.whl.ca/

Giants
In the playoffs starting on the road most teams would be happy with a split. But the Giants were able to go into the Memorial Coliseum and return to the confines of their Coliseum with a 2-0 series lead. And they did it in not so Giants like fashion having to outscore their defensive blunders. 9-6 and 7-4 are not Giants playoff scores. But a win is a win and they will take it.

After a few good days of practice I am sure Don Hay and Chad Scharff will have worked on a few details and will have been able to better prep for the Hawks. One thing out of their hands is the performance of Segal. A man once said it is what it is. And at this point that is very true. But once again, Mark needs to bring his game up. The Giants don't need him to steal games for them. They need him to make that save that should be made. If he can give them that, the Giants will be much more in control. And there is no reason he can't. In a game that he took a loss in on the 31st of Jan against the Hawks he stopped 40 of the 44 they threw his way.

Giants fans know how good Craig Cunningham is. But now the whole CHL does as Cunner was awarded the CHL Player of the Week award to go along with his WHL Player of the Week Award. In the Giants 6 games these playoffs Craig has 16pts and is a +10. That is what I love about Cunningham. A dependable 2 way player that leads by example.   

Winterhawks
One could say they were bombarded...but they put up pretty impressive point totals themselves at home. Normally 6 goals will get you the win. The 'Hawks faithful must be wondering what it will take. Listening to the Winterhawk PBP guys it is the refs screwing Portland...give me a break!

Portland had mixed results at the Pacific Coliseum in the regular season with a 7-3 loss on Nov. 21st that saw Mark Segal stop 27 of 30 shots sent his way while Mac Carruth who was backing up Kurtis Mucha before the trade to Kamloops was in net for all 7 Giants goals. Then on Jan 31st Portland got a 4-3 win with the same goalies again in net for both teams.

As much as the Giants have had some suspect goaltending, Portlands has been worse. Carruth has a sunburt neck from that red light being on behind him so much that I wouldn't be surprised to see Ian Curtis get the call tonight for Portland. And that would be a nice treat for the Abbotsford native to have friends and family able to come out to see him play. 

Players To Watch
Giants
Cunningham Line - All 3 have been on fire. Cunningham in an interview said that his awards have as much to do with Bouma and Gallagher and their efforts as much as his. They are a well oiled machine and fun to watch.

Winterhawks
Nino Niederreiter - Dangerous player when he has the puck. He was a stand out on the Swiss WJC team and at 6'2" and 203lbs hard to move off the puck.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Portland Winterhawks @ Vancouver Giants 
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
Pacific Coliseum
7:00PM
Radio: CISL 650AM 
TV: NONE
Web: http://livestream.whl.ca/

Giants
In the playoffs starting on the road most teams would be happy with a split. But the Giants were able to go into the Memorial Coliseum and return to the confines of their Coliseum with a 2-0 series lead. And they did it in not so Giants like fashion having to outscore their defensive blunders. 9-6 and 7-4 are not Giants playoff scores. But a win is a win and they will take it.

After a few good days of practice I am sure Don Hay and Chad Scharff will have worked on a few details and will have been able to better prep for the Hawks. One thing out of their hands is the performance of Segal. A man once said it is what it is. And at this point that is very true. But once again, Mark needs to bring his game up. The Giants don't need him to steal games for them. They need him to make that save that should be made. If he can give them that, the Giants will be much more in control. And there is no reason he can't. In a game that he took a loss in on the 31st of Jan against the Hawks he stopped 40 of the 44 they threw his way.

Giants fans know how good Craig Cunningham is. But now the whole CHL does as Cunner was awarded the CHL Player of the Week award to go along with his WHL Player of the Week Award. In the Giants 6 games these playoffs Craig has 16pts and is a +10. That is what I love about Cunningham. A dependable 2 way player that leads by example.   

Winterhawks
One could say they were bombarded...but they put up pretty impressive point totals themselves at home. Normally 6 goals will get you the win. The 'Hawks faithful must be wondering what it will take. Listening to the Winterhawk PBP guys it is the refs screwing Portland...give me a break!

Portland had mixed results at the Pacific Coliseum in the regular season with a 7-3 loss on Nov. 21st that saw Mark Segal stop 27 of 30 shots sent his way while Mac Carruth who was backing up Kurtis Mucha before the trade to Kamloops was in net for all 7 Giants goals. Then on Jan 31st Portland got a 4-3 win with the same goalies again in net for both teams.

As much as the Giants have had some suspect goaltending, Portlands has been worse. Carruth has a sunburt neck from that red light being on behind him so much that I wouldn't be surprised to see Ian Curtis get the call tonight for Portland. And that would be a nice treat for the Abbotsford native to have friends and family able to come out to see him play. 

Players To Watch
Giants
Cunningham Line - All 3 have been on fire. Cunningham in an interview said that his awards have as much to do with Bouma and Gallagher and their efforts as much as his. They are a well oiled machine and fun to watch.

Winterhawks
Nino Niederreiter - Dangerous player when he has the puck. He was a stand out on the Swiss WJC team and at 6'2" and 203lbs hard to move off the puck.
]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Features and Specifications of memory card reader.]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=532</link>
			<pubDate>Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:51:19 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=532</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Interestingly, memory card reader is a device containing USB interface enabling the accession of data on different memory cards. Consumers should know that features and specifications of memory card reader is unique in their own terms. Basically, compact flash, secure digital and multimedia card uses memory card reader for proper functioning. Some of the users consider memory card reader as a pen drive. Memory card reader shows its applicability in building channelised communication between programs and smart identity card.

Seing its benefits now many companies are coming up for the production of memory card reader. This is the reason why all the printers and personal computers coming up with built-in memory card reader for performing various applications. If your computer has usb inbuilt form then can use this reader. As a result can retrieve the datas from the PC for personal usages. Best aspect of using this reader is that its available with built-in memory cards. You can use it for keeping distance between tow memory card readers for delivering best performances. There are various types of memory card reader such as single card reader, multi card reader, and series card reader etc. You can use all these forms of this reader as per your requirement.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Interestingly, memory card reader is a device containing USB interface enabling the accession of data on different memory cards. Consumers should know that features and specifications of memory card reader is unique in their own terms. Basically, compact flash, secure digital and multimedia card uses memory card reader for proper functioning. Some of the users consider memory card reader as a pen drive. Memory card reader shows its applicability in building channelised communication between programs and smart identity card.

Seing its benefits now many companies are coming up for the production of memory card reader. This is the reason why all the printers and personal computers coming up with built-in memory card reader for performing various applications. If your computer has usb inbuilt form then can use this reader. As a result can retrieve the datas from the PC for personal usages. Best aspect of using this reader is that its available with built-in memory cards. You can use it for keeping distance between tow memory card readers for delivering best performances. There are various types of memory card reader such as single card reader, multi card reader, and series card reader etc. You can use all these forms of this reader as per your requirement.]]></content:encoded>
		</item>
		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd. 2 Gm. 2 Giants @ Winterhawks April 4, 2010]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=529</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 04 Apr 2010 22:57:11 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=529</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Last night it was Gally, tonight it was Cunner and he was unlucky not to get the hat as he was all over the ice and always looking dangerous.  Wright and Vincour had great tilts and Bouma and Henry were also solid.  Breitkreuz left early in the game with possible flu symptoms an annoyance currently rolling through the dressing room. Musil put up his first WHL playoff tally and quietly adding an assist putting up a +3 outing.  Manning who was set-up machine in game one, was the only minus other than Breitkreuz in this game.  A couple of crazy games and the offense the Giants have been exhibiting have been truly surprising me.  It should as the boys have been doing it for most of the season and if they could take back those 8-10 games they let slip after having the lead this season, others might be believing this too.  For now coming in under the radar with an average goalie and at times suspect D suits me just fine as they continue to put up decisive wins.  This is a team built and coached for the playoffs and its becoming more evident with each passing game.


Quote:Giants Gun Winterhawks  	   	 
Rnd 2 Game 2: Vancouver 7 Portland 4

Don Robinson  	

The Giants allowed a goal in the first couple of minutes of the game as a wiffle ball drifted past their netminder. Regrouping they replied with 4 of their own before the end of the frame. Portland got one back on the PP early in the second, before the Giants replied with two more. The Winterhawks got those two back before the end of the middle period, scoring another PP tally in the process. The third was fairly tightly played, but as they did last night the Winterhawks out shot the Giants in the period. Also as they did last night the Giants did not give up the lead once they had it and despite slipping a bit never fell back. The Giants added an EN goal late in the third to salt away the victory. The Winterhawks still have yet to win a game at home during these playoffs and could find a better territory for their psyches in Vancouver for the three possible games.

Mark Segal is the only goalie in these playoffs with a 6-0 record and tonight actually put together a plus .900 game, but he also has some of the ugliest wins in franchise history and has been anything but solid between the pipes. The best part of this story is that his boys score enough to make his occasional bad goal nowhere near as important as it could have been. Mac Carruth looked like a Giant killer coming out of the Spokane series, but was anything but in the past two tilts. Portland opened the scoring as Oliver Gabriel got a soft wrist shot to drift past Segal. It took until just past the mid-way mark of the period for James Wright to tie it up off of some great work by Tomas Vincour. Craig Cunningham got his first of two a few minutes later, taking a Lance Bouma feed and putting it past Carruth. James Henry pushed the lead to two goals when the work of Milan Kytnar and Vincour sprung him loose. Cunningham closed out the period with the Giants only PP tally of the game. A fairly chippy tilt, but not the kind of brouhaha which ended the game last night. The Winterhawks looked pretty lacklustre in the first and despite getting the first goal on their second shot of the game the Giants handily dominated them in the stanza.

Eric Doyle scored his first of the playoffs, putting another puck Segal would want back, into the net on the PP. The Giants replied at 7:42 of the period with David Musil’s first WHL playoff marker. JT Barnett and Vincour got the assists on the play. Milan Kytnar got one to go a couple of minutes later, getting some great work from Henry and Brent Henke and pushing the Giants lead to four with the goal. Portland replied about five minutes later as Chris Francis, who can’t be kept off the score sheet for long, put home a puck past a screened Segal. Troy Rutkowski scored a PP marker late in the period, giving his team a chance going into the third. The Winterhawks played a pretty decent third, but it was mostly uneventful and Segal made the stops he needed to make with the Giants keeping shots to the outside. It was a good period for Segal to play though, turning aside 16 shots and hopefully gaining a bit of confidence going back to his own barn. Preferred or not at this point by the majority of fans he is the guy and its up to him to find a better focused game in Vancouver. Bouma put home an empty netter with a minute left in the period to give the Giants another victory in Portland.

The Giants out shot the Winterhawks 50-48, allowing more shots on goal than they usually like to do. The G-Men went 1 for 4 on the PP, while allowing the Winterhawks a 50% night with 2 for 4. Craig Cunningham was once again a force, scoring two goals and dangerous all over the ice. Skilled tough guy Brad Ross was given two separate 10 min misconducts in the game. Once again there were a lot of 4 on 4 chances as the refs preferred to hand out coincidentals over tagging one player or the other for a single penalty. Last night the teams scored 4, 4 on 4 markers and tonight there were 2 – it’s an interesting stat. Tomas Vincour had a very good set-up night, getting three nice assists in the game and was all over the ice and unlucky not to get one to go himself. Carruth was pulled after 4 goals this time and Ian Curtis managed to turn away 27 of 29 in relief and could get the nod for game 3. For now though it seems as if it doesn’t matter who the Winterhawks put between the pipes as the Giants are on a roll offensively. As a reference, the Chiefs scored 21 goals on the Portland squad in a 7 game series and after two games the Giants have now scored 16 goals. I expect the nature of the game will change come Wednesday and that the Winterhawks will be busy poring over video to see how to stop the Giants juggernaut, but so will the Giants and whatever the ‘hawks bring will probably be ready to go come puck drop. Speaking of pucks dropping, the puck for game 3 drops at 7pm PDT on Wednesday at the Pacific Coliseum.

Three Stars

1. Craig Cunningham
2. Tomas Vincour
3. Ty Rattie

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Last night it was Gally, tonight it was Cunner and he was unlucky not to get the hat as he was all over the ice and always looking dangerous.  Wright and Vincour had great tilts and Bouma and Henry were also solid.  Breitkreuz left early in the game with possible flu symptoms an annoyance currently rolling through the dressing room. Musil put up his first WHL playoff tally and quietly adding an assist putting up a +3 outing.  Manning who was set-up machine in game one, was the only minus other than Breitkreuz in this game.  A couple of crazy games and the offense the Giants have been exhibiting have been truly surprising me.  It should as the boys have been doing it for most of the season and if they could take back those 8-10 games they let slip after having the lead this season, others might be believing this too.  For now coming in under the radar with an average goalie and at times suspect D suits me just fine as they continue to put up decisive wins.  This is a team built and coached for the playoffs and its becoming more evident with each passing game.


Quote:Giants Gun Winterhawks  	   	 
Rnd 2 Game 2: Vancouver 7 Portland 4

Don Robinson  	

The Giants allowed a goal in the first couple of minutes of the game as a wiffle ball drifted past their netminder. Regrouping they replied with 4 of their own before the end of the frame. Portland got one back on the PP early in the second, before the Giants replied with two more. The Winterhawks got those two back before the end of the middle period, scoring another PP tally in the process. The third was fairly tightly played, but as they did last night the Winterhawks out shot the Giants in the period. Also as they did last night the Giants did not give up the lead once they had it and despite slipping a bit never fell back. The Giants added an EN goal late in the third to salt away the victory. The Winterhawks still have yet to win a game at home during these playoffs and could find a better territory for their psyches in Vancouver for the three possible games.

Mark Segal is the only goalie in these playoffs with a 6-0 record and tonight actually put together a plus .900 game, but he also has some of the ugliest wins in franchise history and has been anything but solid between the pipes. The best part of this story is that his boys score enough to make his occasional bad goal nowhere near as important as it could have been. Mac Carruth looked like a Giant killer coming out of the Spokane series, but was anything but in the past two tilts. Portland opened the scoring as Oliver Gabriel got a soft wrist shot to drift past Segal. It took until just past the mid-way mark of the period for James Wright to tie it up off of some great work by Tomas Vincour. Craig Cunningham got his first of two a few minutes later, taking a Lance Bouma feed and putting it past Carruth. James Henry pushed the lead to two goals when the work of Milan Kytnar and Vincour sprung him loose. Cunningham closed out the period with the Giants only PP tally of the game. A fairly chippy tilt, but not the kind of brouhaha which ended the game last night. The Winterhawks looked pretty lacklustre in the first and despite getting the first goal on their second shot of the game the Giants handily dominated them in the stanza.

Eric Doyle scored his first of the playoffs, putting another puck Segal would want back, into the net on the PP. The Giants replied at 7:42 of the period with David Musil’s first WHL playoff marker. JT Barnett and Vincour got the assists on the play. Milan Kytnar got one to go a couple of minutes later, getting some great work from Henry and Brent Henke and pushing the Giants lead to four with the goal. Portland replied about five minutes later as Chris Francis, who can’t be kept off the score sheet for long, put home a puck past a screened Segal. Troy Rutkowski scored a PP marker late in the period, giving his team a chance going into the third. The Winterhawks played a pretty decent third, but it was mostly uneventful and Segal made the stops he needed to make with the Giants keeping shots to the outside. It was a good period for Segal to play though, turning aside 16 shots and hopefully gaining a bit of confidence going back to his own barn. Preferred or not at this point by the majority of fans he is the guy and its up to him to find a better focused game in Vancouver. Bouma put home an empty netter with a minute left in the period to give the Giants another victory in Portland.

The Giants out shot the Winterhawks 50-48, allowing more shots on goal than they usually like to do. The G-Men went 1 for 4 on the PP, while allowing the Winterhawks a 50% night with 2 for 4. Craig Cunningham was once again a force, scoring two goals and dangerous all over the ice. Skilled tough guy Brad Ross was given two separate 10 min misconducts in the game. Once again there were a lot of 4 on 4 chances as the refs preferred to hand out coincidentals over tagging one player or the other for a single penalty. Last night the teams scored 4, 4 on 4 markers and tonight there were 2 – it’s an interesting stat. Tomas Vincour had a very good set-up night, getting three nice assists in the game and was all over the ice and unlucky not to get one to go himself. Carruth was pulled after 4 goals this time and Ian Curtis managed to turn away 27 of 29 in relief and could get the nod for game 3. For now though it seems as if it doesn’t matter who the Winterhawks put between the pipes as the Giants are on a roll offensively. As a reference, the Chiefs scored 21 goals on the Portland squad in a 7 game series and after two games the Giants have now scored 16 goals. I expect the nature of the game will change come Wednesday and that the Winterhawks will be busy poring over video to see how to stop the Giants juggernaut, but so will the Giants and whatever the ‘hawks bring will probably be ready to go come puck drop. Speaking of pucks dropping, the puck for game 3 drops at 7pm PDT on Wednesday at the Pacific Coliseum.

Three Stars

1. Craig Cunningham
2. Tomas Vincour
3. Ty Rattie

]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd. 2 Gm. 1 - Giants @ Winterhawks April 3 2010]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=528</link>
			<pubDate>Sun, 04 Apr 2010 11:40:27 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=528</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Gally had a great night, notching 5 points with the natural hat an EN goal and assisting on the opening goal of the game. Bouma, Wright and Cunningham all had three point nights each wiht a goal and two helpers.  A wide open game that the Giants won, but probably not the kind of game they want to play versus the Winterhawks every time out on the ice.  The Giants were not intimidated by the Portland team's size or physical play.  They used the seams to their advantage and will need to continue to do so as this series moves on.  Its also interesting to note that 4 or 5 of the goals tonight came when the teams were playing 4 on 4.  I'm looking forward to Sunday.


Quote:Giants Pummel Portland  	   	 
Rnd 2 Game 1: Vancouver 9 Portland 6

Don Robinson  	

Who would have thought that the Giants could win a pure run and gun game versus the Winterhawks, but last night they did. Despite the win they have to be pretty disappointed in their goalie’s performance though, allowing 6 goals on about 30 shots, but have to be impressed with their ability to bounce back after letting the Portland squad back into the game. The Giants opened the scoring with two quick ones and then allowed a short-handed goal against on their first PP chance on the night. That goal could have crushed another team’s momentum and the rest of the period was played a bit tighter, but the Giants lost no drive in this one. The G-Men bulged their lead early in the second before allowing Winterhawks to come back in the second tying the game up for a brief moment with two bang-bang tallies, but late in the period the Giants pushed that lead back to two. The third was crazy with the Giants re-establishing their three-goal cushion, before allowing two straight against. The Giants once again replied with two of their own as scoring just one didn’t seem to be how it worked tonight. Portland clawed back one before the Giants scored an empty net tally when the Winterhawks pulled their netminder with about 2 mins remaining. The goals were not the only story of the game as the game got rough in the third, with multiple fights as part of a line brawl and some rough stuff as the Portland squad attempted to flex their size, but to no avail as the Giants deadline acquisitions brought their own size to the fore.

Brendan Gallagher had a 5 point night (4G 1A), a natural hat-trick and an empty netter late, was a plus 4 and assisted on the Giants first tally setting up James Henry for the opening goal of the game. The really impressive aspect of these stats to note is that the refs sat Gallagher for a 10 minute misconduct in the second, so the diminutive forward only played a possible 50 minutes of 60 in the game. Craig Cunningham scored a couple minutes later, off of Lance Bouma and Kevin Connauton. Former Giant d-man Stefan Schneider scored a short-handed tally while playing centre for Portland. The two teams played a bit tighter for the remainder of the period, but over-all the game was loose as a greased goosed.

Only one of the goals came on the PP, one short-handed, but several twine-ripplers came 4 on 4, as the zebras assessed frequent coincidental penalties. The Giants took advantage of the big but slower Winterhawks, did not shy away from physical play and took their game right to the Winterhawks whose strength and major threat is more off of the rush than the forecheck. The Giants strength comes more from an aggressive forecheck and puck control in offensive end of the ice. The Winterhawks are always dangerous though and can score in bunches, as was in evidence tonight. The real surprise tonight was that so can the Giants, who have flown below the radar offense-wise this season despite having a player in the scoring title hunt and a different player scoring 40 for only the third time in franchise history. The break the G-Men had between the first and second rounds did not slow them down and allowed them to heal some of their wounded as the flu-bug, minor nagging injuries and other ailments plagued the team the past week and a bit. The time-off did not slow them down or break any momentum they had as they came out ready to compete from the drop of the puck in this one and it’s a good thing that they did.

Brett Breitkreuz padded the Giants lead early in the second with a rocket that Mac Carruth didn’t even see before it was in his net. James Wright and Neil Manning got the assists on the play. Seth Swenson replied with his first of the playoffs and then Ryan Johansen tied the game a couple of minutes later. It took about 10 minutes of back and forth hockey, but Gallagher was intense once he got back on the ice and on a mission to get his team back the lead. At 17:49 of the middle frame he tipped a Neil Manning shot past Carruth. Connauton got the other helper. With time ticking down in the middle frame and 12 secs remaining in their PP, Gallagher again tipped a Manning shot past the Portland netminder. Craig Cunningham got the other assist on the play.

Gallagher completed the natural hat early in the third, getting some help from Bouma and Dillon Scholten who was in the mix tonight. It didn’t take the Winterhawks long to reply though as they notched two more quick ones of their own, slipping the puck past Mark Segal for a couple he should have had a hand on. Getting to within one the Winterhawks watched the Giants vapour trails a few minutes later when the Vancouver squad stepped it up into another gear. Wright who had been around the puck all night finally got one of his own to go, getting some great work from Tomas Vincour. Lance Bouma found the twine a couple of minutes later, off of some great work by Cunningham. The game devolved into a line brawl as Aronson was once again in the middle of the rough stuff, getting a fighting major and game misconduct. Along with Ross who was the instigator jumping onto top of a pile of players to start the free-for-all, Ponich and Neiderreitter. On the Giants side - the whole thing started with a check from behind by Milan Kytnar on Ross, but the Giants were not ready to back down from any kind of game the Winterhawks wanted to play. Henry was in the fray getting a fighting major and a game and David Musil had his nose in there as well. Ross received a game as well, which could make Sunday’s tilt interesting if the league upholds those game misconducts and suspends those three players with a game in the press box.

After the dust had settled the Portland squad seemed to be re-energized bringing more of their game back to fore. The Giants blinked, but did not fold though and despite allowing a tally late in the game, pushed through to get the win. Ty Rattie slipped a puck past Segal, who made some great stops, lost his stick at one point and then seemed more concerned with recovering his stick than stopping the puck. Loss of focus is definitely a weakness for the Giants ‘tender and one he needs to address as it is completely under his control and is the difference between being okay and being elite. The Winterhawks pulled their goalie in the hope of generating more offense, but Gallagher put the exclamation point on the game killing that drive very quickly scoring an empty netter and salting away the victory. The gloves were dropped again at the 20:00 mark of the third as the Winterhawks were sending a message for Sunday.

The Giants out shot the Winterhawks 49-37, but the Winterhawks were able to top the G’s in the third barely out shooting the visitors. The Giants went 1 for 6 on the PP, while the Winterhawks were 0 for 4. It was not difficult to find the back of the net in this one and I expect that both teams will be ready to play a bit tighter game on Sunday. The playoff format for this series is 2-3-2 and with the win the Giants gain the advantage in the series. The Portland squad hasn’t had a great home record for the playoffs so far as they have won all of their games on the road and none in their own barn. The two teams tangle again on Sunday mere hours after they ended this one, so the emotions are still going to be fresh and could find the teams show up with axes ready to grind. The puck drops at 5pm on Easter Sunday in Portland for game two and could go a multitude of ways.

Three Stars

1. Brendan Gallagher
2. Ryan Johansen
3. James Wright

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Gally had a great night, notching 5 points with the natural hat an EN goal and assisting on the opening goal of the game. Bouma, Wright and Cunningham all had three point nights each wiht a goal and two helpers.  A wide open game that the Giants won, but probably not the kind of game they want to play versus the Winterhawks every time out on the ice.  The Giants were not intimidated by the Portland team's size or physical play.  They used the seams to their advantage and will need to continue to do so as this series moves on.  Its also interesting to note that 4 or 5 of the goals tonight came when the teams were playing 4 on 4.  I'm looking forward to Sunday.


Quote:Giants Pummel Portland  	   	 
Rnd 2 Game 1: Vancouver 9 Portland 6

Don Robinson  	

Who would have thought that the Giants could win a pure run and gun game versus the Winterhawks, but last night they did. Despite the win they have to be pretty disappointed in their goalie’s performance though, allowing 6 goals on about 30 shots, but have to be impressed with their ability to bounce back after letting the Portland squad back into the game. The Giants opened the scoring with two quick ones and then allowed a short-handed goal against on their first PP chance on the night. That goal could have crushed another team’s momentum and the rest of the period was played a bit tighter, but the Giants lost no drive in this one. The G-Men bulged their lead early in the second before allowing Winterhawks to come back in the second tying the game up for a brief moment with two bang-bang tallies, but late in the period the Giants pushed that lead back to two. The third was crazy with the Giants re-establishing their three-goal cushion, before allowing two straight against. The Giants once again replied with two of their own as scoring just one didn’t seem to be how it worked tonight. Portland clawed back one before the Giants scored an empty net tally when the Winterhawks pulled their netminder with about 2 mins remaining. The goals were not the only story of the game as the game got rough in the third, with multiple fights as part of a line brawl and some rough stuff as the Portland squad attempted to flex their size, but to no avail as the Giants deadline acquisitions brought their own size to the fore.

Brendan Gallagher had a 5 point night (4G 1A), a natural hat-trick and an empty netter late, was a plus 4 and assisted on the Giants first tally setting up James Henry for the opening goal of the game. The really impressive aspect of these stats to note is that the refs sat Gallagher for a 10 minute misconduct in the second, so the diminutive forward only played a possible 50 minutes of 60 in the game. Craig Cunningham scored a couple minutes later, off of Lance Bouma and Kevin Connauton. Former Giant d-man Stefan Schneider scored a short-handed tally while playing centre for Portland. The two teams played a bit tighter for the remainder of the period, but over-all the game was loose as a greased goosed.

Only one of the goals came on the PP, one short-handed, but several twine-ripplers came 4 on 4, as the zebras assessed frequent coincidental penalties. The Giants took advantage of the big but slower Winterhawks, did not shy away from physical play and took their game right to the Winterhawks whose strength and major threat is more off of the rush than the forecheck. The Giants strength comes more from an aggressive forecheck and puck control in offensive end of the ice. The Winterhawks are always dangerous though and can score in bunches, as was in evidence tonight. The real surprise tonight was that so can the Giants, who have flown below the radar offense-wise this season despite having a player in the scoring title hunt and a different player scoring 40 for only the third time in franchise history. The break the G-Men had between the first and second rounds did not slow them down and allowed them to heal some of their wounded as the flu-bug, minor nagging injuries and other ailments plagued the team the past week and a bit. The time-off did not slow them down or break any momentum they had as they came out ready to compete from the drop of the puck in this one and it’s a good thing that they did.

Brett Breitkreuz padded the Giants lead early in the second with a rocket that Mac Carruth didn’t even see before it was in his net. James Wright and Neil Manning got the assists on the play. Seth Swenson replied with his first of the playoffs and then Ryan Johansen tied the game a couple of minutes later. It took about 10 minutes of back and forth hockey, but Gallagher was intense once he got back on the ice and on a mission to get his team back the lead. At 17:49 of the middle frame he tipped a Neil Manning shot past Carruth. Connauton got the other helper. With time ticking down in the middle frame and 12 secs remaining in their PP, Gallagher again tipped a Manning shot past the Portland netminder. Craig Cunningham got the other assist on the play.

Gallagher completed the natural hat early in the third, getting some help from Bouma and Dillon Scholten who was in the mix tonight. It didn’t take the Winterhawks long to reply though as they notched two more quick ones of their own, slipping the puck past Mark Segal for a couple he should have had a hand on. Getting to within one the Winterhawks watched the Giants vapour trails a few minutes later when the Vancouver squad stepped it up into another gear. Wright who had been around the puck all night finally got one of his own to go, getting some great work from Tomas Vincour. Lance Bouma found the twine a couple of minutes later, off of some great work by Cunningham. The game devolved into a line brawl as Aronson was once again in the middle of the rough stuff, getting a fighting major and game misconduct. Along with Ross who was the instigator jumping onto top of a pile of players to start the free-for-all, Ponich and Neiderreitter. On the Giants side - the whole thing started with a check from behind by Milan Kytnar on Ross, but the Giants were not ready to back down from any kind of game the Winterhawks wanted to play. Henry was in the fray getting a fighting major and a game and David Musil had his nose in there as well. Ross received a game as well, which could make Sunday’s tilt interesting if the league upholds those game misconducts and suspends those three players with a game in the press box.

After the dust had settled the Portland squad seemed to be re-energized bringing more of their game back to fore. The Giants blinked, but did not fold though and despite allowing a tally late in the game, pushed through to get the win. Ty Rattie slipped a puck past Segal, who made some great stops, lost his stick at one point and then seemed more concerned with recovering his stick than stopping the puck. Loss of focus is definitely a weakness for the Giants ‘tender and one he needs to address as it is completely under his control and is the difference between being okay and being elite. The Winterhawks pulled their goalie in the hope of generating more offense, but Gallagher put the exclamation point on the game killing that drive very quickly scoring an empty netter and salting away the victory. The gloves were dropped again at the 20:00 mark of the third as the Winterhawks were sending a message for Sunday.

The Giants out shot the Winterhawks 49-37, but the Winterhawks were able to top the G’s in the third barely out shooting the visitors. The Giants went 1 for 6 on the PP, while the Winterhawks were 0 for 4. It was not difficult to find the back of the net in this one and I expect that both teams will be ready to play a bit tighter game on Sunday. The playoff format for this series is 2-3-2 and with the win the Giants gain the advantage in the series. The Portland squad hasn’t had a great home record for the playoffs so far as they have won all of their games on the road and none in their own barn. The two teams tangle again on Sunday mere hours after they ended this one, so the emotions are still going to be fresh and could find the teams show up with axes ready to grind. The puck drops at 5pm on Easter Sunday in Portland for game two and could go a multitude of ways.

Three Stars

1. Brendan Gallagher
2. Ryan Johansen
3. James Wright

]]></content:encoded>
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			<title><![CDATA[Rd. 1 Gm 4 - Giants @ Blazers - Mar. 24th]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=527</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:12:44 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=527</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[Vancouver Giants @ Kamloops Blazers 
Wednesday, March 24h, 2010
Interior Savings Center
7:00PM
Radio: CISL 650AM 
TV: Shaw
Web: http://livestream.whl.ca/

Giants
Last night the Giants faced OT for the second time in this series and again ended it in under 5mins. It was a game that saw the Giants never hold a lead until Brett Breitkreuz who had parked himself at the top of Mucha's crease redirected a James Henry point shot. That goal sets up tonight and a chance to sweep the Blazers.

The Giants HAVE to stop taking some of these dumb penalties. Giving up 3 goals on 8PP chances to the Blazers is one thing. What will happen with say Tri-City? Buckle down. If the refs are calling everything and anything you have to check yourself a little more.

Mucha is looking a little rattled. It is time to go for the kill. His rebound control is not where it usually is and he seems to be having some pucks pop out of his glove. Need to send low point shots with bodies following up.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Blazers
I think the Blazers came with alot of energy and emotion early in the game. But it has to be really deflating to take the lead 4 different times only to see the Giants pop one in of their own. Emotionally they have to be spent.

When they get Segal moving around in his crease it seems the whole team gets off stride and out of sync. It's easier said than done but they need to get more cross ice puck movement going and try and catch the Giants zigging when they should have zagged.

Players To Watch
Giants
Thomas Vicour - Has been a big factor in the whole series but on the heels of signing a 3 year entry level deal with the Dallas Stars he should be extra pumped.

Blazers
Austin Madaisky - 3pts last night and 2nd star. His name was called alot last night by Morley Scott.
]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[Vancouver Giants @ Kamloops Blazers 
Wednesday, March 24h, 2010
Interior Savings Center
7:00PM
Radio: CISL 650AM 
TV: Shaw
Web: http://livestream.whl.ca/

Giants
Last night the Giants faced OT for the second time in this series and again ended it in under 5mins. It was a game that saw the Giants never hold a lead until Brett Breitkreuz who had parked himself at the top of Mucha's crease redirected a James Henry point shot. That goal sets up tonight and a chance to sweep the Blazers.

The Giants HAVE to stop taking some of these dumb penalties. Giving up 3 goals on 8PP chances to the Blazers is one thing. What will happen with say Tri-City? Buckle down. If the refs are calling everything and anything you have to check yourself a little more.

Mucha is looking a little rattled. It is time to go for the kill. His rebound control is not where it usually is and he seems to be having some pucks pop out of his glove. Need to send low point shots with bodies following up.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Blazers
I think the Blazers came with alot of energy and emotion early in the game. But it has to be really deflating to take the lead 4 different times only to see the Giants pop one in of their own. Emotionally they have to be spent.

When they get Segal moving around in his crease it seems the whole team gets off stride and out of sync. It's easier said than done but they need to get more cross ice puck movement going and try and catch the Giants zigging when they should have zagged.

Players To Watch
Giants
Thomas Vicour - Has been a big factor in the whole series but on the heels of signing a 3 year entry level deal with the Dallas Stars he should be extra pumped.

Blazers
Austin Madaisky - 3pts last night and 2nd star. His name was called alot last night by Morley Scott.
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
			<title><![CDATA[Rd. 1&nbsp;&nbsp;Gm. 3: Giants @ Blazers Mar 23 2010]]></title>
			<link>http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=526</link>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:19:58 -0700</pubDate>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.vancouvergiantshq.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=526</guid>
			<description><![CDATA[I missed the heavy checking the game the Giants brought when they were playing in Vancouver.&nbsp;&nbsp;I still love the work ethic.&nbsp;&nbsp;Segal was better, but still not great.&nbsp;&nbsp;He did make some tough stops though and was challenging the shooter well.&nbsp;&nbsp;Secondary scoring was good for the Giants with Breitkreuz getting two goals, his first playoff goals in the WHL.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Giants never let the Blazers get that insurance marker dragging themselves back even, within minutes of being scored upon.&nbsp;&nbsp;I would love to get a game where the refs aren't trying to make themselves the story of the game, though.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Blazers played a better game and were bringing more to the ice.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lots of empty seats in Blazer-town though.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not sure why, hopefully they weren't watching Luongo crap the bed for the Canucks tonight as this was hard fought game and worth watching.


Quote:Giants Reel In Blazers&nbsp;&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp; 	 
Rnd 1 Gm 3: Vancouver 5 Kamloops 4 OT

Don Robinson  	

For the third game in a row, the officiating was seriously suspect. Poor calls made all over the ice with some almost directly affecting the outcome of the game. Putting the whistles away in the third when things got clutchy was pretty poor form as well. The home team, which has not won a playoff game in 18 tries now, opened the scoring on the PP. The visitors responded with a PP marker of their own. Kamloops went ahead in the second for about 3 minutes when the Giants tied it up again. Kamloops pulled ahead one more time on the PP, before the Giants clawed it back SH as they had been tagged with a soft back-to-back penalty. Kamloops used another PP chance in the third to get the lead, but they were reeled in quickly. The game went to OT and the Giants brought some big pressure, failing a couple of times to capitalise before getting a tip-in at the top of the blue-ice for the win.

Austin Madaisky opened the scoring off of the rush on the PP, shifting Nolan Toigo’s jock strap in the slot and putting home a goal I thought Mark Segal should have had. Lance Bouma got that one back on a PP, going hard to the net and finishing off his own rebound. Brendan Gallagher and Kevin Connauton garnered assists on the play. Jake Trask found the twine in the second, putting his team back up by one. Less than 3 minutes later Brett Breitkreuz scored his first ever WHL playoff goal, driving hard to the net and muscling the puck under Kurtis Mucha who has been mostly solid this series, despite his numbers, but needs to control his rebounds better as they are killing him. Milan Kytnar and some great puck handling by Connor Redmond lead to the goal. The Giants should have had the go-ahead goal a few minutes later, but it was waived off by a crap call. The puck was in the net before contact occurred. Bouma was pushed into Mucha by a Kamloops defender and in my estimation the call was not only wrong, but seemed to be a reaction to what had happened in the game between The Rebels and Blades, when their goalie was run late in a blow-out game. Bronson Maschmeyer got one to go off of a defenders skate on the PP and then Nolan Toigo got that back SH less than 30 seconds later. James Henry and Kytnar with the helpers.

For the first time in this series the teams were tied going into the third. The Giants had not been bringing the heavy hitting game they had brought in Vancouver and it gave the Blazers some open ice to work with. The Blazers got yet another PP chance in the third and it was cashed in by CJ Stretch who could not have had a more open cage as the puck squirted to the open side with all of the Giants focus on the opposite side of the net. It was almost laughable. Once again it took less than 3 minutes to tie the game. Gallagher buried the rebound as the whole top line went to the net. Craig Cunningham worked hard to get the puck to Bouma who drove hard on Mucha. The teams would go to OT for the second time in three games and the result would be the same. The Giants had 4 shots on goal in the extra frame and they all looked like good chances. The best was a beauty cross-ice feed to Bouma who failed to find the five-hole, popping it off the pad instead. Brett Breitkreuz scored his second of the game at the top of the crease, tipping Henry’s point shot past Mucha. James Wright found the puck along the boards working it back to Henry who had gone back to cover the point for a pinching D-man. The goal came at 2:28 of the extra session and gives the Giants a commanding 3 game lead in the series.

The Giants out shot the Blazers 39-31. The Blazers had their PP clicking going 3 for 8, while Giants managed 1 for 5. The G’s got some secondary scoring and drove hard to the net whenever they had the chance. I would have loved to see them harder on the body on their fore-check and back-check, but you could not deny their work ethic in this one. Mark Segal was okay in this one with some very solid stops down low and challenging the shooter well but had some positional difficulties, which cost him goals. After posting a .915 SV% in the regular season he was an awful .842 SV% coming into this one and needs to praise the offensive output of his team to get him wins he might not have got with a lesser skilled/determined squad. The Blazers are a young team with only one 19 year old and three OAs and their conditioning could also be a factor as this series continues. The Giants can close out the series and get the sweep with a win in Kamloops on Wednesday. The puck drops at 7pm PST.

Three Stars

1. Brett Breitkreuz
2. Austin Madaisky
3. James Wright

]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[I missed the heavy checking the game the Giants brought when they were playing in Vancouver.&nbsp;&nbsp;I still love the work ethic.&nbsp;&nbsp;Segal was better, but still not great.&nbsp;&nbsp;He did make some tough stops though and was challenging the shooter well.&nbsp;&nbsp;Secondary scoring was good for the Giants with Breitkreuz getting two goals, his first playoff goals in the WHL.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Giants never let the Blazers get that insurance marker dragging themselves back even, within minutes of being scored upon.&nbsp;&nbsp;I would love to get a game where the refs aren't trying to make themselves the story of the game, though.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Blazers played a better game and were bringing more to the ice.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lots of empty seats in Blazer-town though.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not sure why, hopefully they weren't watching Luongo crap the bed for the Canucks tonight as this was hard fought game and worth watching.


Quote:Giants Reel In Blazers&nbsp;&nbsp;	&nbsp;&nbsp; 	 
Rnd 1 Gm 3: Vancouver 5 Kamloops 4 OT

Don Robinson  	

For the third game in a row, the officiating was seriously suspect. Poor calls made all over the ice with some almost directly affecting the outcome of the game. Putting the whistles away in the third when things got clutchy was pretty poor form as well. The home team, which has not won a playoff game in 18 tries now, opened the scoring on the PP. The visitors responded with a PP marker of their own. Kamloops went ahead in the second for about 3 minutes when the Giants tied it up again. Kamloops pulled ahead one more time on the PP, before the Giants clawed it back SH as they had been tagged with a soft back-to-back penalty. Kamloops used another PP chance in the third to get the lead, but they were reeled in quickly. The game went to OT and the Giants brought some big pressure, failing a couple of times to capitalise before getting a tip-in at the top of the blue-ice for the win.

Austin Madaisky opened the scoring off of the rush on the PP, shifting Nolan Toigo’s jock strap in the slot and putting home a goal I thought Mark Segal should have had. Lance Bouma got that one back on a PP, going hard to the net and finishing off his own rebound. Brendan Gallagher and Kevin Connauton garnered assists on the play. Jake Trask found the twine in the second, putting his team back up by one. Less than 3 minutes later Brett Breitkreuz scored his first ever WHL playoff goal, driving hard to the net and muscling the puck under Kurtis Mucha who has been mostly solid this series, despite his numbers, but needs to control his rebounds better as they are killing him. Milan Kytnar and some great puck handling by Connor Redmond lead to the goal. The Giants should have had the go-ahead goal a few minutes later, but it was waived off by a crap call. The puck was in the net before contact occurred. Bouma was pushed into Mucha by a Kamloops defender and in my estimation the call was not only wrong, but seemed to be a reaction to what had happened in the game between The Rebels and Blades, when their goalie was run late in a blow-out game. Bronson Maschmeyer got one to go off of a defenders skate on the PP and then Nolan Toigo got that back SH less than 30 seconds later. James Henry and Kytnar with the helpers.

For the first time in this series the teams were tied going into the third. The Giants had not been bringing the heavy hitting game they had brought in Vancouver and it gave the Blazers some open ice to work with. The Blazers got yet another PP chance in the third and it was cashed in by CJ Stretch who could not have had a more open cage as the puck squirted to the open side with all of the Giants focus on the opposite side of the net. It was almost laughable. Once again it took less than 3 minutes to tie the game. Gallagher buried the rebound as the whole top line went to the net. Craig Cunningham worked hard to get the puck to Bouma who drove hard on Mucha. The teams would go to OT for the second time in three games and the result would be the same. The Giants had 4 shots on goal in the extra frame and they all looked like good chances. The best was a beauty cross-ice feed to Bouma who failed to find the five-hole, popping it off the pad instead. Brett Breitkreuz scored his second of the game at the top of the crease, tipping Henry’s point shot past Mucha. James Wright found the puck along the boards working it back to Henry who had gone back to cover the point for a pinching D-man. The goal came at 2:28 of the extra session and gives the Giants a commanding 3 game lead in the series.

The Giants out shot the Blazers 39-31. The Blazers had their PP clicking going 3 for 8, while Giants managed 1 for 5. The G’s got some secondary scoring and drove hard to the net whenever they had the chance. I would have loved to see them harder on the body on their fore-check and back-check, but you could not deny their work ethic in this one. Mark Segal was okay in this one with some very solid stops down low and challenging the shooter well but had some positional difficulties, which cost him goals. After posting a .915 SV% in the regular season he was an awful .842 SV% coming into this one and needs to praise the offensive output of his team to get him wins he might not have got with a lesser skilled/determined squad. The Blazers are a young team with only one 19 year old and three OAs and their conditioning could also be a factor as this series continues. The Giants can close out the series and get the sweep with a win in Kamloops on Wednesday. The puck drops at 7pm PST.

Three Stars

1. Brett Breitkreuz
2. Austin Madaisky
3. James Wright

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