New Coach, New Attitude – also RIP Pat Quinn

Giants Crack Winterhawks
Vancouver 3 Portland 2

Pat Quinn memorial night, where they raised a banner to him into the rafters. Nice video montage of him to start the game. First game with new coach Claude Noel behind the bench. No-one wearing the “C” tonight as Sward, Houck and Geertsen all had “A”s on. Noel stated post-game that he did not know who the players were and that he should have a better handle on their tendencies after the two weekend games. I guess he was taking a page from the Montreal Canadiens book, seeing who will step up and claim the honour and responsibility. I’m hoping to see that kind of hunger continue, but with the PQ energy and the new coach the boys would have to be dead to not have been fully motivated to play in this one.

A good hungry game tonight by the boys. Really active sticks on the back-end and in the slot by the Giants who got to loose pucks and corralled deflections quickly. This was also one of the few games I have watched this year where the Gs did not have a “sag” period. They were tenacious on the puck and did something that is very difficult to do, namely take away ice and space from the very mobile, talented and intense Winterhawks. I have to say I was most impressed with our play without the puck on both offense and defense. The G-Men went to the net and were very good in their own end. Payton Lee allowed one really bad SH’d goal he wants back, but he bounced back and when push came to shove he bricked up the cage down the stretch and was excellent with a bit of red iron luck. That gaffe would have shut the team of a just a few weeks ago down and they would have collapsed like a poorly stacked house of cards, but tonight they regrouped and held the line.

The Giants opened the scoring on the first shift 20 seconds into the game. Tyler Benson fed the puck to Houck who wired it past Brendan Burke. The Gs added to their lead on the PP a little later in the period. Carter Popoff tickled the twine, finishing off a play from Houck and Benson. The Winterhawks found the back of the net late in the period, pounding in a rebound off of Lee’s pad. The Giants spent the second period killing poor penalties against. Poor because of a bit of soft play, but mainly poor because the officiating was garbage tonight. The boys were excellent on the PK tonight and were very good at not allowing the Portland squad open looks. They challenged the puck carrier and held the front of the net.

The Gs killed a bunch of minors and a 2 man advantage to hold their lead. I really think they played some of the best two-way hockey I have watched them play all season. Houck used a PP in the third to give the Giants a two goal lead. Popoff wheeled out the corner, got the puck to Benson at the face-off dot. Benson got a sharp shot on net and Houck buried the rebound going to the net. The ‘hawks scored a lame SH’d goal, which appeared to me to have deflected off of Lee’s stick and into the top corner. A dump-in on net from the point ends up in the back of the net. That play could have folded the old Giants, but the crew tonight rebounded and upped their game. Lee made some clutch stops down the stretch and got a bit of luck and the boys did not give in and gutted out the one goal victory.

Team Notes: Ronning and Kirichenko are still out, but McKinstry was back in the line-up. No Cs were on sweaters tonight as Noel went with three As until he gets a handle on the team.

Fight Night: There was a lot of yapping by some of the skilled players on the Winterhawks and I was expecting more than just the one fight, but I love how this fight came about and what it means team-wise. Thomas Foster v. Keegan Iverson. Iverson levelled McKinstry behind the Giants net and Foster took him to task for the hit. Neither player seemed super interested in fighting and after Foster threw a few punches both players just kinda hung on for dear life until the linesmen broke them up. I still love that Foster who is not a fighter stood up like that for his team-mate.

Zebra Cage: Brett Iverson and Kevin Bennett (sporting a go pro camera on his helmet, but it should have been a propeller and a red clown nose)… Officiating was simply a joke in this one. Calling soft as butter stuff while letting dangerous plays go by the wayside. Consistency was non-existent. Lee got run multiple times and then in crunch time when Lee was not only run, but he was deliberately elbowed in the head. No penalty was called (I would not be surprised to see a suspension come out of the play). Take off the stripes boys, ‘cause you were embarrassing your selves and the league throughout this game.

The Giants out-shot the Winterhawks 37-34. The hometown boys went 2 for 5 on the PP, coughing up a soft short-handed goal against. They held Portland’s dangerous PP to 0 for 6. I really liked Mason Geertsen’s game tonight he was physical yet responsible and I saw very few of his poorly reasoned passes. If he can be smarter with the puck while still bringing that edgy game he will realize his potential. I also like Atwal and Osipov tonight. Bobylev was apparently in the line-up but I seriously do not recall seeing him all night. I felt Bellerive and Baer were a bit floaty, but their line-mate Hamilton had a few good hard shifts. Foster was held off the scoresheet but did a lot of the little things tonight, as did Sward who had some jump of his own. Both Sward and Foster played very solid two-way games in this one and Sward had one great breakaway and a few good chances on the offensive side of the puck. I noticed Jesse Roach in a good way as well. Nothing amazing, but pretty solid in the corners. Gage Ramsey had a moment right in front of me where he backed off the guy with the puck and looked very bunny in headlights. He had a chance to go for it and challenge the puck carrier, but he just stood there looking pretty stunned. The top line of Houck, Benson and Popoff had serious jump tonight and looked dangerous as a unit for the majority of the game. I liked Benson’s smart game and wish Houck would play with this intensity every game, instead of every five games. I find him being a passenger too frequently, but he has always been a slow starter before ramping up so hopefully he’s just ramping up and will maintain the level. Popoff was gritty in the corners and used his mobility well to find open ice.

Three Stars

1. Jackson Houck
2. Tyler Benson
3. Oliver Bjorkstrand

Dondo’s Hardhat: I’m actually giving it Mason Geertsen tonight. I thought he played an excellent shut down game and used his size better than I have seen recently. A small nod to Foster for a strong two-way game and standing up for McKinstry.