On a star-studded night at the Pacific Coliseum, it was the Vancouver Giants second line that wrote the final script. Carter Popoff scored twice, including the overtime winner on a beautiful cross-body wrist shot, and the home side took a 5-4 decision over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The shot you see below was the last shot of the game, as Popoff put the puck over the pad and below the blocker on Ty Rimmer. The Giants have now won three straight games for the first time this season.
In attendance for the game (besides Pucked in the Head loudmouth Jason Kurylo, who took this awesome photo if he does say so himself) were Hockey Hall of Fame players Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Dennis Hull, Marcel Dionne, Johnny Bower and broadcaster Jim Robson. Also in the building were a few guys with names like Orland Kurtenbach and Charlie Hodge. Oh, and Michael Bublé. You know, whoever that is supposed to be. Some famous cake delivery dude or something.
Vancouver Giants forward Carter Popoff continued his strong play of late, picking up two goals and an assist on Gordie Howe night at the Pacific Coliseum. This wrist shot provided the walk-off winner for the Giants, who have now won three games in a row for the first time this season. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Vancouver Giants goaltender Jared Rathjen stopped 34 of 37 shots en route to a 5-3 win over the mighty Kamloops Blazers, and was named the game’s first star. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
The Vancouver Giants went into Kamloops with humble hopes Wednesday. Sure, they’d beaten the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-1 in their most complete game of the year just a few nights earlier, but the last time they met the Blazers — less than a week ago at the Pacific Coliseum — the visitors spanked the G-men 6-0. Kamloops dominated that game from whistle to whistle, often times without appearing to even try.
The Giants surprised everyone, then, with a hard-fought 5-3 win at the Interior Saving Centre. Perhaps even themselves. The victory marks the second time this season that the Giants have won consecutive games, and gave them their first points against Kamloops in seven tries. These two teams are separated by 51 points in the standings, making this a huge late-season confidence boost for the Giants.
Vancouver Giants forward Dalton Sward scored the first goal for the Giants in a 5-3 road win over the Kamloops Blazers. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Brendan Rouse scored twice in the win. Travis McEvoy, Cain Franson and Dalton Sward scored the other goals, while Carter Popoff added two assists for Vancouver. Blazer goals were scored by Joel Edmondson, Chase Souto and JC Lipon.
The next Giants game is on Friday, March 1 at the Pacific Coliseum at 7:30 versus the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The game will celebrate Gordie Howe’s 85th birthday, and in attendance will be former Vancouver Canucks captain Orland Kurtenbach as well as Hall of Famers Marcel Dionne, Bobby Hull, Dennis Hull, Johnny Bower and Mr Hockey himself, Gordie Howe. For more information, hit up www.vancouvergiants.com
Vancouver Giants defenseman Arvin Atwal lines up a point shot while sporting a commemorative #9 Gordie Howe Mr Hockey jersey. Atwal had an assist in the Giants 4-1 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds on February 25, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.The Vancouver Giants scored three times on the power play and but for one exception kept opposition pucks out of their own net on Sunday on their way to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. It was a rare treat for more than 8,500 Sunday afternoon fans at the Pacific Coliseum, as the Giants have had little success this season in either of those areas.
Brett Kulak, Brendan Rouse and Cain Franson each had a goal and an assist, while goaltender Payton Lee stopped 23 of 24 shots to collect his 10th win of the year. Carter Popoff had the other goal for the Giants. Left winger Alexander Delnov scored the lone goal for the Thunderbirds, taking advantage of a two-man advantage in the second period.
More (including highlights) after the jump.
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Vancouver defenseman Mason Geertsen was one of the few Giants to play with measurable spirit on Friday night, as the home side dropped a 6-0 decision to the Kamloops Blazer on a national Sportsnet broadcast. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
It was not the best of nights for Vancouver-area hockey fans. The Vancouver Giants, fresh off their most successful four-game stretch of the season — it speaks volumes that this step forward resulted in exactly one overtime win, two overtime losses and a regulation loss — put in a dismal performance at the Pacific Coliseum against a vastly superior Kamloops Blazers team.
The Abbotsford Heat returned to the AESC after a road trip that got them just one of a possible 10 points, and put up just one goal en route to a 5-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers. And the Vancouver Canucks, full of healthy, award-winning forwards, relied on Roberto Luongo and Dale Weise to lull the Nashville Predators to sleep in a 1-0 snoozefest.
Prior to the game, many people in the Coliseum concourse could be heard discussing the Giants problems keeping the puck out of their own net to start games. Some quoted Don Hay’s post-game presser from a few weeks back, that the team aims to get through the first five minutes without allowing teams to open a lead. Then the puck dropped, and 10 seconds later it was 1-0 Kamloops Blazers.
More after the jump. Oh, and scroll to the very bottom of this post for a 2-for-1 coupon for the SFU Clan’s final two home games on February 23 and March 2. It’s top-notch college hockey, and you get two adults into Bill Copeland Arena for just five bucks a head.
Pucked in the Head is taking part in the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by throwing a few bucks at our campaign, at http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/jasonkurylo2013.
Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa took a page out of his Glenn Anderson playbook, swinging wide around Dallas Stars blueliner Philip Larsen before scoring the 2-2 goal in a 4-3 Canucks win. Photo ripped unceremoniously from www.canucks.com
Down 2-1 seven minutes into the middle frame of a late February game in Dallas, the Vancouver Canucks turn to an offensive juggernaut to tie the game. He accepts a lead pass from Dan Hamhuis at full speed, crosses centre ice and turns Stars defenseman Philip Larsen into a flailing, bellyflopping pylon.
Look! There he is fending off Larsen’s desperate poke check with the knee of a 70-goal scorer. There he goes, leaning into his attack on the net with the enthusiasm of Shane O’Brien ordering another round at the Roxy. And as he slips a cheeky backhander underneath Christopher Nilstorp — the pride of Malmo, Sweden — hockey fans around the Western Conference rejoice that life has been breathed into a Dallas Stars game. This man is resuscitating the position of power forward, surely!
Who is this offensive marvel with goals in consecutive games, with ice in his veins and a fire in his belly? Is it Zack Kassian, getting a long-awaited 6th goal after eight games of diminishing returns? Is it Ryan Kesler, continuing his upward trend since returning from injury? Or perhaps David Booth, finally making up for off-season exploits that sickened civilized Twitter users the world over?
Nope. Meet Kevin Bieksa. Power forward.
Pucked in the Head is taking part in the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by throwing a few bucks at our campaign, at http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/jasonkurylo2013.
The Canucks won the game 4-3, thanks in large part to Juice’s stunning foray into the offensive zone. Nilstorp called it a bad goal in his post-game scrum, and I’ve heard it said that any puck that goes through the five-hole is the goalie’s fault. That said, Bieksa took this rush out of the Bobby Orr playbook. I’d be shocked to hear even one commentator give the ol’ “that’s a goal Nilsy would like to have back” routine.
Jason Garrison turned in his best performance as a Vancouver Canuck on February 21, scoring just his second goal of the season in a win over the Dallas Stars. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Also prominent this game were Alex Burrows — his two brilliant screens late in the Chicago game were followed up by a tip-in and a give-and-go with Henrik — and Jason Garrison, who played his best game as a Canuck in the win. Just like the previous game in Chicago, I wasn’t a fan of two of the goals Schneider let in, but he made some big, big stops when Dallas pushed. Still, if Luongo had allowed that 2-1 goal by Brendan Morrow, the Twitterverse would be calling for his head.
Speaking of goalies, what in blue blazes is with opposing teams throwing third-string goalies at Vancouver. Even more troubling, why the hell are the Canucks having so much difficulty beating them? Leland Irving is the only dude they’ve been able to embarrass of late. Other than that, Vancouver has struggled to stay in games against Ray Emery in Chicago, Jake Allen with St Louis, and Darcy Kuemper for Minnesota in his first NHL game. Tonight, they hang on for a squeaker against Christopher Nilstorp, seriously? If this team is going to hang its hat on the fact that they have two All-Star calibre goaltenders, they need to start lighting up the fodder in the other crease.
I have a great deal of respect for NHL officials. Of all the major professional sports, hockey is surely one of the toughest to call. The rules are replete with grey areas, the standards they’re expected to apply change depending quite literally on which day it is, and the skill and conditioning necessary to keep up with NHL pace make the officials legitimate athletes in their own right. I’d like to see the league give them some tools to do their job more effectively. Continue reading Instant Replay Should Be Under Review→
She’s from Hawaii, so Jenessa Gladstone can be forgiven for being a basketball fan first. Now that she’s in Canada, she’s trying to get a grasp on this game called hockey, and was thrilled to win an SFU Clan t-shirt from Pucked in the Head. Check out her video below!
Congrats to Jenessa Gladstone, who recently won an SFU Clan shirt through one of our contests on the mighty Twitter. (Follow us, @PuckedintheHead, SFU, @SFUHockey, or Jenessa for that matter, @JenessaLei.)
Jenessa was kind enough to cut this promo spot for both Pucked in the Head and this week’s SFU game — they play the TWU Spartans at Bill Copeland Arena at 7 pm on Saturday, February 16. Get your buns down to the rink and see some solid college hockey — you won’t even have to shell out many of your hard-earned sheckles to do so, either. Look below for a handy 2-for-1 coupon, and you & a friend can get in for just five bucks each.
Get out & see some top flight college puck as the SFU Clan host their final three regular season games at Bill Copeland Arena. With this coupon, you & a friend can get in for just five bucks apiece!
Alex Ovechkin has been underwhelming since the Russians got spanked 7-3 by Canada in the 2010 Olympic quarterfinal. Photo borrowed from the über-talented Pat Molnar at http://www.patmolnar.com.
We started our series on surprises in the NHL with a look at Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils, who continue the play that took them to the Stanley Cup Finals last season. Loads of pundits called the LA Kings to roll roughshod over the Western Conference in defence of their championship, but you’ll be hard pressed to find one who thought the Devils would be the class of the East at the quarter pole after the lockout.
If we’re going to discuss head-scratchers, we have to talk about the Washington Capitals. They sit dead last in the league with just nine measly points after 13 games. Four years ago, this team was poised to become a perennial contender. They had an explosive core of offensive talent and an owner in Ted Leonsis who was willing to spend the bucks necessary to bring a Cup to DC.
More after the jump.
Pucked in the Head is taking part in the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by throwing a few bucks at our campaign, at http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/jasonkurylo2013.
Like any year in any sport, the shortened 2013 NHL season has provided some yawns, some gimmes, and some head-scratching surprises. Yawns: Despite throwing buckets of money at Zach Parise and Gary Suter, the Minnesota Wild are still a snoozefest every single night. Gimmes: No one is shocked to see the Calgary Flames and New York Islanders near the bottom of the standings. Head-scratchers: the apotheosis of Martin Brodeur and continued success for the New Jersey Devils.
With 1,200 games, 662 wins, 372 losses and 120 shutouts, Martin Brodeur has guaranteed himself not only a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but a full-on apotheosis in New Jersey when he retires. Here we see how the ancient Romans thought of his work between the pipes. Photoshop hack job by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Why would we scratch our heads for Marty rattling off a few more wins, you ask? Read why after the jump.
Pucked in the Head is taking part in the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by throwing a few bucks at our campaign, at http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/jasonkurylo2013.
Abbotsford Heat forward Dustin Sylvester scored twice, including once in the final minute of regulation, to help beat the Lake Erie Monsters 4-3 in a shootout on February 9, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Hockey Day in Canada brought good things to Vancouver-area teams this year, as the Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Giants, Abbotsford Heat, Simon Fraser University Clan and UBC Lady Thunderbirds all posted wins on Saturday, February 9. Acting as the exception to the rule, the UBC men’s team suffered a 5-2 loss to the visiting University of Alberta Golden Bears.
More, including post-game reaction from the bowels of the AESC, after the jump.
Pucked in the Head is taking part in the 2013 Ride to Conquer Cancer. You can help us reach our fundraising goal by throwing a few bucks at our campaign, at http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/jasonkurylo2013.
I have a great deal of respect for NHL officials. Of all the major professional sports, hockey is surely one of the toughest to call. The rules are replete with grey areas, the standards they’re expected to apply change depending quite literally on which day it is, and the skill and conditioning necessary to keep up with NHL pace make the officials legitimate athletes in their own right. I’d like to see the league give them some tools to do their job more effectively. 
