Roberto Luongo wasn’t the only goaltender to throw a goose egg on Friday night. Down the street, Jared Rathjen made 22 saves against the Everett Silvertips to earn the first shutout of his WHL career.

Thousands of stuffed animals were collected for local children’s charities when Trent Lofthouse opened the scoring at 9:04 of the second period. Rathjen (@JRathjen33) didn’t get teddy bears rained down upon him for his work, but he stifled four Everett power play opportunities and kept the league’s fourth leading scorer, left winger Joshua Winquist, off the board. It’s just the second time since October 20th that Winquist has failed to hit the score sheet.

More, including quotes from Rathjen, after the jump.

“We have been getting a lot closer, and everyone is feeling more comfortable and confident,” says Rathjen of vibe in the Giants locker room. “We knew we had the effort at the start of the season, but we were making small mistakes and not getting any bounces.”

Rathjen is certainly playing with more confidence between the pipes. “As I play more, I’m getting more comfortable. That’s leading to more consistency and better play for me personally. When I’m playing well, I know I’m in position and I know he’s not going to beat me. When I start second-guessing my positioning and start moving too early, I open up holes for the shooter.”

For the Giants, the win is their fourth in five games, and the seventh home win in a row. They now sit in seventh place in the Western Conference, a lofty achievement considering their disastrous 1–9 start to the season.

The Giants head across the border to take on these same Silvertips in Everett Saturday night, and host the Prince George Cougars at 5pm on Sunday for their third game in three nights. Ah, the joys of junior hockey.