Tag Archives: sports photography

Vancouver Giants book those dreaded spring tee times

Defensemen Mason Geertsen (#44) and Brett Kulak (#2) stand in front of goaltender Jared Rathjen during the final weekend of WHL action. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Defensemen Mason Geertsen (#44) and Brett Kulak (#2) stand in front of goaltender Jared Rathjen during the final weekend of WHL action. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The WHL season is now in the books, and the playoff matchups set for next weekend. Readers in BC, check here for the schedule for games on TV.

For the first time since their inaugural season in 2001-02, the Vancouver Giants find themselves on the outside looking in. While it’s tough for these young men to swallow right now, the Giants and their fans have enjoyed a remarkable run the past 12 years. They earned five consecutive BC Division banners from 2005-06 to 2009-10, and had at least 75 points every season between 2003-04 and 2011-12, including two Memorial Cup appearances (and one win). Numerous Giants alumni now pepper NHL rosters, including Milan Lucic, Cody Franson, Gilbert Brule, Jonathan Blum and now Brendan Gallagher.

Continue reading Vancouver Giants book those dreaded spring tee times

Vancouver Giants 5, Lethbridge Hurricanes 4 (OT)

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 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.

What, a Johnny-on-the-spot winning goal photo isn’t good enough for you? Fine. Go here and get the game highlights in all their interwebby, video-y glitz and glamour. Then go to the WHL website to check out the official game sheet.

 

Vancouver Giants 5, Kamloops Blazers 3

Vancouver Giants goaltender Jared Rathjen stopped 34 of 37 shots en route to a 5-3 win over the mighty Kamloops Blazers. 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.
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

Ben Street makes NHL debut

Abbotsford Heat forward Ben Street had a goal and his stache had an assist in a 5-1 thrashing of the Hamilton Bulldogs on the last day of Movember. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Abbotsford Heat forward Ben Street, pictured here in action on on the last day of Movember, makes his NHL debut for the Calgary Flames on Hockey Day in Canada, February 9, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Congratulations to the pride of Coquitlam, BC, Ben Street on this Hockey Day in Canada. He makes his NHL debut tonight with the Calgary Flames at the age of 25 after being called up from his assignment with the Abbotsford Heat in the American Hockey League. He currently leads the offensively-challenged Heat in scoring, with 31 points in 44 games.

Street went undrafted by NHL teams, but earned a professional tryout contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010 after solid performance with his college team, the Wisconsin Badgers. He won Rookie of the Year in the ECHL Wheeling Nailers before being promoted to the AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Despite more solid numbers there — he got 57 points in 71 games last year with responsible two-way play — the depth chart up the middle in Pittsburgh is reportedly tough to crack. Some guy named Crosby, and another dude named Malkin, for starters.

Street signed with the Flames as a free agent in the off-season with the hopes of doing exactly what he does tonight: dressing for the big club just a few games into the post-lockout season.

Rip it up, big guy.

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.

Vancouver Giants look for some love in February

Vancouver forward Riley Kieser encapsulates the Giants season as he picks himself up off the ice during the third period of a 5-1 loss to the Kelowna Rockets on February 1, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Vancouver forward Riley Kieser encapsulates the Giants season as he picks himself up off the ice after being cross-checked in the face during the third period of a 5-1 loss to the Kelowna Rockets on February 1, 2013. He drew a penalty on the play, but the Giants were unable to capitalize with the man advantage. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Vancouver Giants kicked off February much the same way they’ve spent every other month this season, with back-to-back losses to the Kelowna Rockets. Outscored by a combined score of 10-1 in the home-and-home series, the G-men continue to mess with a troublesome combination: they can’t score, and have trouble keeping pucks out of their own net.

In fact, no other team has given up as many goals as the Giants in 2012-13. They’ve allowed 229 goals in 53 outings, or 4.32 goals per game. Combine that with the fifth-worst offense — 142 goals, or 2.68 per game — and it’s a recipe for just 13 wins all season. Sitting squarely at the bottom of the Western Hockey League table, the Giants have been all but mathematically eliminated from the playoff race. With 19 games remaining, they sit 17 points out of a playoff spot in the WHL Western Conference. Keep in mind that this is a system that admits eight of ten teams into the post-season dance. This will be the first time the Giants don’t make the playoffs since their inaugural season in 2001-02.

One of the biggest problems for this year’s team is a lack of skill. It’s a roster full of pluggers — hey, that can be entertaining, if everyone works hard for 60 minutes, but the team has a predilection for mental lapses and facepalm-worthy errors on a nightly basis. Case in point, Kelowna’s first goal in the 5-1 loss on Friday night: just seconds into the game, first-pairing defenseman Mason Geertsen whiffed the puck inside the Giants blueline, right onto the stick of Rockets forward Cody Fowlie. In the blink of an eye, a pass went cross-crease to Tyrell Goulbourne, and BAM! Kelowna had an easy tap-in past a hapless Jared Rathjen in the Vancouver net. It’s a goal that would break a team’s back at the best of times, but in the opening two minutes of a home game? Killer.

Yes, this is a young team, but it’s the Western Hockey League. They’re all young teams.

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.

Continue reading Vancouver Giants look for some love in February

Hog Shack slideshow

Is there anything more breathtaking - at any level of hockey - than a player who goes mano-a-mano* with the goaltender? Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head* Or womano-a-womano! We're definitely not trying to pull a rangers.com on you ladies!
Is there anything more breathtaking than a player who goes mano-a-mano* with the goaltender? Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
* Or womano-a-womano! We’re definitely not trying to pull a rangers.com on you ladies!

Those of you who follow Pucked in the Head know that we believe hockey is beautiful, and that the beauty is not limited to the NHL level. We love AHL, CHL, BCIHL, CIS, NAIA, NCAA, pee wee, midget, bantam, atom, and every other level you can think of.

Yes, we even love rec league! So in a blatant attempt to out-Hog Shack the Canucks Hockey Blog, we didn’t just go to the Hog Shack Restaurant, invite the owner to appear on the podcast and shove our BBQ-holes full of pulled pork and delicious burnt ends. No, no, that would be easy. WE WENT TO A HOG SHACK HOCKEY GAME.

And we’re going to give away a Hog Shack t-shirt to the first person to tweet me with the answer to the following question:

In one picture of the slideshow, the Hog Shack goalie is seen underneath the Richmond Olympic Oval scoreboard. The team is down 6-5 late in the game. How much time is left on the clock?

Check out the slideshow after the jump, and while you’re at it, think about supporting our Ride to Conquer Cancer campaign – if you donate before noon on January 29, you could win tickets to see the Canucks at Rogers Arena!

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.

Continue reading Hog Shack slideshow

Is this man happy? Jason Garrison edition

Jason Garrison sports a healthy smile during a practice at UBC Thunderbird Arena on January 8, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Jason Garrison sports a healthy smile during a practice at UBC Thunderbird Arena on January 8, 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Jason Garrison is happy to be skating with his new teammates. Or at least he looks like he is. The man wore a permagrin through Tuesday’s practice at Thunderbird Arena, even when getting slapped with a stick across the ribs during puck protection drills courtesy of Andrew Alberts.

Garrison, of course, signed as a free agent with the Vancouver Canucks on Canada Day of 2012. (That’s July 1 for our non-Great White Northern readers.) The White Rock native had a career highs of 16 goals and 33 points in 77 games for the Florida Panthers last year, and added three more points in four games during a first-round playoff loss to the Stanley Cup finalist New Jersey Devils.

Two more pictures of Mr Garrison after the jump. Look for pictures of his teammates throughout the week.

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.

Continue reading Is this man happy? Jason Garrison edition

Photo gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Rochester Americans, part two

Abbotsford Heat ice crew member Kirsten goes deep into her hockey stride during a break in play on January 5, 2013. She plays intramural hockey at BCIT, and is in her third year of scraping the ice at Heat home games. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Abbotsford Heat ice crew member Kirsten goes deep into her hockey stride during a break in play on January 5, 2013. She plays intramural hockey at BCIT, and is in her third year of scraping the ice at Heat home games. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Abbotsford Heat earned a split in their back-to-back set against the Rochester Americans with a 3-1 victory on Saturday night. After the jump, grab a gander at some images from the contest. Or just read about it here.

Either way, give a guy a hand with some fundraising for the Ride to Conquer Cancer.

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.

Continue reading Photo gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Rochester Americans, part two

Photo Gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Rochester Americans

Rochester Americans forward Cody Hodsgon gets his stick in the way of a TJ Brodie shot during the a 5-2 win over the Abbotsford Heat. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Rochester Americans forward Cody Hodsgon gets his stick in the way of a TJ Brodie shot during the a 5-2 win over the Abbotsford Heat. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Rochester Americans took a 5-2 decision in the first of back-to-back meetings on Friday. Below are a few pics from that contest. Check out our game summary if you’re into that sort of thing. And since you asked, here’s the box score too.

Related: pictures and a writeup of Saturay’s game, a 3-1 victory for the home side.

Featured with multiple pictures is Cody Hodgson, a blue chip prospect who started his pro career with the Vancouver Canucks organization but was traded to the Buffalo Sabres last year.

Also a focus is offensively minded defenseman TJ Brodie of the Abbotsford Heat, who is tied for third in team scoring with 19 points in 33 games.

Photo gallery 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.

Continue reading Photo Gallery – Abbotsford Heat vs Rochester Americans