WHL Vancouver Giants

Giants Close, But No Cigar Once Again in Victoria

Published on September 15, 2012 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release


VANCOUVER, BC - The Vancouver Giants players and coaches must be left shrugging their shoulders, after another effort worthy of 2 points winds up not being enough. The Giants outshot the Victoria Royals 30-17 in the final game of the pre-season, but couldn't come up with the clutch goal they needed. After the teams traded two goals apiece in the first period, Victoria got a power play marker early in the 2nd and took it all the way to finish line, adding an empty netter in a 4-2 victory.

The first period saw the Royals get off to a quick start and catch the Giants flat-footed. Jamie Crooks opened the scoring at the two minute mark on a screened shot from the slot (past today's starter Tyler Fuhr) to give Victoria the lead. Vancouver would answer at the halfway mark when Austin Vetterl made a power move out front and score a nice backhander past Patric Polivka, who is expected to be the Royals starting netminder this season. Two minutes later, Marek Tvrdon was given time and space in the right circle, and he walked into the hashmark and rifled one short side past Polivka to give the Giants a 2-1 lead. That didn't last long either. Another two minutes later, the Royals would get it back off an offensive zone face-off. Brandon Magee set up Logan Nelson for an open net tap-in. The game was all tied up at 2 after 20 minutes, with Vancouver outshooting Victoria 9-8.

The second period was relatively slow-paced with only 11 shots total, 7 by Vancouver and 4 from Victoria. There was a lot of neutral zone play on both sides and very few scoring chances. The Giants had a chance to re-take the lead early on. They started the period on a 2 minute power play, after a Victoria penalty at the 20 minute mark of the first. As has been the case throughout the pre-season, the Giants struggled with the man-advantage, and shortly after it was over, they took their own penalty. It took Victoria only a handful of seconds to capitalize, as Ben Walker set up Brandon Magee on a cross-crease pass and Magee scored his 2nd in as many nights to put the Royals up 3-2. That's how it stood through 40 minutes.

As was the plan coming in, Liam Liston started the 3rd period in net for the Giants, which had nothing to do with Fuhr's performance. It would be hard to blame Fuhr on any of the goals that beat him, even though he finished with just 9 saves on 12 shots.

Liston didn't see much action until the second half of the 3rd period, as the Giants did a good job containing the Royals defensively, but at the same time struggled to generate many chances offensively in their bid to tie the game. Liston was forced to come up big a couple of times shortly after the halfway mark, and he looked solid in bouncing back from a shaky performance the night before, finishing a perfect 6 for 6 in 20 minutes of work.

Unfortunately, the Royals had 7 third period shots, but the last one came on an empty net with 1:12 remaining. Ben Walker had the puck come to him at the right point and feathered it through a few sticks to ice the game for the Royals. Vancouver mounted 14 shots in the 3rd period but many of them were routine saves for Patrick Polivka who finished with a solid 28 saves on 30 shots.

Special teams was once again a factor, as the Giants finished the night 0 for 5 with the man advantage and the Royals power play goal was the eventual game winner, as they finished 1 for 4 themselves.

Overall on the preseason, the Giants finished 2 for 29 with the man advantage (6.9%) while the penalty kill finished 19 for 26 (73.1%).

The loss for Vancouver was their 4th in a row, including one in overtime and one in a shootout. They end the pre-season with a record of 1-3-1-1 while the Royals finished their pre-season 4-2.

These two teams will do this all again next weekend when it counts, as the regular season begins for both of them on Friday, September 21st at the Pacific Coliseum before the teams return to Victoria on Saturday for the rematch.

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Western Hockey League Stories from September 15, 2012


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