Saturday, March 13, 2010

Giant win!

  • Geordie Wudrick was acquired from the Swift Current Broncos in November to provide the team with timely goals. The 19 year-old delivered Friday night in a 4-3 win in Vancouver. Wudrick scored once during a three goal first period and then scored the game winning goal with a seeing-eye snap shot with over five minutes left in regulation time, helping the Rockets clinch sixth place in the Western Conference.
  • The Rockets were expected to be the team weathering an early flurry from the home team, yet it was the Giants that found themselves down 3-0 with the game less than seven minutes old. Goals from Shane McColgan, Wudrick and Brandon McMillan had the visitors in the drivers seat early in the game.
  • The officiating crew of Ryan Thompson and Reagan Vetter didn't want to disappoint the 12 thousand fans in attendance, making soft penalty calls against the Rockets in the first period. The Giants would score a late power play goal to send the two teams to the dressing room separated by just two goals. How the officiating crew dismissed a goaltender interference call after a Giants forward made contact on Adam Brown when he attempted to freeze the puck was laughable. I can guarantee you that call would have been made had a Rockets forward been more aggressive and bumped Giants goaltender Mark Segal after a save.
  • Sixteen year-old Rockets rookie Jessey Astes makes a big contribution early by making a hit on Giants forward Tomas Vincour.
  • Despite giving up three straight goals, the Rockets showed surprising composure by battling back in the game before Wudrick fired the game winner with just over five minutes left in regulation time.
  • What was expected to be a spectacular finish, was anything but. The Rockets looked calm in clearing the zone repeatedly when the Giants pulled the goaltender late in the game looking for the equalizing goal.
  • Collin Bowman had a solid game back on the Rockets blue line. Bowman was tough against the wall and made the Giants pay physically every time they touched the puck.
  • The line of Lucas Bloodoff, Brandon McMillan and Geordie Wudrick ended the game a combined +8, with the trio collecting three goals and two assists.
  • Adam Brown appears to be the goaltender the Rockets are looking at in the first round of the playoffs. Brown earns third star status in the game while improving his goals against average in the month of March to 1.62 with a save percentage of .946.
  • Former Rockets forward Brady Leavold watched Friday night's game. Leavold dropped by the broadcast booth for a chat and spoke about his hockey career, which appears to be in jeopardy. Leavold is sitting out the rest of this season with a concussion. More on his status in an interview I will post at a later date.
  • The win clinches 6th place in the Western Conference and a date with either Everett or Tri City in round one.

5 comments:

g.k said...

Hey Regan do you know the dates of the first games in Everett & Kelowna yet? Great game by the boys but I thought they played it a little too soft after getting up by three, no help from the men in stripes either. Sure wish we could have played the G-Men in the first round though!! Our record against the Tips especially in the playoffs is not good!!

Anonymous said...

Regan your incessant whining is nauseating.
Almost as bad as Huska.

Regan Bartel said...

Games one and two would be March 19th and 20th in one of those two centres. Games three and four would be back in Kelowna the following Tuesday and Wednesday I would imagine.

g.k said...

Hey George your knowledge of hockey is incredible!! Looking forward to more of your intelligent posts!!

Ian Ross said...

Regan, are you suggesting that Don Hay and the Giants get favourable officiating? Hard to believe.