Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Game Report: Vancouver 7 Victoria 2

1ST PERIOD
VAN C. Franson (8) (J. Houck) 17:01
VAN J. Houck (5) (C. Franson, W. Vannieuwenhuizen) 19:52

2ND PERIOD
VAN K. Kessy (8) (C. Popoff, D. Sward) 0:56
VIC S. Hodges (7) (A. Gogolev, B. Walker) 12:35 (PP)
VAN R. Kieser (3) (T. Cheek, B. Orban) 15:00
VIC L. Nelson (7) (J. Zgraggen) 18:35

3RD PERIOD
VAN B. Kulak (5) 6:27
VAN C. Franson (9) (J. Houck, B. Orban) 7:04
VAN C. Popoff (4) (D. Sward, B. Kulak) 13:06 (PP)

Vancouver
Payton Lee 31/33

Victoria
Patrik Polivka 12/15
Coleman Vollrath 9/13

Vancouver
1. Jackson Houck RW - Impressed with Houck's game. He and Cody Franson were a terror in the offensive zone tonight. Houck scored a nice goal on a tip and chipped in with an assist. Houck showed his versatility by helping out with the penalty kill tonight when the Giants ran into penalty trouble in the 2nd period. Houck plays a smart, gritty game and is one of the few bright spots on a tough start for the Giants this season. Impressed with his hockey IQ.
2. Payton Lee G - Lee has grown leaps and bounds over the last month. In his first start of the month, he looked rough to put it mildly. But since then his confidence has grown and he is stopping pucks one at a time. The biggest thing for young goaltenders is trying to forget the past and focus on the future. Lee has come a long way and it shows in his structure in between the pipes. Lee is confident he will stop the first shot and is tracking the puck well. His defense played well tonight, which will be a big key for him surviving the season.

Victoria
1. Alex Gogolev LW - Gogolev has taken the leadership of the offense over for the Royals as he looks to constantly create either through shooting or passing, but he is the straw that stirs the drink. Only tallied one assist as they struggled to get pucks past Lee, but they owned the play territorily. Goglev is super smooth with the puck on his stick and is confident that he will make a play. Really put the pressure on the Giants.
2. Joe Hicketts D - Hicketts finished the night -2, but there seems to be something elite about his skills. Reminds me a lot of Morgan Rielly at the same age, excellent puckhandler and skater. All that's needed now is experience. Will have issues with strength battles due to being undersized, but seems very deft with the puck and able to escape trouble. Hicketts is a 2014 NHL Draft Eligible Player and one that should be tracked as the season goes on. I expect him to become a scoring factor as he gains experience as he get more looks on the powerplay.

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