Author Archives: Joey Pitt

Another Blown Multi-Goal Lead, Canucks drop tilt with Vegas

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Monday night at Rogers Arena, the Vancouver Canucks lost a spirited game to the visiting Vegas Golden Knights 5-4, after a crazy third period, which saw Vancouver score three straight goals to take a 4-2 lead, only for Vegas to do the same thing, and reclaim the one goal lead, and hold on to the victory.  The sentiment across “Canucks Nation” seems to be the same: This would’ve been a fun game in 2019, but in 2022, we’ve seen this movie too many times.

During the 2018-19 or 2019-20 NHL campaigns for the Vancouver Canucks, when they were still considered a “young team on the rise”, a crazy six goal third period with one of the league’s top teams where they ultimately come up short would be seen as a big character game that the team could build off of, and draw from in the future.  But four years, two coaches, and (technically) FOUR General Managers later, with only one playoff appearance in that time, these games are no longer fun.  They’re no longer a learning experience.  They’re a stark reminder of the mistakes this team has made over the past decade in the wake of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.

For the seventh time this season, the Canucks blew a multigoal lead, as they’re now only two blown leads away from tying the club record of nine, set all the way back in the Pre-Captain Kirk era of 1986-87, and there’s still over fifty games remaining in this season, so they have plenty of opportunities to tie and pass that record, and at the rate the Canucks have been going, it wouldn’t be a shock if it happened before Christmas.

Vancouver came into this game off a pair of wins, trying to string three wins in a row together for the first time in this season, while Vegas is one of the top teams in the Western Conference, boasting a 14-4-1 record as they pulled into the parkade at Rogers Arena, putting to bed all the off-season theories that the Golden Knights were due for a cataclysmic downfall this year.  Vancouver thought they opened the scoring in the first period of play, as Curtis Lazar tipped in a point shot, before the goal was challenged and called back on an offside call.  Vancouver would open the scoring, for realzies this time, when Andrei Kuzmenko capitalized on a great dash to the net and dish from Brock Boeser, who extended his points streak to seven games with the assist on Kuzmenko’s eighth of the season.  The Golden Knights would strike back in quick succession, as Mark Stone and William Carrier would score less than a minute apart to give Vegas their first lead of the hockey game.

The third period was where things got interesting, especially if you were an outside viewer, who isn’t used to the ins and outs of the 2022-23 Vancouver Canucks, but for Canucks faithful watching the game around BC, it was a recipe for disaster.  Captain Bo Horvat tied the game early in the third with his team leading fifteenth goal on the campaign, making up for him whistling a shot wide from the slot about twelve seconds earlier.  While the same can’t be said for his team, Horvat is having a career year, as only Connor McDavid has scored more goals this season than the Canucks Captain.

Three minutes later, Luke Schenn did what Luke Schenn does.  He let go a point shot.  Not trying to go top corner, not trying to blast it.  Just a shot on net, try to find a rebound.  Luckily for Luke Schenn, there was a Skytrain car worth of people between him and Vegas netminder Logan Thompson, and Thompson wasn’t seeing that shot with X-RAY vision, so it slipped in on the blocker side, and Vancouver was back on top.  Vancouver would strike one more time to make it 4-2, as Elias Pettersson went to work in front of the net, picked up his own rebound and just willed it past Logan Thompson for his tenth marker of the year to give the Canucks their dreaded multi goal lead.

The party ends for the fans in attendance at Rogers Arena at that point, as the inevitable is certain at this point.  Even after interference from a camera peeking through the glass in the corner disallowed one of Vegas’ goals, the moment had already swung back in their direction.  A defensive collapse here, a goal Thatcher Demko would certainly like to have back there, and just like that.  Vegas had three quick ones of their own, were back on top 5-4, and would hold the lead from there, despite some late pressure from the Canucks with the goalie pulled.  In the post-game scrum, Luke Schenn was quoted saying “It has nothing to do with systems, we’re getting caved in out there”, a possible shot at management, who have publicly called out Head Coach Bruce Boudreau for the team’s defensive woes.  Probably the shot of the night from Sportsnet Pacific on the home broadcast was of Canucks President Jim Rutherford standing up and walking away after the Golden Knights’ initial 5-4 goal, before it was called back.

The Stories of “Trader Jim” Rutherford’s willingness to dismantle a team in order to make it better is no secret.  We saw it in Carolina, which led to a Stanley Cup in 2006, we saw it in Pittsburgh, which lead to back to back Cups for the Penguins in 2016 and 2017.  Questions remain in Vancouver if tweaks are even possible at this point.  Are the Canucks truly one or two trades away from being a great team, or is it time for Canucks owner Francesco Aquillini to finally give in and allow his team to do the one thing he has prevented for the past eight years.  A proper rebuild.  No more “Win Now”.  No more “just try to sneak in and see what happens”.  Full blown tear it down, trade assets for picks, and pray to the Hockey Gods that you land Connor Bedard at the draft.

Or they could just keep doing what their doing, make one trade and hope for the best, and if you know this team, you know it’ll be the latter.

Eagles best Clippers in Battle of Coastal Conference Titans

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The Eagles celebrate after Jacob Bonkowski’s (right, #23) second goal of the night. (Credit: Twitter: @SurreyEagles)

The BCHL season is less than two months old, but it may have already seen it’s Game of the Year on Sunday night.

The top two teams in the Coastal Conference faced off at the South Surrey Arena, as the 1st place Nanaimo Clippers came to town to take on the 2nd place Surrey Eagles, in the second matchup of their season series, after the Clippers took the first between the two a number of weeks ago out at Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo.

Before the puck dropped, the Eagles hosted a pregame ceremony, where Surrey was honouring Semiahmoo Minor Hockey, along with Semiahmoo First Nation.  The Eagles first presented a cheque for over $6,000 to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, money raised with jersey auctions from Truth & Reconciliation Day on September 30th.

The crowd at the South Surrey wouldn’t have to wait long for the fun to begin on the ice, as Eagles winger Logan Lorenz tipped a point shot from Tate Taylor past Clippers netminder Aiden Campbell, less than four minutes into the game.  It was Taylor’s 18th assist, and 23rd point of the season, the best among defensemen across the league.  Taylor would finish the game with two assists.  Nanaimo would respond quickly, as Captain Michael Craig knocked a rebound past Eagles tender Eli Pulver, and we were tied at one after twenty minutes of play.

In the second, recently named All-Star forward Brody Waters would give the Clippers their first lead of the game, pushing the score to 2-1 Nanaimo.  Once the second period ended, is when things truly got interesting.  Early in the 3rd, Jacob Bonkowski let a shot go from the high slot for his seventh goal of the season to tie the game up for Surrey.  Not long after, Ante Zlomislic would gain the attacking zone on the right wing and use a Clippers’ defenseman as a screen, as he let go a shot which evaded Campbell, making it 3-2, before Bonkowski got his second of the night, and eighth of the campaign, banking it in off of Campbell’s back from below the goal line.  4-2 Surrey.

The Nanaimo Clippers then showed why they’re the top team in the BCHL’s Coastal Conference, as they scored three goals in forty seconds to reclaim the lead, destroying the Eagles’ two goal lead right before their very eyes, as Jérémie Payant made it 4-3, before Kai Daniels struck twice in twenty-two seconds, stunning the packed crowd at the South Surrey Arena.  The Eagles would turn on the pressure late, as they desperately tried to stuff a puck past the massive 6’5″ frame of Aiden Campbell.  Coach Cam Keith would turn to his top line of Jake Bongo, Aaron Schwartz, and Cole Galata, who had lead the way all season long for the team, along with Oliver Gabrielson and Ty Brassington on the points.

Gabrielson picked up the puck at the right wing half wall, through a low shot towards the goal, which Campbell kicked right out to Jake Bongo at the left faceoff dot, Bongo’s shot was blocked by a sprawling defender, but the rebound went right to Cole Galata in the slot, who made no mistake firing into the yawning cage, tying the game up for the Eagles, much to the delight of the eight hundred fans in attendance at the South Surrey Arena.

With the game now tied 5-5 with less than three and a half minutes remaining, it was all hands on deck, as both teams were looking to find a winner in regulation, as neither wanted to go to extra time.  Jacob Bonkowski would pick the puck up in his own zone, flip it into the middle for Ethan Riesterer, who carried it across the blueline, before being met by three Nanaimo players.  Riesterer would pull a drop pass for Logan Lorenz, who feathered a touch pass into the high slot for defenseman Oliver Gabrielson to skate on to, make a quick move to his right to evade a Clippers defender, and firing it back far side on Aiden Campbell, slipping it between the body and the blocker arm, making it 6-5 Eagles, sending the Nest in Surrey into a frenzy.

The Eagles held on for the remaining 98 seconds, picking up their biggest victory of the season so far, in what might possibly go down as the game of the year in the British Columbia Hockey League.  With the win, Surrey moves within two points of the Nanaimo Clippers for first in the BCHL’s Coastal Conference, with two games in hand.

The Eagles are back on home ice this weekend, first on Friday night, when they welcome their cross river rivals, the Coquitlam Express to the South Surrey Arena on a very special Movember night, where the Eagles will donate $2.50 from every adult ticket sold to the Movember Foundation, in support of Men’s Mental Health.  Two days later,  the Chilliwack Chiefs will make their way down Highway 1 to Surrey for “Star Wars Night”, in support of Wigs For Kids BC and the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, where $2.50 from every adult ticket sold will go towards Eagles’ broadcaster Joey Pitt’s Wigs For Kids fundraiser.

Elsewhere in the BCHL, the Penticton Vees continued to be the big fish in the Junior “A” hockey pond, as pushed their record breaking start to the season to twenty straight victories, after they defeated the West Kelowna Warriors 11-2 on Friday night, and the Prince George Spruce Kings 4-1 at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Saturday night.  The Coquitlam Express had a perfect weekend, as they defeated visiting opponents from Langley and Vernon on Friday and Saturday nights respectively, and up the highway in Chilliwack, the Chiefs split their weekend games with a 6-5 Shootout victory over the Cowichan Valley Capitals, and a 4-3 loss to the Nanaimo Clippers.

Giants take Game 4 11-6. Wait, What?

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It certainly wasn’t a great night for the goaltenders at the LEC on Friday Night.

Have you ever played one of the EA Sports NHL video games with a younger sibling, and beat them so bad that they complain to mom and dad?  Well, that’s basically what happened at the Langley Events Centre tonight, as the Vancouver Giants evened their best of seven series with the Everett Silvertips at two games a piece after a massive 11-6 victory on Saturday night.

Vancouver came into Game 4 having been outplayed and embarrassed in the previous two games of the series.  If games 2 and 3 were statement games for the Silvertips, then Game 4 might be the biggest statement game the Vancouver Giants have had since the 2007 Memorial Cup tournament.

It was like a ride on the wooden roller coaster at the PNE for Game 4.  Adam Hall opened the scoring for Vancouver less than four minutes in, before Everett responded with three quick goals.  Before the end of the 1st period, Captain Zack Ostapchuk got his Giants within one on the powerplay.  After the intermission, Ty Thorpe tied the game 1:03 into the 2nd period on a breakaway.

Alex Cotton would give the Giants the lead, the ‘Tips would tie, before Cotton would get his second of the period to give Vancouver a 5-4 lead.  Bruins prospect Fabian Lysell added another goal before the period expired.

After Everett tied the game with two quick goals to start the third period, Zack Ostapchuk tallied his second goal and fifth point in the game to make in 7-6. Colton Langkow, Fabian Lysell, and Evan Toth all scored goals in the third, as well. The final goal of the night belonged to Kyle Bocheck, who scored his first WHL goal with 15.9 seconds remaining in the third period.

Game five goes down Saturday night in Everett, as the series shift to a best of three.

Oilers Best Canucks in Shootout to Finish Regular Season

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The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their 2021-22 National Hockey League campaign the same way they started it, with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Friday night.

JT Miller opened the scoring for the Canucks in the first period with his 32nd goal and 99th point of the season, as the forward was looking to become only the sixth player in Canucks history to register a 100 point season, a feat which he unfortunately was unable to complete.

The Oilers responded 21 seconds into the third period, when Brett Kulak let a shot go from the point, beating a screened Spencer Martin.  Less than two minutes later, Conor Garland would restore the Vancouver lead, tickling the twine for the 19th time in the season, off of a feed from Quinn Hughes, who notched his 60th assist of the season.

Tyson Barrie answered back for Edmonton in the final five minutes, tying the game with another point shot past a screened Martin.  After a back and forth Overtime, which saw both Martin and Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen make miraculous saves in the sudden death frame.  Veteran forward Devin Shore scored the lone goal in the shootout to give the Oilers the victory.  Spencer Martin made 31 saves in the loss for Vancouver, finishing his season 3-0-3 in two stints with the main club.

The past week has almost come as a sigh of relief for Canucks fans.  After five months of scoreboard watching and checking the standings, Vancouver’s quest to fight it’s way back into the playoff hunt had finally come to it’s, albeit unfavourable, conclusion.  From one of the worst starts in franchise history, to mass firings, to a franchise best eight game winning streak, to COVID stoppages, injuries to key players, and almost everything in between, the Vancouver Canucks fought and continued to fight until the bitter end.  After the finish of Dallas vs. Vegas earlier this week, the Canucks were mathematically done, and were able to stop fighting for their collective playoff lives.  With this season now officially in the rear view mirror, the Canucks now move on to what promises to be a very eventful summer, as it will be the first off-season under new Canucks General Manager Patrick Allvin.

 

Skate Jerseys remain unbeatable. Canucks beat Kings in OT

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The Vancouver Canucks overcame a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd period of play to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 in Overtime in their final home game of the regular season.

Brock Boeser scored a pair of goals, including the game winner, after being denied by Kings goaltender Cal Petersen on a two-on-one in the second period of play.  Goals #22 and #23 on the year for Boeser both came on shots going high to the glove side on the right-handed net minder.  Alex Chaisson scored the tying goal for the Canucks with five minutes left in the third period of play, knocking down and batting home a Quinn Hughes point shot.  Spencer Martin was great in net for the second straight game, after being called up from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks on an emergency basis.  Martin made 33 saves in the overtime win.  Martin was also the recipient of the “Locker Room Championship Belt”.

Thursday night also saw the final regular season game of long time Kings forward Dustin Brown, who announced yesterday that he will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Brown was re-awarded the Captaincy for one night, got a standing ovation from the crowd at Rogers Arena, and finished his night with handshakes from both his Kings teammates and Canucks opponents.  The two-time Stanley Cup Champion finished his regular season career with 325 goals and 387 assists in 1296 NHL games.

Vancouver also handed out their annual team awards.  Thatcher Demko won Cyclone Taylor Trophy for Team MVP, Quinn Hughes won the Walter “Babe” Pratt Trophy for thw squad’s Best Defenseman, Luke Schenn was the Unsung Hero, and JT Miller won the Pavel Bure Award for Most Exciting Player Award, the Three Stars Award for most Three Stars Selections, and the Cyrus McLean Trophy for Top Scorer.

The Canucks are now on to Edmonton for their final game of the season, as they look to grab one more win to round out the season.

Could Vancouver Support an NBA Team now?

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It’s been twenty-one years since the Vancouver Grizzlies played their final NBA game, a 95-81 victory over the Golden State Warriors.

Spring 2001. A very different time for the city of Vancouver.  The Canucks had just made the playoffs for the first time since 1996, city bus drivers went on strike, the final freight train rolled down the Arbutus Corridor, and the Vancouver Grizzlies left for Memphis.  The idea around the NBA was that Vancouver simply wouldn’t support the franchise, but lets analyze a few things with that statement.

The Grizzlies played six seasons at General Motors Place, posting an all-time record of 101-359, and never qualifying for the NBA playoffs.  The team also managed to go through five coaches in six years.  Players were in and out nonstop.  Basically, the only one there for the inaugural game and the final home game was In-Arena announcer Al Murdoch.  As Vancouver sports fans know, it’s easy to support a winning franchise, it’s hard to support a losing one.  Why would fans want to pay $50 for a ticket, just to see a team they don’t have an attachment to get destroyed?

Secondly, and more importantly, the late 1990s and early 2000s were arguably the worst periods in recorded history for the Canadian dollar, trading well under it’s US counterpart.  Because of this, fans weren’t willing to part with their hard earned dollars to go to games.  This wasn’t solely a Grizzlies issue either, as the Canucks were also having attendance problems of their own at GM Place around the same time.

So what has changed in Vancouver?  There’s a much larger population in Metro Vancouver, growing from 1,199,000 in 2001 to 2,632,000 in 2022, according to metrotrends.net.  There’s also two more rapid transit train lines which can carry fans from as far as Richmond and Coquitlam, down to Rogers Arena.  Vancouver has also shown it’s willingness to come out and support NBA basketball, as exhibition games in the city have always drawn well, the latest in 2019 was a sellout of 17,204.  Grizzlies paraphernalia is sold more now, more than twenty years after the team left.

If Vancouver were to get another franchise, they would need an owner and an arena, but the owner of the only suitable barn in town, Francesco Aquilini, didn’t seem to keen on the idea when he was last asked about it in 2019.

Giants Fall to Everett in Game 3

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The top-seeded Everett Silvertips came to the Langley Events Centre last night to make a statement, and they did it at the expense of the Vancouver Giants.

The Giants took the first game of the series 5-4 in overtime, off Adam Hall’s first career hat trick, and a five point night from Bruins prospect Fabian Lysell.  Since that night, the Everett Silvertips have been a team possessed.  Everett took Game 2 by a 7-3 score, a game which saw a four point outing from Slivertips forward Niko Huuhtanen.  The Tampa Bay draft pick notched a pair of goal and a pair of assists in Game 2.

Game 3 saw the series back to the Langley Events Centre, where a very small crowd took in the sights and sounds of a Silvertips shellacking, as they tripled up Vancouver 6-2.  It was a disappointing effort on almost all fronts for the Giants, as Everett was able to beat Giants goaltender Jesper Vikman three times on only nine shots in the first period.  By the time Fabian Lysell answered back on the powerplay for Vancouver in the second period, it was already 4-1, and Matthew Ng responded 15 seconds later to reinstate the four goal lead.  Adam Hall would add another goal for Vancouver midway through the second period of play to make it 5-2, but that was as close as the Giants could get as they drop Game 3 at home by a 6-2 score.

The Giants outshot the Silvertips in 34-24, and were only outshot in the first period of play.  Braden Holt made 32 saves in goal for Everett, as Holt beat out Vikman in this latest goalie duel of this series.

The Giants look to answer back and even the series against Everett tomorrow night at the Langley Events Centre.  Puck drop is slated for 7:30.

Should the Canucks bring back the “Flying Skate” Full Time?

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Black. Red. Yellow.

Tonight, the Vancouver Canucks take on the Los Angeles Kings in their final home game of the season at Rogers Arena.  They’ll also be wearing their classic black “flying skate” jersey for the third time this season.  Since reintroducing the “skate” back into the jersey rotation in 2019, the Canucks are undefeated in regulation when wearing their 90s throwbacks, boasting a 5-0-1 record in the sweaters.  They also garner massive love on social media every time the Canucks skate onto the ice in them, so the question has to be asked.  Should the Canucks bring the Flying Skate back full time?

The iteration of the “Flying Skate” that the current alternate jerseys are based on is literally from the most fabled team in the history of the franchise; the 1994 Vancouver Canucks.  Even for fans that weren’t around to experience it live, the ’94 Canucks bring up all kinds of nostalgia for nearly every member of the fanbase.  Visions of Pavel Bure’s blistering speed, Kirk McLean’s fantastic goaltending, and Trevor Linden embodying what it truly meant to be a Canuck all spring to mind.

Monetarily, they sell better than any other jersey at the Canucks Team Store, consistently selling out stock.  The people love the Skate, and apparently, so does the team.

“If they want to [wear them again] and we keep getting results like that, I’ll wear them to bed,” head coach Bruce Boudreau joked with the media after Vancouver decimated Calgary 7-1 back in February. JT Miller also had positive things to say about the jerseys following the win over the Flames.

“I was talking to Garly(Conor Garland) before the game, yeah, we love ’em! When I was young watching hockey, it’s very old school and I like that. I would love to wear these at home every single time! These are probably the best jerseys.”

The Canucks welcome the Kings to Rogers Arena tonight for the final home game of the regular season. Puck drop is slated for 7:00.

(Photo: Bob Frid/USA TODAY Sport)

C’s Open Series With Shutout Win

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The Vancouver Canadians found themselves back in the win column Tuesday night, when they took care of business with a 6-0 shutout win over the Hillsboro Hops in the first of a six game set.

Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Sem Robberse was sensational on the mound, throwing seven shutout innings, for his second goose egg on the year in only his third start.  The twenty year old held the Hops to only two hits in twenty-five At-Bats.  Robberse also registered a season high in strikeouts, with seven.  The game also saw a solid outing from the Vancouver bullpen, as Sean Mellen and Thomas Ruwe were each able to work their way through some sticky situations, with the bases loaded in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.  Mellen and Ruwe were both able to hold strong and preserve the shutout win.

On offence, the Canadians kept the bats banging, as Zach Britton’s first career High-A Home Run got the C’s on the board in the second, before Addison Barger demolished a two-run drive to make it 3-0 by the end of the inning.  Barger would also bring in another two runs with a single in the sixth inning, finishing the game with a single-season game high of four RBIs.  Trevor Schwecke also also continued his great play at the plate, registering a hit in his ninth consecutive game.

The Canadians are still holding on to first place in the MiLB High-A Pacific Division, but only hold a 0.5 Game lead over second place Tri-City.

Vancouver and Hillsboro continue the series tonight in Oregon at Ron Tonkin Field.  Hunter Gregory will make his second start of the campaign on the mound for the C’s, while Hillsboro will be going with Ross Carver.  First pitch is slated for 6:35.

 

Abby Canucks Make It Nine

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A raucous crowd at Abbotsford Centre cheered all night long as the “Baby Nucks” picked up their franchise record ninth straight victory.

The march to the Calder Cup Playoffs continued in the Fraser Valley, as the Abbotsford Canucks picked up another big two points in a 4-2 win over the Bakersfield Condors on Tuesday night.  Sheldon Rempal notched goals #32 and #33 on the season, Madison Bowey and Matt Alfaro added a tally each, and Mikey DiPietro was strong in goal yet again, making 20 saves for his 6th straight victory.

Tuesday night also saw the unveiling of Abbotsford’s Team awards for the season, with Noah Juulson winning “Man of the Year”, Jack Rathbone winning both “Rookie of the Year” and the “Fan Favourite” award, and Sheldon Dries was voted as the team’s Most Valuable Player, scoring 35 goals and adding 27 assists in 54 games.

Abbotsford is currently sitting in 3rd place in the AHL’s Pacific Division, with a 0.636 winning percentage, ahead of the Colorado Eagles 0.625.  The Canucks hold their own destiny in their hands as they get set to head out to Winnipeg to face the Manitoba Moose in the final two games of the regular season.  With at least one win over the Moose, and a Bakersfield loss to Stockton, Abby can clinch 3rd Place in the Pacific Division, and guarantee home ice advantage for the first two rounds of the Calder Cup Playoffs, and Abbotsford is only slated to get better when the playoffs begin, as Will Lockwood, Nic Petan, Sheldon Dries, and Spencer Martin will all return when Vancouver wraps up their season this week.  Vancouver rookie Vasily Podkolzin is also slated to join Abbotsford for the playoffs.

Abbotsford’s penultimate game of the regular season goes down tomorrow at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, before they finish the season out on Saturday night with their second matchup with the Moose.

(Photo: Abbotsford Canucks / twitter.com/abbycanucks)