Chris Relke/Rik Fedyck

Lots of positives from Giants, but drop a close one to Everett

Despite a great first period, the Vancouver Giants were on the wrong side of a tight game, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Everett Silvertips putting them at 7-8-0-0.

The ice surface was tilted in the Giants’ favour during the opening 20 minutes with the home team dictating the majority of the play.

Vancouver’s top line of Justin Sourdif, Milos Roman and Tristen Nielsen started things off with a dominant shift in the first handful of minutes that led to the game not having a whistle for three or four full minutes.

The sustained pressure paid off at the 11:21 mark when overage defenceman Dylan Plouffe capitalized on a forced turnover by Lukas Svejkovsky five-hole on Calgary Flames draft pick Dustin Wolf from the half-wall. The goal marked Plouffe’s second of the season.

Four and a half minutes later, on the powerplay, Vancouver found themselves up two goals causing yet another turnover from behind the Silvertips net.

Tristen Nielsen corraled a clear out that happened to sail right at the speedy winger and quickly moved it over to a wide-open Cole Shepard for his second career goal in just his third WHL game.

Cole Shepard celebrates his first period goal. (photo – Chris Relke/Rik Fedyck)

Fresh off killing a late period penalty for closing the hand over the puck, it looked the Giants were poised to head to the locker room with a two-goal advantage. Instead, Everett continued their momentum from the powerplay and was able to cut the lead in half with just 39 seconds remaining off of the stick of Martin Fasko-Rudas who deflected a point shot past David Tendeck.

Friday night was Fasko-Rudas’ first game of the season because of injury and was added to the lineup due to Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Cole Fonstad suffering an injury in practice this past Wednesday.

Fonstad was a part of the Prince Albert Raiders team that beat the Giants in seven games to capture the 2019 Ed Chynoweth Cup.

“I really liked our first period.” Coach Dyck said about his team who outshot Everett 14-5.

“Just the littlest mistakes are costing us. For one instance, we have to put the puck to the top of the zone but instead close a hand on it and we lose some momentum. They get one late and get momentum back.”

The middle frame proved costly for the Giants.

Five consecutive minor penalties were handed out to the home squad as well as another early in the third period.

Six straight penalties.

“It was a combination of frustration and poor officiating,” Dyck said about the string of penalties.

“They got a couple of lucky bounces in the second. Some penalties we deserved, some we didn’t. I think they deserved a few but we shot ourselves in the foot at times.” Dyck elaborated.

Everett completed the three-goal comeback with two goals on the man advantage from Wyatte Wylie and Jackson Berezowski.

“Definitely difficult.” Giants defenceman Dylan Plouffe said regarding the six straight powerplays given up. “It’s never easy but its a part of the game you can’t really focus too much on when it’s in the moment. You just kind of have to keep moving forward one step at a time when things like that happen.”

Vancouver had no shortage of chances to tie or even lead the game in the final period but just could not get the bounces to go their way.

Two crossbars and a post got in the way of a better result for the Giants late in the third.

photo – Chris Relke/Rik Fedyck

Vancouver now tries to get back to .500 Sunday afternoon when the Prince George Cougars come to town and Coach Dyck looks to build off the positives of Friday night.

“It’ll be a good opportunity to build on what we created tonight as far as the physical game, that intensity and that pressure. Great opportunity to respond on Sunday.”