Tag Archives: Jared Rathjen

Giants outscore their problems

It was a rough night for the ol’ save percentage, but Jared Rathjen skated away with his 11th win of the season at the Pacific Coliseum. His Vancouver Giants scored early and scored often on Friday night, but they needed to hang on tight for their 6–5 win over the Prince George Cougars.

Jared Rathjen made 22 saves as the Vancouver Giants beat the Prince George Cougars 6–5 on 10 January 2014. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Jared Rathjen made 22 saves as the Vancouver Giants beat the Prince George Cougars 6–5 on 10 January 2014. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

It was the kind of game that drives both coaches nuts. Tim Traber opened the scoring for the home side 49 seconds into the game on a rebound in the blue paint, but then Rathjen let in two goals on the glove side just 18 seconds apart to give the lead to the Cougars. A buck seven later, the Giants had scored twice more, taking back the lead themselves. Less than eight minutes into the first period, it was 3–2 Giants. They would add another pair of goals to walk out of the first period with a 5–2 lead.

It’s a cakewalk at this point, right? Twenty minutes in against the ninth-place Cougars, up 18–8 in shots and 5–2 in goals, Vancouver should tip this bad boy out the door, no problem.

Yeah, uh… problem.

More, including game highlights, after the jump.

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Giants halt high-flying Rockets

The Vancouver Giants put a stop to the best team in the CHL on Friday night, beating the Kelowna Rockets 4–2 at the Pacific Coliseum. The Rockets entered the night on a remarkable 16-game win streak, which most recently included back-to-back 7–2 spankings of the powerhouse Portland Winterhawks — in Portland.

Forward Jackson Houck scored three times to help his team to a 4–2 win over the visiting Kelowna Rockets. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Forward Jackson Houck scored three times to help his team to a 4–2 win over the visiting Kelowna Rockets. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Jackson Houck and Jared Rathjen continued strong play for the Giants, the former netting a hat trick and the latter stopping 24 of 26 shots against the explosive Kelowna attack. Anthony Ast had the other goal for the Giants in his first game back out of the walking boot he wore last week to protect a bruised bone in his ankle. Cain Franson and defenseman Arvin Atwal each had two assists in the win.

Jackson Whistle, who played 21 games for the Giants in 2011–12, lost to his former team for the first time. Whistle won all four games against Vancouver last year, but allowed four goals on 26 shots to earn the L this night.

Houck now has a team-high 22 goals on the season, tying him for ninth among WHL goal scorers. Despite playing 31 fewer games thus far, he is just one shy of his total for last season, his career best for goals scored. He will look to tally number 23 against these same Rockets in Kelowna on Saturday in the second half of this back-to-back series.

Cole Linaker had an assist, but it wasn't enough to stretch the Kelowna Rockets win streak to 17 games. The Vancouver Giants gave Kelowna their first loss since November 20. Photo  by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Cole Linaker had an assist, but it wasn’t enough to stretch the Kelowna Rockets win streak to 17 games. The Vancouver Giants gave Kelowna their first loss since November 20. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

See the WHL game summary here.

Giants end 2013 on a winning note

At the beginning of the season, a lot of WHL players look at the calendar to see where the three-in-threes are. John Tortorella might wax poetic about his Canucks being a tired team after five games in nine nights, but when was the last time an NHLer hit the ice on three consecutive nights?

Thomas Foster scored once and added an assist as his Vancouver Giants beat the Prince George Cougars 5–2. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Thomas Foster scored once and added an assist as his Vancouver Giants beat the Prince George Cougars 5–2. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Vancouver Giants ended 2013 with a threefer, taking four of a possible six points despite travelling on the bus between each game. Sunday was the final game of the calendar year for the G-Men, and they made it count with a 5–2 win over the visiting Prince George Cougars. Jared Rathjen made 27 stops for his eighth win of the season, while both Carter Popoff and Thomas Foster had a goal and an assist at the other end of the rink.

It’s a game they should have won, but on that third night in a row, you never know which of the legs or the heart will show up. Sometimes you get both. Sometimes you get neither.

With the win, the Giants go into 2014 at five games over .500 and sit seventh place in the Western Conference. Their 45 points are one more than they had all last year, when they finished in the league basement. Making it all the more remarkable is the fact that the Giants started this year with a dismal 1–9 stretch to start the season. Since then, they’ve played solid two-way hockey, and gone 18–5–7.

More after the break.

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Rathjen earns first WHL shutout; Giants win 7th straight home game

Vancouver Giants goaltender Jared Rathjen stopped 34 of 37 shots en route to a 5-3 win over the mighty Kamloops Blazers. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Vancouver Giants goaltender Jared Rathjen earned his first ever WHL shutout with a 3–0 win over the Everett Silvertips on Friday night. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Roberto Luongo wasn’t the only goaltender to throw a goose egg on Friday night. Down the street, Jared Rathjen made 22 saves against the Everett Silvertips to earn the first shutout of his WHL career.

Thousands of stuffed animals were collected for local children’s charities when Trent Lofthouse opened the scoring at 9:04 of the second period. Rathjen (@JRathjen33) didn’t get teddy bears rained down upon him for his work, but he stifled four Everett power play opportunities and kept the league’s fourth leading scorer, left winger Joshua Winquist, off the board. It’s just the second time since October 20th that Winquist has failed to hit the score sheet.

More, including quotes from Rathjen, after the jump.

Continue reading Rathjen earns first WHL shutout; Giants win 7th straight home game

Goals Goals Goals!

Vancouver forward Dalton Sward collected an assist as  the Giants doubled up on the Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday night. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Vancouver forward Dalton Sward collected an assist as the Giants doubled up on the Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday night. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

We at Pucked in the Head encourage you to play the Mötley Crüe’s Girls Girls Girls at full volume during this post. We would have recorded a hockey version, but Harrison Mooney was busy mixing his Christmas album.

Vancouver was awash in red lights Saturday as the Giants and Canucks collectively exploded for a dozen goals in a single night. These are teams that have moved in opposite directions in the standings of late. The Canucks had lost five straight, scoring just six goals in that span. The Giants, on the other hand, had picked up points in six consecutive games. (In fact, since a disastrous 1-9 start to the season, the Giants have gone 10–4–3.) Their 6–3 win over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, coming on the strength of a four-goal second period, was their fourth home win in a row, and brought them to a .500 record for the first time in recent memory.

Jared Rathjen earned his third win of the season, stopping 24 of 27 shots; at the other end, Danny Mumaugh allowed five goals on 31 shots and was chased after forty minutes. Trace Elson scored his first career WHL goal, and completed the Gordie Howe hat trick with a first period fight and an assist in the third.

More after the break. 

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Vancouver Giants book those dreaded spring tee times

Defensemen Mason Geertsen (#44) and Brett Kulak (#2) stand in front of goaltender Jared Rathjen during the final weekend of WHL action. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Defensemen Mason Geertsen (#44) and Brett Kulak (#2) stand in front of goaltender Jared Rathjen during the final weekend of WHL action. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The WHL season is now in the books, and the playoff matchups set for next weekend. Readers in BC, check here for the schedule for games on TV.

For the first time since their inaugural season in 2001-02, the Vancouver Giants find themselves on the outside looking in. While it’s tough for these young men to swallow right now, the Giants and their fans have enjoyed a remarkable run the past 12 years. They earned five consecutive BC Division banners from 2005-06 to 2009-10, and had at least 75 points every season between 2003-04 and 2011-12, including two Memorial Cup appearances (and one win). Numerous Giants alumni now pepper NHL rosters, including Milan Lucic, Cody Franson, Gilbert Brule, Jonathan Blum and now Brendan Gallagher.

Continue reading Vancouver Giants book those dreaded spring tee times

Vancouver Giants 5, Kamloops Blazers 3

Vancouver Giants goaltender Jared Rathjen stopped 34 of 37 shots en route to a 5-3 win over the mighty Kamloops Blazers. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Vancouver Giants goaltender Jared Rathjen stopped 34 of 37 shots en route to a 5-3 win over the mighty Kamloops Blazers, and was named the game’s first star. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The Vancouver Giants went into Kamloops with humble hopes Wednesday. Sure, they’d beaten the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-1 in their most complete game of the year just a few nights earlier, but the last time they met the Blazers — less than a week ago at the Pacific Coliseum — the visitors spanked the G-men 6-0. Kamloops dominated that game from whistle to whistle, often times without appearing to even try.

The Giants surprised everyone, then, with a hard-fought 5-3 win at the Interior Saving Centre. Perhaps even themselves. The victory marks the second time this season that the Giants have won consecutive games, and gave them their first points against Kamloops in seven tries. These two teams are separated by 51 points in the standings, making this a huge late-season confidence boost for the Giants.

Vancouver Giants forward Dalton Sward scored the first goal for the Giants in a 5-3 road win over the Kamloops Blazers. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
Vancouver Giants forward Dalton Sward scored the first goal for the Giants in a 5-3 road win over the Kamloops Blazers. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

Brendan Rouse scored twice in the win. Travis McEvoy, Cain Franson and Dalton Sward scored the other goals, while Carter Popoff added two assists for Vancouver. Blazer goals were scored by Joel Edmondson, Chase Souto and JC Lipon.

The next Giants game is on Friday, March 1 at the Pacific Coliseum at 7:30 versus the Lethbridge Hurricanes. The game will celebrate Gordie Howe’s 85th birthday, and in attendance will be former Vancouver Canucks captain Orland Kurtenbach as well as Hall of Famers Marcel Dionne, Bobby Hull, Dennis Hull, Johnny Bower and Mr Hockey himself, Gordie Howe. For more information, hit up www.vancouvergiants.com