Friday, May 18, 2007

Giants open Memorial Cup with a win in an OT thriller


The Vancouver Giants began the week long path towards Junior hockey’s ultimate trophy with an opening night victory over Plymouth, a 4-3 thriller that went into overtime.

The 2007 Memorial Cup is using the Giants home rink as the base of operations for this year’s championship and the Giants and Whalers did not disappoint the legion of Giant fans who took in Friday night’s debut of the four team championship.

Both teams played some high energy hockey, highlighting the speed, toughness and talent that Junior hockey showcases on a yearly basis at this time of the year. With representatives from the three junior leagues in Canada and the host city, this year’s tournament features a decidedly North American tinge.

Two of the four teams are from the USA as Plymouth which is representing the Ontario league is joined by the Maine Maniacs, the league champions from Quebec. To round out the four, the Western league’s Medicine Hat Tiger, fresh off their own riveting seven game series with the Giants, join the three for the four team competition.

Medicine Hat plays Maine on Saturday to get their first taste of the Memorial Cup action.

The Memorial Cup has become one of the premier sports events in Canada over the last few years, full coverage is provided by Sportsnet which features a game a night leading up to next Sunday’s championship game.

And while it may be hard to keep the pace of opening night, it’s expected that each game will provide full entertainment, as the best club teams in Canadian Junior hockey show
off their skills.

If Game one is any indication, we’re in store for a fascinating week of high tempo hockey.

No comments: