An angry Vancouver Giants head coach Parker Burgess had nothing good to say about the rival Wenatchee Wild after losing 3-2 in a shootout at Town Toyota Center in a game that injured another top player, again.
“I am absolutely infuriated,” Burgess said after Sunday’s game that saw new team captain Ryan Lin taken out. Late in the third period, Lin was forced to leave the game after taking a high hit just inside the Giants blue line. He did not return for overtime or the shootout.
“When you’re playing a team at the bottom of the standings and yesterday they target Mathis Preston and they take him out and then tonight it’s Ryan Lin, it’s hard for me to see a world in which those two hits are isolated incidents,” Burgess fumed.
“It’s frustrating. As a league, there’s a responsibility to protect the players. That’s two potential first round picks – in back to back nights you’re losing those guys. I’ve watched them for two games lay on the ice trying to draw penalties and our guys are getting up. Ryan Lin has this bright future ahead of him and Mathis the same thing. I get that the kid [responsible] gets suspended last night, but we lose Mathis for how long on a knee on knee. Just frustrating. Those are two kids that care a lot and that I care about a lot. Right now I’m very, very frustrated.”
Giants erased a 2-0 deficit, drawing even in the second period thanks to two goals from Adam Titlbach. They killed off multiple penalties in the third period and overtime, but ultimately couldn’t find the back of the net in the shootout.
With just over one minute remaining in regulation, the Giants were whistled for a minor penalty, which was followed up by a match penalty assessed to goaltender Kelton Pyne for an incident after the whistle following a crease scramble.
Burke Hood came in relief for the Giants and helped kill off the 5-on-3, making six saves in overtime alone.
Giants play at home twice next weekend and are in Everett on Saturday.