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Another season in the books for the Vancouver Giants, as once again they fail to get out of II.2 and will spend their 7th season in that league. It was disappointing for many Giants players, who went from a 2nd place finish and 3rd in the playoffs last season to 4th and 4th this season. It was a successful year to some, however, as some of the newer and future faces of the Giants got into the regular lineup. Here is a recap of how the season went and what Giants fans can look forward to in season 8:

• The season did not start off well for the Giants, losing 5 of their first 9 games. They won 8 of their next 9 after this stretch, but their slow start knocked them out of contention for the regular season champion early. In comparison, the Giants won 6 of the 9 rematches against these teams in the second half of the season. They finished with 78 points and 4th in the standings, 11 points behind the league champion Lazybones.

• The playoffs had their struggles too, with the Giants losing their first game at home in the quarters before coming back to defeat les canadiens. An interesting stat, this was their first game 3 victory in II.2, and their first win in a game 3 in their last 5 tries. In the semis, the Giants won their first game against heavy favorites The Halifax Lazybones before losing at home in game 2 and in game 3 as well in a shootout thriller. This is the second time the Giants were eliminated from the playoffs by a game 3 shootout, with the Giants seeing the same fate in season 3.

• The scoring leader was Silviu Penciu, the Romanian center who got 38 points in 38 games. The Giants were 9th in team scoring, with 159 GF, so it was obvious they were lacking compared to other teams in the league. The Giants also played on defensive or breaking 30 times during the regular season and postseason, which might attribute to the lower goal count.

• The Giants were 3rd in goals against with 105 GA. The Giants are emerging to be more of a defensive-first style of team, which many opposing fans seem to loathe. The new faces Ray Campbell and Kyle Edwards were inserted into the lineup this season at the age of 17, and they were solid in their ice time (Edwards was a +12 in his 35 games). Micic saw most of the action this season in goal, and was tough with a GA of 2.1 and a SV % of near 91%. Expect the backup Burke to play more games next season and possibly new prospect Bailey Fields to play a couple of games.

• The Giants continue to have the best fans in all of II.2, with another season of being the highest average attendance at 3,414. We bring fans exciting news as well, as Section E’s construction is completed and is now open for admission, bringing Pacific Coliseum to a new peak capacity at 4400 spectators. The Giants are looking for new general sponsor offers and a new TV contract starting tomorrow, so arena upgrades for this season will be announced after the contracts are signed. Related, the Giants are looking to upgrade their training and regeneration facilities during the season as well, in order to continually bring up better players.

• With season 8 approaching, the Giants are expecting this season to be a memorable one. Not many changes are expected to be made of the lineup, but expect veteran Slavomir Cincura to be replaced by prospect David Willmott for game 1, and you might see Shawn Blanchette to fill in for some league games. With practically the same lineup for next year, expect a better, more experienced team at the start of the season. With that, the Giants have two major goals for the upcoming season:
1. Best record in the regular season
This might be a lofty goal, but with an easier league next year compared to years past and with the experienced lineup, the Giants should finish higher than in season 7. A 1st place finish would also give the Giants their second ever trophy.
2. Reach the finals!
The Giants have not made it past the second round in 6 straight seasons, all of which they made the playoffs. Winning two rounds isn’t that hard, right? The Canucks finally did it, so can the Giants.

Thanks for reading, I'll try to post more of these and not just at the end of each season. Finally, Go Canucks Go!

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