As the young guy in the bullpen, David Tendeck hasn't seen a lot of action in his first season tending goal for the Vancouver Giants.
The 17-year-old from North Vancouver had started just 10 games before he stepped onto the ice Wednesday to face the Prince George Cougars. He looked like a seasoned pro.
Tendeck made 38 saves through 65 minutes of playing time, then stopped five of six Cougars in the shootout to earn his fourth win of the season, a 3-2 win which ended an eight-game losing streak for the Giants.
Johnny Wesley ended it in the sixth round with a shot that beat Ty Edmonds, denying the Cats' goalie what would have been his team-record setting 96th career win.
The Cougars (37-16-3-1) suffered their first shootout loss of the season, but picked up a point for their efforts and remained first in the Western Conference. The Giants (18-32-3-2) remained last in the B.C. Division.
Overtime settled nothing, and that had everything to do with the great goaltending at either end. The Cougars got six shots on Tendeck and at least three of them were quality chances, two from Popugaev and one from Jesse Gabrielle. But the most dangerous one came with a minute left in OT when Wesley took off on a breakaway and wired a whistler at Edmonds, who stuck out his pad for his best save of the game.
Nikita Popugaev started the shootout with a goal for the Cougars but Ty Ronning, the first Giants shooter, answered in the first round with a forehand deke to beat Edmonds.
The Cougars offence was stagnant, unable to finish around the net, and they grew progressively frustrated with Tendeck's puck-stopping heroics. Down 2-1 to the Giants with less than eight minutes left, the Cougars needed a spark and got what they were after from an unlikely source - their power play. They'd gone 10-for-78 with the man advantage when Jared Bethune delivered the equalizer, banging in a rebound from the slot 13:32 into the third period to force the overtime.
Jackson Leppard's star has been on the rise as one of the hardest-working Cougars and the 17-year-old rookie centre was finally rewarded for his efforts with his first career WHL goal. He won a draw in the Vancouver end and, after a give-and-go with pointman Ryan Schoettler, Leppard picked the corner high on Tendeck, his midget teammate last season with the Vancouver Northwest Giants.
It didn't take the Giants long to respond. Thirty seconds after Leppard opened the scoring, Ronning followed in the tracks of James Malm and got his stick on the rebound after Edmonds made the initial save. Less than two minutes later, at 11:37 of the second period, the Giants' power play connected on its third chance and Wesley found some daylight behind Edmonds low to the glove side.
Edmonds made two scintillating saves with less than two minutes left in regulation time, first denying Brayden Watts with a kick save, then sticking out his glove to stop Ronning.
The Cougars won the opener of the series 4-1 Tuesday, stoked by a one-goal, two-assist effort from Gabrielle.
LOOSE PUCKS: Cougars left winger Popugaev finally got credit for the goal he scored for the Moose Jaw Warriors in the opening game of the season, Sept. 23 in Brandon. The game was suspended right after Popugaev's goal with 5:37 left in the second period when thick fog descended on the Brandon rink, forcing officials to suspend the game. Popugaev, the third star of the game, was traded to Prince George on Jan. 4. With the Warriors back in Brandon Wednesday, the teams finished off the September game and the Warriors beat the Wheat Kings 4-3 on an overtime goal from Thomas Foster. In the game which followed 25 minutes later Wednesday, Nolan Patrick scored 34 seconds into OT to give Brandon a 4-3 win... The Cougars host the Spokane Chiefs in their next games, Monday and Tuesday at CN Centre.
Game Summary
Giants 3 at Cougars 2 (SO)
First Period
No scoring
Penalties - Popugaev PG (interference) 0:33, Popowich Van (high-sticking) 2:17 Collins PG (delay of game) 6:02.
Second Period
1. Prince George, Leppard 1 (Schoettler, Maser) 9:14
2. Vancouver, Ronning 21 (Malm) 9:44
Penalties - Kichton Van (tripping) 0:36, Raymond Van (holding) 6:58, Bethune PG (high-sticking) 11:06
Third Period
4. Prince George, Bethune 16 (O'Brien, Bondra) 13:32
Penalties - Flamen Van (hooking) 12:29.
Overtime
No scoring.
Penalties - None.
Shootout
Vancouver wins 2-1
Van: Ronning, scored; Malm, missed; Flamen, missed; Spencer, missed; Semchuk, missed; Wesley, scored; PG: Popugaev, scored; Bondra, missed; O'Brien, missed; Gabrielle, missed; Morrison, missed; Bethune, missed.
Shots on goal by
Vancouver 6 10 5 4 -25
Prince George 14 12 8 6 -40
Goal - Vancouver, Tendeck (W,4-8-0-0); Prince George, Edmonds (L,6-12-2-1).
Power plays - Van: 1-3; PG: 1-4.
Referees - Sean Raphael, Dexter Rasmussen; Linesmen - Alex Teichroeb, Mike Roberts.
Attendance - 2,503.
Scratches - Vancouver: LW Bartek Bison (concussion), C Tyler Benson (lower body), C Dawson Holt (shoulder), D Matt Barbaris (upper body), D Darian Skeoch (lower body), RW Taden Rattie (suspended), D Ryley McInstry (lower body); Prince George: D Jonas Harkins (healthy), D Brendan Guhle (ankle), C Jansen Harkins (lower body), LW Tanner Wishnowski (upper body).
