SEATTLE (AP) - He's his club's Sawchuk Trophy candidate. He's his club's Gretzky Trophy candidate. And after his performance tonight, Jean-Sebastien Giguere just might be his club's saviour. In the deciding game seven of their series, Giguere stopped fifty-two shots on net (including twenty-two in the third period) as the Seattle Rainiers defeated the North Calgary Hawks, 1-0, to advance to the 2004 Western Conference Finals. In a game broadcast live via NetMeeting, and with fellow luminaries Doug North, Andy Bartalone, Mike Steudle, Steve Beren and Eric Goodman in attendance, it took nearly fifty-seven minutes for anyone on either team to find the back of the net. "Marty Brodeur was phenomenal this series," said Seattle coach Doug Norris after the game. "That's why he's one of the top goalies in the league." Brodeur was particularly stingy against sophomore sensation Dany Heatley, who paced Seattle with six shots. In the end, Ladislav Nagy broke free past an intimidating (in two senses of the word) Eric Lindros, snuck in on Brodeur and wristed a soft liner that dipped under the goaltender's outstretched trapper (IS 7 - GR 7). Said Doug North, scouting for the upcoming conference finals, "I predicted it!" But Nagy wasn't the store of this game. Shaking off a tough Game Six start in which he was pulled, Giguere stopped sixteen Hawk shots in the first period, fourteen in the second, and twenty-two in the third for his second career Farley Cup shutout. It is believed that fifty-two shots is an NSHL record for non-overtime playoff games of any kind, let alone a shutout. "I really think that I get into a better rhythm when I see a lot of shots," said Giguere. The Hawks were more than willing to oblige the Montreal native, with no fewer than seven North Calgary forwards putting four or more shots on the Seattle net. Said Rod Brind'amour, who led his club with seven after being acquired at the trade deadline: "He's got my vote for the Gretzky Trophy. What do you mean players don't vote for the Gretzky Trophy?" After losing the first two games on home ice, and falling behind three-games-to-one in the series, things seemed lost for the Rainiers, who have been repeatedly stymied in their attempts to reach their first conference final since 1998. However, a shutout by Giguere in Game Five set the way for a wild Game Six, followed by tonight's dramatic Game Seven. One almost wonders what would have happened had the Hawks had the services of 2003-04 leading goal scorer Eric Daze, who went down with a knee injury late in Game Three. Although there were rumours in Key Arena that Daze would attempt to skate tonight, his appearance in the warmups was shortlived and he soon assumed his press box space in street clothes. "Yeah, it's frustrating. I couldn't push off on my right side; I would have been doing more harm than good." Asked if he bore any ill will against the Rainiers' Kirk Maltby, who most likely caused the injury when he ran Daze into the open North Calgary bench door, Daze had no comment. "Nothing you can print, at least," he joked. As the Hawks and Rainiers shook hands at center ice, the Key Arena faithful gave both teams a ten-minute standing ovation. "It's only fitting that the best playoff series I've ever seen was determined by the best playoff game I've ever seen," said Seattle coach Doug Norris, who also serves as the league's commissioner. "This is the sort of game NetMeeting was made for." All seven games were played via NetMeeting as Norris and North Calgary owner Jason McCorrister matched wits (and lines) in an epic struggle. In one game at Calgary, Norris brought out a strategy with thirty-eight sets of forward lines! ("Yeah, but we lost that game," joked Norris.) The Western Conference Finals between the Topeka Scarecrows and the Seattle Rainiers will open at a date to be determined. (Perhaps via NetMeeting, Doug?) Games One and Two are already sold out in Seattle. "I want to thank Jason McCorrister, the North Calgary Hawks organization, and the city of Calgary for an amazing seven-game series," said Norris afterwards. "No one there needs to hang their head." STARBUCKS THREE STARS OF THE GAME: 1. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Seattle - fifty-two saves, shutout, 8/8 GR 2. Martin Brodeur, North Calgary - twenty-four saves, 5/6 GR 3. Ladislav Nagy, Seattle - game-winning goal with 3:30 left North Calgary Hawks at Seattle Rainiers DATE : 04/03/2004 GOALS 1 2 3 OT F North Calgary Hawks 0 0 0 0 0 Seattle Rainiers 0 0 1 0 1 SHOTS 1 2 3 OT F North Calgary Hawks 16 14 22 0 52 Seattle Rainiers 11 5 9 0 25 G O A L S U M M A R Y 1. SEA. LADISLAV NAGY(3)( JAROSLAV SPACEK, ANDY McDONALD ): 3rd 16:30 P E N A L T I E S S U M M A R Y 1. SEA. DANY HEATLEY - 2 Minutes: 1st 0:18 2. NCH. PAUL KARIYA - 2 Minutes: 1st 0:18 3. SEA. VLADIMIR MALAKHOV - 2 Minutes: 1st 13:05 4. SEA. PATRICK MARLEAU - 2 Minutes: 2nd 13:36 5. NCH. STEVE THOMAS - 2 Minutes: 2nd 15:46 6. SEA. BENCH PENALTY - 2 Minutes: 3rd 6:09 EXTRA MINOR SERVED BY PATRICK MARLEAU 8. NCH. ERIC LINDROS - 4 Minutes: 3rd 10:02 EXTRA MINOR SERVED BY TRAVIS GREEN 10. SEA. LADISLAV NAGY - 2 Minutes: 3rd 10:02 11. NCH. JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER - 2 Minutes: 3rd 12:27 12. SEA. JAROSLAV SPACEK - 2 Minutes: 3rd 12:27 I N J U R I E S NONE Player Stats For North Calgary Hawks PLAYER +/- SOG G A PIM PP SH FO-W AC IT TA AS JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 0-0 37 20:43 0 0 BOBBY HOLIK -1 4 0 0 0 0 0 5-2 25 14:31 0 1 PAUL KARIYA 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 1-0 40 21:37 1 1 ERIC LINDROS -1 4 0 0 4 0 0 1-1 31 17:19 0 0 ANDREI MARKOV -1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 28 16:26 1 1 JASON ARNOTT 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 8 4:31 0 1 ROD BRIND'AMOUR 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 7-6 40 21:37 0 1 DEREK MORRIS -1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 37 20:32 0 2 MARTIN STRAKA 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 1-0 29 17:30 1 2 DAVE SCATCHARD 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 4-4 31 18:51 1 1 ERIC DESJARDINS 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 37 21:26 1 1 ROBYN REGEHR 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 31 18:02 2 0 STEVE THOMAS 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0-0 8 4:31 0 0 SHAWN HORCOFF 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 26 15:35 1 1 TRAVIS GREEN -1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 19 11:19 0 0 TOM POTI 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 40 22:08 1 0 STEVE STAIOS 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 37 21:26 1 1 RYAN BAYDA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 8 4:31 0 1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL -5 52 0 0 10 0 0 19-13 10 14 Player Stats For Seattle Rainiers PLAYER +/- SOG G A PIM PP SH FO-W AC IT TA AS NICK BOYNTON 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 35 20:26 0 1 ANDREW BRUNETTE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 8 4:31 0 0 CHRIS DRURY 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 5-2 38 22:33 0 2 MIKE FISHER 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6-0 34 19:14 0 0 DANY HEATLEY 0 6 0 0 2 0 0 0-0 37 20:43 0 3 ED JOVANOVSKI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 47 26:11 0 2 VIKTOR KOZLOV 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 19 11:19 0 1 VLADIMIR MALAKHOV 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0-0 17 10:11 0 0 KIRK MALTBY 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2-1 40 21:37 1 1 PATRICK MARLEAU 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 3-1 37 20:43 4 2 ANDY McDONALD 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 3-2 22 13:13 0 1 LADISLAV NAGY 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 0-0 22 12:55 0 2 MARK PARRISH 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 8 4:31 0 0 MARCUS RAGNARSSON 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 35 20:26 0 0 JAROSLAV SPACEK 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0-0 47 26:11 1 2 ALEX TANGUAY 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 35 20:39 0 2 VITALY VISHNEVSKI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 17 10:11 0 0 TYLER WRIGHT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 11 6:07 0 0 BENCH 2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TOTAL 5 25 1 2 12 0 0 19-6 6 19 Goalie Stats For North Calgary Hawks PLAYER MIN SHOTS GA ENG GR GRS MARTIN BRODEUR 58 25 1 0 6 5 102 RICK DiPIETRO 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Goalie Stats For Seattle Rainiers PLAYER MIN SHOTS GA ENG GR GRS J-S GIGUERE 60 52 0 0 8 8 105 VESA TOSKALA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 POWER PLAY OPP GOALS North Calgary Hawks 3 0 Seattle Rainiers 2 0