‘I’LL TAKE WINS OVER GOALS’
Ty Ronning hasn’t found the back of the net on 20 shots through five games
Ty Ronning has yet to score in the playoffs. He swears he’s feeling no angst about that. The Vancouver Giants’ over-age right winger, who set a franchise record for regular-season goals with 61, hasn’t found the back of the net despite taking 20 shots through five games in his team’s opening round series against the Victoria Royals.
He maintains he’s contributing in other ways and Saturday night’s 5-3 road triumph provided a shining example of exactly how he’s doing that.
With Vancouver clinging to their 5-3 lead and killing a penalty with 3:30 to go, Ronning lost his stick during a battle for the puck along the boards just inside the Giants blue line. In the midst of all sorts of traffic, Ronning managed to kick the puck into neutral ice to help relieve the pressure.
The Giants will carry a 3-2 series into Monday’s matinee matchup (2 p.m., TSN 1410) at the Langley Events Centre. Game 7, if necessary, would be played in Victoria on Tuesday (7:05 p.m., TSN 1040).
“I want to get those wins and I want to go far in these playoffs,” said Ronning, a Burnaby native who has six assists in the series so far.
“Scoring is great, and if I’ve got a chance to shoot, I’m a shoot-first guy and away she goes. But I’ll take wins over goals any day. I love winning more than anything in life. I was bred that way from my father and I’m a competitive guy. I love winning.
“People are going to ask what’s wrong with me in this series? There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m feeling good. I’m playing good hockey and I’m enjoying the playoffs.”
Ronning has steadfastly maintained since the start of the season that getting into the playoffs was his main goal for the campaign. This series marks Vancouver’s first post-season appearance in four springs.
Ronning is fourth all-time on Vancouver’s regular season gamesplayed list at 285. But he had just two playoff games on his resume before last week.
James Henry, a forward who played with Vancouver from 200712, is just behind Ronning on Vancouver’s regular season chart, with 281 games. He played 45 playoff games in Giants colours.
“I know the puck isn’t going in for me, but oh well. We’re getting the wins. I’m happy with that,” said Ronning.
He’s one of Vancouver’s three 20 year olds, so he’s in his final days of junior hockey. He’s a New York Rangers prospect, having officially signed his three-year, entry-level deal a couple of weeks ago with the team that used a 2016 seventh-round pick on him.
He’s smallish at 5-foot-9 and 172 pounds. The knock on him, moving forward into the pro game, will be about whether he can contribute outside of producing points, much like it was with his father, former Vancouver Canucks fan favourite Cliff Ronning. The Rangers will want to see if he’s a capable defender in his own zone. They’ll want to find out if he can handle himself in
high-traffic areas.
These playoffs so far have provided him with some ammunition in that regard, one would think.
“It shows how far Ty has come in his career,” Giants coach Jason McKee said of Ronning’s success in this series. “He’s made himself a complete player.
“For our young guys watching that, or even some of our older guys, it’s the expectation of what being a Vancouver Giant is now. And that’s what it takes to win. Those little things are the difference.”
Ronning scored 26 per cent of Vancouver’s goals in the regular season on his way to becoming the fourth player in the WHL to hit the 60-goal
plateau since the 2013-14 season.
Moose Jaw Warriors forward Jayden Halbgewachs topped the league this season with 70 goals.
Ronning’s longest stretch without a goal in the regular season was four games, from Oct. 7-14. He scored 10 goals in 10 games against the Royals in league play.
Along the way, he broke the Giants’ record for goals in a season. Evander Kane scored 48 in 2008-09.
Ronning also finished with 127 career regular season goals, which left him second on the team’s all-time list, one ahead of Adam Courchaine (2002-05).
Brendan Gallagher (2008-12) totalled 136.