Giants Prospects Off to U16 Challenge Cup

Some of the top youngsters in the system for the Vancouver Giants will take part in the Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup at the end of the month. Top pick Tyler Benson will play in the tournament along with four other Vancouver draft picks.

Here's the release from the Giants:

The Vancouver Giants would like to congratulate our top 5 picks in the 2013 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft – Tyler Benson, Matt Barberis, Ryely McKinstry, Gage Ramsay, and Ryan Kubic – on being named to represent their province in the 2013 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup.

Benson, the first overall draft pick of the 2013 Bantam Draft, and McKinstry, who was drafted 23rd overall, will represent Team Alberta in the challenge.

Barberis, the Giants' 20th overall selection, will represent Team BC.

Kubic, a second-round selection, will be one of two goalies to represent Team Manitoba.

And Ramsay, who was drafted in the third round by Vancouver, will represent Team Saskatchewan.

The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup will feature the highest rated players in the Under-16 age category and will take place from October 31 to November 3 at the Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary, Alberta.

To view the complete rosters, click HERE.

G-Men End Trip with Loss in Swift Current

The Vancouver Giants concluded their six game East Division road trip with a 5-2 loss to the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday night. Vancouver got goals from Andreas Eder and Joel Hamilton in a losing cause. The G-Men are now 1-7-1-1 on the season.

Vancouver opened the scoring near the end of the first period on the power play when Dalton Thrower got a shot through on net from the point, and Andreas Eder pounced on the rebound, scoring his second of the year. Before the period was out, Joel Hamilton extended the Giants' lead on a very similar goal as Thrower once again forced Swift Current net minder Eetu Laurikainen into a save with a long shot on goal, and Hamilton buried the rebound, giving Vancouver a 2-0 lead after one period.

The Broncos responded well in the second. Julius Honka put Swift Current on the board in the first four minutes of the stanza with a power play marker, and Broncos captain Colby Cave tied the game just a couple of minutes later. Hamilton nearly gave Vancouver a 3-2 lead late in the frame when he walked into the slot after a nice drag move off the left wing, but Laurikainen kept the puck out.

Swift Current sealed their victory early in the third as Zac Mackay put the Broncos ahead 1:20 into the final frame. The Broncos went on to add goals from Glenn Gawdin and Bobby Zinkan while holding the Giants to seven shots on goal in the third.

The Giants now return home and will be back in action at the Pacific Coliseum on Friday evening against the Kamloops Blazers. Hear the call of the game on TEAM 1040. The Pre-Game Round-Table gets underway at 6:00pm, followed by the puck drop at 7:30.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Julius Honka - Swift Current
2. Dalton Thrower - Vancouver
3. Zac Mackay - Swift Current

Pre-Game Report: Giants at Broncos

The Vancouver Giants will complete their six game visit to the prairies on Saturday night when they take on the Swift Current Broncos at the Credit Union i-plex. In their last meeting, the Broncos defeated the Giants 3-1 at the Pacific Coliseum on December 7, 2012.

Vancouver came from behind in the third period in Regina on Friday evening but had to settle for a single point after losing in overtime to the Pats. The G-Men have only earned two points through five games on the road trip and have now lost their last seven in a row. Captain Dalton Thrower scored his third goal of the year in Regina, moving him into a tie with Anthony Ast for most goals scored by a Giant this season. Ast, Carter Popoff and Brett Kulak sit tied for the team lead in points with five each.

The Broncos enter tonight's action having lost their last two games after dropping a 5-4 decision to the Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday night before losing to the Saskatoon Blades by a score of 2-1 on Friday night. The Broncos are 5-3-0-1 on the year, leaving them in fourth in the Eastern Conference. Defenseman Julius Honka has had a great start to the year for Swift Current. The 17-year-old rookie has two goals and 10 assists in nine games this season.

Where: Credit Union i-plex; Swift Current, Saskatchewan

When: 6:00pm PDT (The Pre-Game Show starts at 5:30pm.)

Listen: TEAM 1410 or teamradio.ca.

G-Men Fall to Pats in OT

Despite a valiant third period comeback, the Vancouver Giants dropped their seventh game in a row, losing 5-4 to the Regina Pats in overtime. Vancouver got goals from Brett Kulak, Dalton Thrower, Alec Baer and Joel Hamilton while Boston Leier led the way for the Pats, netting a hat-trick including the OT winner.

The Giants got out to a strong start when Kulak scored less than a minute into the first period, beating Regina goalie Dawson MacAuley with a hard wrister for his first of the season. Dalton Thrower put Vancouver ahead 2-0 later in the frame, scoring off a point shot on the power play. But the Pats countered with a goal of their own before the intermission when Dyson Stevenson tallied his third of the year to cut into the Giants' lead.

Despite only firing four shots on Payton Lee in the second period, the Pats scored three goals and had a 4-2 lead by the end of the stanza. Leier picked up his first of the evening on the power play just before the halfway mark and then scored again at 16:36 to put Regina ahead. Stevenson bagged his second goal of the game in the dying seconds of the period, knocking home a rebound off the rush as time expired.

Vancouver's third period comeback was started just 1:17 into the frame when Baer netted his first of the year after a nice pass from Jackson Houck off the right wing boards. The Giants continued to pressure but couldn't find the equalizer until the final four minutes of regulation as Hamilton walked in on goal and scored on his own rebound, beating MacAuley with a backhander and forcing OT.

The Pats were given a power play early in the extra period when Hamilton was called for tripping, and Leier completed his hat-trick on the man advantage to give Regina the victory.

The Giants will conclude their six game road trip on Saturday night in Swift Current against the Broncos. Hear the game on TEAM 1410 or teamradio.ca. Pre-Game starts at 5:30pm followed by the face-off at 6pm.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Boston Leier - Regina
2. Kyle Burroughs - Regina
3. Joel Hamilton - Vancouver

Pre-Game Report: Giants at Pats

The Vancouver Giants will play their fifth game of a six game road trip on Friday night when they visit the Brandt Centre to take on the Regina Pats. In the only meeting between the teams last season, Vancouver prevailed with a 4-3 shootout victory.

The G-Men will want to respond with a good effort after a disappointing 6-1 loss to the Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday. Vancouver was in the game when Dalton Thrower tied it at 1-1 early in the third, but the Giants went on to concede five goals the rest of the way. The G-Men will be without defenseman Blake Orban for tonight's contest after he was handed a one game suspension for instigating a fight late in the game in Saskatoon.

Regina sits in 11th in the Eastern Conference heading into tonight's game with a record of 2-5-0-0. The Pats haven't played since Sunday when they outlasted the Saskatoon Blades 5-4 in a shootout. Offensively, the Regina club is led by talented forward Morgan Klimchuk. The Calgary Flames prospect has three goals and six assists through seven games this year.

Where: Brandt Centre; Regina, Saskatchewan

When: 6:00pm PDT (The Pre-Game Show starts at 5:30pm.)

Listen: TEAM 1410 or teamradio.ca.

Blades Defeat Giants 6-1

The Vancouver Giants conceded five goals in the third period, losing 6-1 to the Saskatoon Blades at Credit Union Centre on Wednesday evening. Former Blade Dalton Thrower had the lone marker for the G-Men who fell to 1-6-0-1 on the season.

The Blades opened the scoring just over five minutes into the game after some early pressure in the Vancouver end. David Nemecek picked up a loose puck at the left circle and beat Payton Lee on the blocker side to give the Saskatoon club the early lead. The Blades continued to pressure the Giants throughout the opening frame, and although Vancouver out shot Saskatoon in the first, the home team took the lead to the intermission.

Neither side was able to score in the middle frame, but both teams had good chances. Lee had to make a couple of big stops including an impressive lateral save on Nikita Scherbak to keep it a one goal game. Andreas Eder nearly tied the game for the G-Men late in the period when he got the puck in the slot and hammered a shot off the post from in close.

Vancouver got its tying goal early in the third period when Thrower rushed the puck up the ice and made a couple of beautiful dekes to get in on goal and beat Saskatoon goalie Alex Moodie. But the response from the Blades came quickly as they retook the lead 2:01 later on a goal by Nick Zajac. The Saskatoon team then went on to score three more goals in the space of seven minutes as Ryan Graham and Nelson Nogier found the net while Zajac added another to make it 5-1. Graham Millar picked up a power play marker in the final minute to complete the scoring for the Blades.

The Giants will continue their road trip on Friday night in Regina against the Pats. Listen to the action on TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca. Pre-Game begins at 5:30pm followed by the face-off at 6:00pm.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Nick Zajac - Saskatoon
2. Alex Moodie - Saskatoon
3. Nelson Nogier - Saskatoon

Pre-Game Report: Giants at Blades

The Vancouver Giants continue their six game road swing tonight in Saskatoon where they'll face the Blades. The two teams sit at the bottom of their respective conferences with matching 1-5-0-1 records. In their only meeting last season, Saskatoon skated away from the Pacific Coliseum with a 5-2 win.

The G-Men are coming off another hard fought loss in Prince Albert on Tuesday night. Vancouver led 3-0 after one period, but the Giants got into some penalty trouble in the second period, allowing the Raiders to come back and eventually tie the game before winning in a shootout. This evening's game in Saskatoon marks a homecoming of sorts for Vancouver captain Dalton Thrower. The 20-year-old played four seasons for the Blades before being dealt to the Giants in the off-season.

Saskatoon lost its first five games of the season, but the Blades have been rounding into better form of late, picking up a victory and an overtime loss in their last two. Former Giant Nathan Burns had a big game in Sunday's 5-4 shootout loss to Regina. The Edmonton native scored all four of his team's goals and added a shootout goal as well. Burns now sits tied for the team lead in points alongside 17-year-old Russian forward Nikita Scherbak.

Where: Credit Union Centre; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

When: 6:00pm PDT

Listen: TEAM 1040 or teamradio.ca.