Pre-Game Report: Giants vs. Americans

The Vancouver Giants (20-15-5-2) will return home on Sunday to face the Tri-City Americans (18-18-2-2) at the Pacific Coliseum. The G-Men have picked up three of a possible four points in the season series with Tri-City.

Sunday's contest will mark the third game in as many days for the Vancouver club. The Giants are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Kelowna Rockets at Prospera Place on Saturday. Despite the result, the Vancouver power play had a good outing in the Okanagan, going 2-for-5 against Kelowna's top ranked penalty kill. The G-Men now sit at 11th in the WHL on the man advantage with an efficiency rating of 21.23 per cent.

Tri-City didn't play on Saturday after defeating the Portland Winterhawks 5-1 on Friday night in Kennewick. The victory bumped a seven game losing skid for the Americans who sit in eighth in the Western Conference, putting the seven points behind the seventh place Giants and three points ahead of the ninth place Prince George Cougars. Goaltender Eric Comrie has been a big factor for Tri-City, posting a 2.57 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage.

Where: Pacific Coliseum

When: 5:00pm

Tickets: Visit vancouvergiants.com or call 604-4-GIANTS

Listen: TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca (The Pre-Game Show starts at 4:30pm.)

Rockets Double Giants 4-2

The Kelowna Rockets got two goals from Myles Bell en route to a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Giants at Prospera Place on Saturday evening. Cain Franson and Alec Baer had the Vancouver goals in the loss.

The Rockets nearly found the opening goal on a shorthanded chance early in the first period as Rourke
Chartier had a golden opportunity alone in front on the net but was robbed by Vancouver goalie Payton Lee. Bell put Kelowna ahead 1-0 later in the frame when he walked off the right boards and scored in a back hand shot from the high slot. Franson tied the game for Vancouver on the power play before the end of the stanza when he knocked a loose puck into the Rockets’ goal at the bottom of the right circle.

Carter Rigby put the Rockets ahead again early in the middle frame when he deflected Jesse Lees’ point shot past Lee, but the Vancouver power play struck again to tie the game when Baer scored from in close after a nice pass out of the left corner from Brett Kulak. Bell added his second marker of the game, and the eventual winning goal, in the latter stages of the period to give Kelowna the advantage through 40 minutes.

The Rockets added another goal less than two minutes into the third period when Justin Kirkland threw a puck to the net from below the goal line, and it found its way into the net to make it 4-2. The Giants were unable to find another goal to battle back into the game, and the Rockets closed out the victory.

Vancouver will complete a stretch of three games in three days on Sunday when they host the Tri-City Americans at the Pacific Coliseum. The puck drop is set for 5:00pm. For tickets, call 604-4-GIANTS or visit vancouvergiants.com.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Myles Bell - Kelowna
2. Jesse Lees - Kelowna
3. Brett Kulak - Vancouver

Pre-Game Report: Giants at Rockets

The Vancouver Giants (20-14-5-2) and Kelowna Rockets (32-4-0-2) will meet for the second time in as many nights on Saturday at Prospera Place. The G-Men are 1-1-1-0 in the season series against Kelowna after downing the Rockets 4-2 on Friday in Vancouver.

The win against Kelowna on Friday marked the third in a row for the G-Men and improved their record against BC Division opponents to 13-4-1-1. The Vancouver club now sits only two points back of the sixth place Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Conference standings. Jackson Houck netted his second hat-trick of the season in the victory on Friday. The Edmonton Oilers draft pick now leads the team with 22 goals on the season and has at least a point in his last four straight games.

The game against Vancouver on Friday marked only the fourth regulation loss the Rockets have suffered this season and snapped a 16 game winning streak. The Kelowna club has only scored less than three goals in a game six times this year. Despite the loss on Friday, forward Justin Kirkland extended his point streak to six games by scoring a goal. Former Giant Jackson Whistle picked up the loss in net, allowing four goals against on 21 shots.

Where: Prospera Place; Kelowna, BC

When: 7:00pm (The Pre-Game Show starts at 6:30pm.)

Listen: TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca.

Houck's Hat-Trick Helps G-Men End Kelowna's Streak

Jackson Houck netted his third career hat-trick as the Vancouver Giants ended Kelowna's 16 game winning streak, defeating the Rockets 4-2 at the Pacific Coliseum on Friday night. Anthony Ast also found the net for Vancouver as the Giants won their third consecutive game.

Houck opened the scoring for the G-Men on the power play early in the first period, shovelling a puck into the net after a goal-mouth scramble. There would be a lengthy review of the play, but it was eventually ruled to be a good goal. Kelowna would answer back to tie the game before the end of the stanza as Ryan Olsen beat Vancouver net minder Jared Rathjen off the rush with a wrist shot from the right wing boards.

The Giants came out flying in the second, and Ast gave Vancouver the lead inside the first minute of the period after a nice give-and-go play with Joel Hamilton. Justin Kirkland evened the score for the Rockets again later in the frame, scoring on the man advantage, but Houck put the Giants ahead 3-2 with his second of the night before completing the hat-trick with a one-timer from in front of the net to put Vancouver ahead by two after 40 minutes.

The Vancouver club played a very solid third period, and despite the fact they were out shot 12-7 in the final 20 minutes, the G-Men limited the Rockets' chances and closed out the victory to end Kelowna's impressive 16 game winning streak.

The two teams will meet again on Saturday evening in Kelowna. Catch the action on TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca. The Pre-Game Show begins at 6:30pm, followed by the face-off at 7 o'clock.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Jackson Houck - Vancouver
2. Tim Traber - Vancouver
3. Anthony Ast - Vancouver

Pre-Game Report: Giants vs. Rockets

The Vancouver Giants (19-14-5-2) will host the Kelowna Rockets (32-3-0-2) on Friday night in the first of a home-and-home set between the two teams. The Rockets have taken both games in the season series while the Giants are 0-1-1-0 against Kelowna.

The G-Men come into Friday's action on a two-game winning streak after victories over the Kamloops Blazers and Prince George Cougars last weekend. Shaun Dosanjh will be eligible to return to the Vancouver line-up after sitting out a two-game suspension for his hit on Kelowna's Kris Schmidli in the last meeting between the teams on December 28th. Despite losing both of their games against the Rockets, the G-Men are 12-4-1-1 against the BC Division.

The Rockets played on Thursday night, defeating the Portland Winterhawks 7-2 in Oregon. The victory marked Kelowna's 16th in a row. Tyson Bailie and Myles Bell led the way for the Rockets, each netting two goals and two assists. Kelowna is the top team in the WHL with a 10 point cushion on second place Victoria. The Rockets also boast the league's top ranked penalty kill as they've only conceded 20 power play goals in 159 opportunities.

Where: Pacific Coliseum

When: 7:30pm

Tickets: Visit vancouvergiants.com or call 604-4-GIANTS

Listen: TEAM 1040 and teamradio.ca (The Pre-Game Round Table starts at 6:00pm.)

Orban Shipped to Edmonton

The Vancouver Giants made a move on Thursday, sending blue liner Blake Orban to the Edmonton Oil Kings for a second round draft pick. The move helps free up the log-jam of bodies on the back end and will likely result in more opportunity and ice time for the likes of Tyler Morrison, Dmitry Osipov and Shaun Dosanjh.

Here's the release from the Giants:

The Vancouver Giants have traded defenceman Blake Orban to the Edmonton Oil Kings in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2014 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.

The 19-year old has a career-high 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists) in 38 games with the Giants this season.

"Blake has had a strong season but he was a player that wanted a change of scenery and we had to get our young guys in a regular rotation," said Giants' Executive Vice President and General Manager Scott Bonner. "Having eight defencemen wasn't fair to our group and we knew one would eventually go so we got the price we wanted and he'll help Edmonton try to win the Eastern Conference."

The Calgary native has played 149 regular season WHL games over four seasons, all as a Vancouver Giant.

Vancouver Giants This Week: January 2, 2013

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