Thrower Lifts Giants Over Cougars in OT

Dalton Thrower scored the winning goal at 3:13 of overtime as the Vancouver Giants won their third straight, edging the Prince George Cougars 3-2 at the CN Centre on Wednesday night. Jared Rathjen made 34 saves for Vancouver and was named the game's first star while the G-Men also got goals from Trent Lofthouse and Jackson Houck.

The Cougars found the net first in the opening frame when Sam Ruopp's wrist shot from the right point beat Rathjen through traffic. Lofthouse tied the game for Vancouver before the end of the stanza when he walked into the slot right off an attacking zone face-off and made a nice move to slide the puck into the Prince George net.

Houck gave Vancouver the lead in the second when he threw a puck on net from the right boards and it snuck past Prince George goalie Brett Zarowny. The goal marked Houck's team leading seventh of the season. Rathjen was called upon to make a couple of big saves late in the period, but he stopped both Troy Bourke and David Soltes from in close to keep the Giants ahead.

Vancouver played a strong third period and held the Cougars off the board until the final minute when Zarowny was summoned to the bench for an extra attacker. Moments later, Zach Pochiro found a loose puck at the side of the net and chipped it to Soltes who knocked the puck across the goal line to send the game to overtime.

Each team only had one shot on goal in OT, and Thrower won the game for Vancouver when he walked down the right wing and wired a slap shot into the top left corner of the net to win the game for the G-Men.

The Giants will now return home for a Friday night meeting with the Spokane Chiefs. The face-off is set for 7:30pm. For ticket information, call 604-4-GIANTS or visit vancouvergiants.com.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Jared Rathjen - Vancouver
2. Zach Pochiro - Prince George
3. David Soltes - Prince George

Pre-Game Report: Giants at Cougars

The Vancouver Giants (5-9-1-1) will go for a third straight win when they visit the Prince George Cougars (7-8-0-2) at the CN Centre on Wednesday night. It's the second meeting of the season and the second meeting in as many nights between the teams. Vancouver won 6-5 on Tuesday evening.

Jackson Houck netted the first Vancouver Giants hat-trick of the season in the Tuesday win. The 18-year-old Edmonton Oilers draft pick now sits tied for the team lead in goals with six, alongside Brett Kulak. The G-Men also got their first shorthanded goal of the year on Tuesday off the stick of Dalton Sward, and the victory marked the first time that the Vancouver club has managed to score six goals in a game.

The Cougars have now lost two straight but sit four points up on Vancouver in the standings. Prince George starter Ty Edmonds was pulled from Tuesday's loss after giving up five goals to the Giants on 24 shots. Prince George got five goals from five different scorers in the game against Vancouver including Chase Witala's team leading tenth of the season. Alex Forsberg also found the net. The former first overall pick has two goals in 16 games.

Where: CN Centre; Prince George, BC

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

Listen: TEAM 1410 or teamradio.ca.

Houck Scores Three in Win Over PG

Jackson Houck netted a hat-trick as the Vancouver Giants skated to a hard fought 6-5 victory over the Prince George Cougars at the CN Centre on Tuesday evening. Payton Lee made 21 saves to pick up his second straight victory while the G-Men also got goals from Dalton Sward, Brett Kulak and Cain Franson.

For the second straight game, Vancouver fell behind the eight-ball early as David Soltes opened the scoring for Prince George just 31 seconds into the contest. The Giants equalized when Sward scored his first of the year on a shorthanded break, and Houck put Vancouver ahead with a quick one-timer after a nice pass from Joel Hamilton from behind the net. Kulak made it 3-1 for the G-Men when he walked down the left wing and made a pretty deke into the slot before beating Cougars goalie Ty Edmonds short side. Prince George rallied in the late stages of the period and got two goals to tie the game. Marc McNulty netted a power play marker and Troy Bourke scored on a shorthanded breakaway to even the score.

The Giants retook the lead in the second period when Houck deflected Carter Popoff's centring pass into the Prince George net from the slot for his second of the game on the man advantage. Franson gave the G-Men a two goal lead with a smooth play to tuck a rebound past Edmonds after a point shot from Dalton Thrower, and Vancouver was up 5-3 through 40 minutes.

Houck completed his hat-trick in the first minute of the third period when Ty Ronning found him in front, and he just had to fire the puck into the yawning cage to give Vancouver a three goal advantage. The Cougars made it interesting late in the game when Alex Forsberg wired a wrister past Lee from the left circle. Chase Witala tied the game for Prince George in the final minute, and the Cougars put on a late push, but Lee shut the door to preserve the win for Vancouver.

The Giants and Cougars will go head-to-head again tomorrow night in Prince George. The puck drop is set for 7:00pm. Catch the call on TEAM 1410 and http://teamradio.ca beginning with the Pre-Game Show at 6:30pm.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Jackson Houck - Vancouver
2. Brett Kulak - Vancouver
3. Troy Bourke - Prince George

Pre-Game Report: Giants at Cougars

The Vancouver Giants (4-9-1-1) will play the first of two games in two days against the Prince George Cougars (7-7-0-2) on Tuesday night at the CN Centre. It's the first meeting of the season between the two division rivals. The Giants took the season series last year, winning five of eight match-ups against the Cougars.

The G-Men bumped a two game losing skid with a 4-1 win over the Kamloops Blazers on Sunday evening. With the victory, the Giants improved their divisional record to 3-1-0-0. Carter Popoff scored his fourth of the year in the win. The 18-year-old now leads the Giants in points with 14, followed closely by blue liner Brett Kulak who has posted five goals and eight assists. Goalie Payton Lee made 33 saves in the Sunday victory for Vancouver.

The Cougars have needed shootouts in both of their last two games which both came against the Calgary Hitmen. Prince George won 4-3 on Friday night before losing by the same score on Saturday. Prince George native Chase Witala has led the way offensively for the Cougars this year with nine goals. Meanwhile, special teams have given the Prince George club some trouble this year as they have the 22nd ranked power play and the 20th ranked penalty kill in the WHL.

Where: CN Centre; Prince George, BC

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

Listen: TEAM 1410 or teamradio.ca.

Benson to Make Giants Debut on November 16

The Vancouver Giants announced on Tuesday that first overall pick Tyler Benson will make his WHL debut against the Tri-City Americans at the Pacific Coliseum on November 16th. Benson, who was the Giants' top pick in this past summer's draft, scored 146 points in 33 games with the South Side Athletic Club last season -- an Alberta Major Bantam League scoring record.

Here's the press release from the Giants:

The Vancouver Giants announced today that their first overall pick in the 2013 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft, Tyler Benson, will make his Western Hockey League debut at the Pacific Coliseum on Saturday November 16 against the Tri-City Americans.

"I'm excited to be able to play my first Western Hockey League game as a Giant," said Benson. "It's going to be a good experience for me, and it's exciting to know when I'm going to play so I can prepare for it."

The 15-year old forward is currently in Kelowna playing for the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy Under-18 Prep team. The POE U18 Prep team competes in both the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) and the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL).

Benson is currently leading his team in scoring in the NAPHL with 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists) in 8 games played. In the CSSHL, Benson has also played 8 games in which he has 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists).

"We are all excited to see him in his first Western Hockey League game," said Giants' Majority Owner Ron Toigo. "It's always exciting when these special players get into their first game. Last year, we got a peek of Alec Baer and Jakob Stukel debut as 15-year olds, and Benson should be just as exciting as they were to watch."

The 5'11", 185lbs Edmonton native broke records in Bantam, registering 146 points (57 goals, 89 assists) in 33 games with the South Side Athletic Club Lions.

Tickets for the game can be purchased by phone at 604-4-GIANTS or online at VancouverGiants.com.

Zalitach Dealt to Moose Jaw

The Vancouver Giants made a trade on Monday afternoon, sending 17-year-old defenseman Reid Zalitach to the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for a 3rd round pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft and a 4th round pick in the 2015 Bantam Draft. After the move, the G-Men now have eight defensemen on their roster. Zalitach was drafted by the Giants with the 38th overall pick in 2011. The Manitoba native appeared in 9 games with the G-Men to start the 2013-2014 season.

Here's the full release from the Giants:

The Vancouver Giants have traded defenceman Reid Zalitach to the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2015 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft and a third-round pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.

The 17-year old Narol, Manitoba native played 54 games with the Giants over three seasons where he registered 7 assists and 18 penalty minutes.

"Reid is a great kid who deserves an opportunity to be a regular," said Giants' Executive Vice President and General Manager, Scott Bonner. "We wish him all the best and thank him for his time with our club."

Zalitach's Stats:

G-Men Win in Kamloops

Brett Kulak scored the winning goal on the power play in the final minute of the first period as the Vancouver Giants went on to defeat the Kamloops Blazers 4-1 at the Interior Savings Centre on Sunday evening. The G-Men also got goals from Carter Popoff, Jackson Houck and Tim Traber while Payton Lee made 33 stops between the pipes for Vancouver.

The Blazers got out to a great start, scoring right off the opening face-off just six seconds into the game when Aspen Sterzer walked down the left wing and beat Lee glove side. The Giants responded with a strong push back effort that eventually resulted in an equalizing goal when Popoff dug out a loose puck in the Kamloops crease and knocked it into the net. Kulak scored the eventual winner in the late stages with a long slap shot from the right point that got past Kamloops goalie Bolton Pouliot cleanly to give Vancouver a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

The Giants extended the lead in the middle frame when Houck buried a one-timer from the slot after Popoff found him with a nice pass off the end boards. Traber added his name to the scoresheet as well when he deflected a Blake Orban point shot from in front of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Lee had to make a couple of big saves in the third period, but the Giants played a solid final stanza to close out the victory on the road.

The G-Men continue their road trip on Tuesday night in Prince George for the first of two in a row against the Cougars. Pre-Game coverage begins at 6:30pm on TEAM 1410 and http://teamradio.ca followed by the face-off at 7:00pm.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Brett Kulak - Vancouver
2. Jackson Houck - Vancouver
3. Carter Popoff - Vancouver