Vancouver Giants This Week: November 14, 2013

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G-Men Fall to Everett in OT

Ivan Nikolishin scored 1:07 into overtime as the Everett Silvertips edged the Vancouver Giants 4-3 on Monday afternoon at Comcast Arena. Vancouver got goals from Dalton Sward, Trent Lofthouse and Carter Popoff in the loss.

Neither team found the net in the first period, despite scrambles at both ends of the ice. Payton Lee made a big save on Joshua Winquist on a shorthanded breakaway while Thomas Foster and Joel Hamilton both had good chances in the Everett end as well, but the game remained scoreless through 20 minutes.

Sward gave the Giants the lead early in the second period when he forced a turnover at the Silvertips’ blue line and skated in all alone, beating Daniel Cotton cleanly. Everett responded with an equalizer 59 seconds later as Darcy DeRoose shoveled a rebound past Lee for his first WHL goal. The Silvertips took the lead late in the middle frame on Winquist’s 16th of the season as he completed a nice passing play that also involved Mirco Mueller and Manraj Hayer.

Vancouver tied the game in the first minute of the third when Lofthouse deflected a Brett Kulak point shot into the Everett goal, but Carson Stadnyk restored the Silvertips’ lead just before the six-minute mark when his centring pass off the right wing tipped off Mason Geertsen and into the Vancouver net. Popoff made it 3-3 late in the third, scoring on the backhand after a good pass from Sward off the left wing.

The Silvertips ended the game in the extra period after Lee came out of his net to handle the puck and turned it over to Jujhar Khaira, allowing the Everett forward to find Nikolishin in front for the winning goal.

The Giants will be back in action at the Pacific Coliseum on Friday night when they host Hunter Shinkaruk and the Medicine Hat Tigers. The puck drop is set for 7:30pm. For ticket information, visit vancouvergiants.com or call 604-4-GIANTS.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Manraj Hayer - Everett
2. Dalton Sward - Vancouver
3. Darcy DeRoose - Everett

Pre-Game Report: Giants at Silvertips

The Vancouver Giants (8-11-1-1) will visit the Everett Silvertips (13-3-3-0) on Monday afternoon in the third meeting in the season series between the two teams. The G-Men are 0-2 against the 'Tips after 4-1 and 6-5 losses on September 27th and October 25th respectively.

Vancouver is coming off a big 5-1 win over the Prince George Cougars on Saturday night at the Coliseum. Brett Kulak scored twice while Jackson Houck had a goal as well. Both Kulak and Houck sit tied for the team lead in goals with nine apiece while Kulak leads the team in points with 22. The G-Men have had a tough time against teams in the US Division thus far, going 0-5 against clubs from south of the border this season.

The Silvertips also played on Saturday evening, falling 4-3 to the Tri-City Americans in a shootout. Despite the loss, the Everett club has picked up seven of a possible 10 points in the month of November and has only lost twice in regulation time on home ice this year. 20-year-old Joshua Winquist has been a big offensive catalyst for the 'Tips, netting 15 goals and 18 assists in 19 games. Winquist's 33 points are good enough for fourth in league scoring.

Where: Comcast Arena; Everett, WA

When: 2:00pm (The Pre-Game Show starts at 1:30pm.)

Listen: TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca.

Giants Down Cougars 5-1

Brett Kulak scored two goals while Dmitry Osipov netted his first WHL goal as the Vancouver Giants cruised to a 5-1 win over the Prince George Cougars on Saturday night at the Pacific Coliseum. With the victory, the G-Men moved into eighth in the Western Conference.

Kulak opened the scoring for the Giants just over five minutes into the first period when he beat Cougars goalie Ty Edmonds cleanly with a hard slap shot from the point on the power play. Prince George equalized in the late stages of the stanza with a power play marker of their own when Troy Bourke scored with a long shot that eluded Payton Lee.

The G-Men took control of the game in the second. Osipov scored the eventual winning goal at 3:32 with a sharp angle shot from the left circle. Jackson Houck made it 3-1 with his ninth of the year, knocking a rebound past Edmonds who was pulled from the game after giving up three goals on 14 shots. Kulak added another power play marker before the end of the frame, giving the Giants a three goal lead through 40 minutes.

Vancouver controlled the third period as well, out shooting the Cougars 12-4. Tim Traber added the fifth and final goal for the Giants when he beat Brett Zarowny on the short side with a wrister off the left wing.

The Giants will travel down the I-5 on Monday for an afternoon game against the Everett Silvertips. The Pre-Game Show gets underway at 1:30pm followed by the face-off at 2:00pm on TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca.

Game Summary

Video Highlights

3 Stars:
1. Brett Kulak - Vancouver
2. Jackson Houck - Vancouver
3. Dmitry Osipov - Vancouver

Pre-Game Report: Giants vs. Cougars

The Vancouver Giants (7-11-1-1) will host the Prince George Cougars (7-10-1-3) at the Pacific Coliseum on Saturday evening. The game marks the third meeting between the teams this season. Vancouver is 2-0 in the season series after 6-5 and 3-2 victories in Prince George on October 29th and 30th respectively.

The Giants have been off since Tuesday after falling 3-0 to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Tuesday night. Vancouver sits two points ahead of the last place Kamloops Blazers in the Western Conference standings while the G-Men are also only two points back of the eighth place Cougars with a game in hand. The Giants have posted an impressive record of 6-1-0-0 against BC Division opponents but are only 2-6-0-0 on home ice this season.

The Cougars played on Friday night, falling 5-2 to the Kelowna Rockets in the Okanagan. Prince George's top two scorers, Chase Witala and Troy Bourke, were both held off the score sheet in the loss. The Cougars have added a new face to their roster since they last faced the Giants as they acquired forward Todd Fiddler from the Moose Jaw Warriors on Monday in exchange for a conditional fifth round pick. Fiddler has posted 10 points in 15 games played this season.

Where: Pacific Coliseum

When: 7:00pm

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

Listen: TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca (The Pre-Game Show starts at 6:30pm.)

Vancouver Giants This Week: November 7, 2013

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Jarry Blanks Giants

Delta native Tristan Jarry stopped all 37 shots he faced to lead the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants at the Pacific Coliseum on Tuesday evening. Cody Corbett, Aaron Irving and Curtis Lazar had the Edmonton goals while Payton Lee made 24 saves between the pipes for Vancouver in a losing cause.

Corbett opened the scoring for the visitors in the first period when he scored off the rush after a nice give-and-go play with former Giant Riley Kieser. Irving extended the Edmonton lead in the latter stages of the stanza when he knocked the rebound of a Brandon Baddock shot past Lee from the high slot.

The Giants turned up the pressure in the second and had a couple of glorious opportunities to get on the board. Jackson Houck nearly scored off a scramble in the Oil Kings' crease but couldn't will the puck into the net. Travis McEvoy thought he had tied the game when Jarry dropped a long shot into his feet, and McEvoy chipped the loose puck into the net, but referee Steve Papp blew his whistle before the puck crossed the line. Vancouver had a flurry of chances around the Edmonton net in the final minute of the frame. Cain Franson batted a puck out of mid-air towards the net, but Jarry made a big save and the G-Men couldn't bury the rebound.

Giants captain Dalton Thrower was levelled behind the Vancouver net in the first minute of the third period when Edmonton's Mitch Moroz laid him out with a questionable hit. There was no penalty called on the play, and Thrower, who remained down on the ice after the high hit, stayed in the game. Edmonton added its third goal of the game with just over five minutes remaining when Lazar scored on a hard snap shot from the high slot.

Vancouver returns to action on Saturday night when the Prince George Cougars visit the Rink on Renfrew. For tickets, call 604-4-GIANTS or visit vancouvergiants.com.

3 Stars:

1. Tristan Jarry - Edmonton

2. Riley Kieser - Edmonton

3. Payton Lee - Vancouver