Pre-Game Report: Giants at Royals

The Vancouver Giants (25-19-5-3) will play the first of back-to-back games on Vancouver Island against the Victoria Royals (33-16-0-2) on Friday evening. The game will mark the seventh meeting between the teams this season. They have split the season series evenly with three regulation wins apiece.

The G-Men will look to pick up their second straight victory after defeating the Kamloops Blazers 5-3 on Wednesday evening. Dalton Sward had two goals in the win. The 20-year-old has been on fire in the month of January, tallying nine goals and two assists in nine games. The Vancouver power play has been trending in the right direction as well with the Giants scoring on eight of their last 10 opportunities with the man advantage.

The Royals haven't played since Saturday when they beat the Giants 3-1 at the Pacific Coliseum. The Victoria club is on a three game winning streak and sits in third place in the Western Conference with a one point cushion on the fourth place Seattle Thunderbirds. Forward Brandon Magee has been hot of late as the Edmonton native is on a five game point streak. Magee has been good against the G-Men this year as well, potting four goals and three assists in the six games against Vancouver.

Where: Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre; Victoria, BC

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

Listen: TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca.

Vancouver Giants This Week: January 30, 2014

Click here to listen to this week's podcast.

Sward Pots Two in Win Over Kamloops

Dalton Sward had two goals as the Vancouver Giants skated to a 5-3 win over the Kamloops Blazers at the Pacific Coliseum on Wednesday evening. Vancouver also got goals from Arvin Atwal, Dominik Volek and Cain Franson while Payton Lee made 16 saves for the victory.

Sward opened the scoring for the Giants on the power play in the first period when he pounced on a giveaway by Blazers goalie Cole Kehler and netted his 14th of the year. Atwal rippled the mesh with a power play marker of his own a few minutes later, sneaking a long wrist shot across the goal line. Volek gave the Giants a three-goal lead with a goal of the year candidate as he dangled through a couple of Kamloops defenders before burying a hard backhander. Cole Ully answered back for the Blazers late in the frame, completing a tic-tac-toe passing play with Chase Souto and Matt Revel to put Kamloops on the board.

Franson nearly extended the Vancouver lead in the middle frame with a great wraparound opportunity that went through the crease and out the far side. Shortly thereafter, Ully scored again to pull the Blazers to within one. However, the Giants responded in the final minute of the period when Sward tallied his second of the evening on a man advantage, firing a hard shot past Kehler, off the underside of the cross-bar and into the net.

The Blazers made it a one-goal game again in the third period when Collin Shirley forced a turnover at the Vancouver blue line and beat Lee top shelf on the glove side, but the Giants restored their two-goal lead again 1:09 later as Franson shovelled the rebound of a Mason Geertsen point shot into a yawning cage. The Kamloops club pulled the goalie in the late going but couldn't generate any more offence. With the victory, the Giants moved into a tie with the Everett Silvertips for sixth in the Western Conference.

The Giants will now head out on the road for a weekend double-header in Victoria against the Royals. The first game goes Friday night at 7:00pm. Hear the action on TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Dalton Sward - Vancouver
2. Cole Ully - Kamloops
3. Tyler Morrison - Vancouver

Pre-Game Report: Giants vs. Blazers

The Vancouver Giants (24-19-5-3) will return to action on Wednesday night when they play host to the Kamloops Blazers (11-34-2-3) at the Pacific Coliseum. Vancouver is a perfect 5-0 against Kamloops in the season series thus far.

The last time the two teams met, on January 17th in Kamloops, Giants Head Coach Don Hay won his 600th game in the WHL. Since that meeting, the G-Men have gone 1-4-0-0 and are coming off a loss to the Victoria Royals on Saturday night. Despite the slow stretch of late, the Vancouver club has remained in seventh in the Western Conference and sits two points behind the sixth place Everett Silvertips.

The Blazers played on Tuesday night, falling 6-3 to the Spokane Chiefs on home ice. Kamloops has lost three straight and will complete a stretch of four games in five nights on Wednesday. The Blazers are quite banged up at the moment with Eric Krienke, Matt Needham, Tyson Ness, Luke Harrison and goaltender Justin Myles all absent from the line-up due to injuries while Sam Grist left the loss to Spokane after taking a heavy hit from Mike Aviani of the Chiefs.

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.)

G-Men Fall to Royals 3-1

The Vancouver Giants dropped a 3-1 decision to the Victoria Royals at the Pacific Coliseum on Saturday night. Dalton Sward had the only Vancouver goal in the loss while Brandon Magee, Jordan Fransoo and Logan Nelson rippled the mesh for the visitors.

Magee opened the scoring for Victoria early in the first with a long wrester from the top of the right circle that found its way past Payton Lee in the Vancouver net through traffic. The Giants responded with a good energy shift, and Tim Traber and Thomas Foster both had good opportunities in close but couldn't will the puck across the goal line. Fransoo extended the lead for the Royals before the end of the period when he hammered a long slap shot off the post and in for his second of the season.

Nelson made it 3-0 in the middle frame. After a turnover at the Vancouver blue line, the 20-year-old skated in all alone on Lee and beat him with a pretty move to the backhand. Sward put the Giants on the board before the end of the stanza, blowing a slap shot past Victoria goalie Patrik Polivka off the rush. The goal was Sward's fifth shorthanded marker of the season, leaving him in a tie for second in the league.

Mason Geertsen came close to scoring Vancouver's second goal of the night when he got the puck at the left point and teed off on a slapper, but the puck bounced off the post and stayed out of the Victoria goal. Cain Franson had a golden opportunity as well when he hammered a hard shot off Polivka's mask from the left boards and had a second chance on a wraparound but blew a tire before he could tuck the puck into the yawning cage.

The Giants will conclude their four-game home stand on Wednesday evening with a match-up against the Kamloops Blazers. The face-off is set for 7:00pm. For tickets, call 604-4-GIANTS or visit vancouvergiants.com.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Brandon Magee - Victoria
2. Dalton Sward - Vancouver
3. Logan Nelson - Victoria

Pre-Game Report: Giants vs. Royals

The Vancouver Giants (24-18-5-3) will continue their four-game home stand on Saturday night when they host the Victoria Royals (32-16-0-2) at the Rink on Renfrew. It's the sixth meeting between the teams this season. Vancouver is 3-2-0-0 against the Royals.

The G-Men are riding high after a huge 10-0 win over the league-worst Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday evening. 17 different players hit the scoresheet for the Giants in the victory. The Vancouver power play came to life as well, going 5-for-5, while Payton Lee picked up his first shutout of the season. Carter Popoff had three helpers in the game to move into second in the WHL in assists with 43 while Dalton Sward netted his fourth shorthanded goal of the year. He sits in third in the league in goals on the penalty kill.

The Royals played on Friday evening as well, defeating the Kamloops Blazers 7-2 at the Interior Savings Centre. Jack Walker scored twice for Victoria in the victory. The Royals sit in third in the Western Conference and are now only three points back of the second place Portland Winterhawks. Victoria added defenseman Travis Brown in a deal with the Moose Jaw Warriors before the trade deadline. The Winnipeg native has three points in six game since joining the Royals.

Where: Pacific Coliseum

When: 7:00pm

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

Listen: TEAM 1040 and teamradio.ca (The Pre-Game Show starts at 6:30pm.)

Giants Put Up 10 Against 'Canes

The Vancouver Giants bumped a three-game losing streak with a colossal 10-0 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Pacific Coliseum on Friday night. Payton Lee made 18 saves for his first shutout of the year while Dalton Sward and Jackson Houck both scored twice for Vancouver. The Giants also got goals from Tyler Morrison, Travis McEvoy, Luca Leone, Thomas Foster, Ty Ronning and Arvin Atwal.

Lee made a big stop early in the hockey game on Brady Ramsay who had a chance to open the scoring from the slot after a turnover deep in the Vancouver end. Hurricanes goalie Jonny Hogue responded with a critical save of his own, robbing Carter Popoff on a one-timer on the power play. Morrison found the net first for Vancouver on a man advantage when he hammered a long slap shot off the post and in for his fifth of the season. McEvoy made it 2-0 before the end of the opening period, chipping a rebound past Hogue from right in front of the net.

Sward gave the G-Men a three goal lead on a penalty kill as he followed up after Cain Franson was stopped on a breakaway and shovelled home the loose puck. The goal marked Sward's fourth shorthanded marker of the season. Leone added his name to the scoresheet with his second of the season, chasing Hogue from the Lethbridge net, but Vancouver wasn't done there as Foster scored off his own rebound to give the Giants a five goal advantage through 40 minutes.

The Giants struck twice in quick succession early in the third to take a 7-0 lead. Sward potted his second of the evening before Houck rippled the mesh for his team-leading 26th of the season. Ronning netted his fifth of the year on a power play, chipping a loose puck in the Lethbridge crease across the goal line. Atwal joined the scoring party on the man advantage as he walked down the left wing and made a nice move around Hurricanes keeper Jarrod Schamerhorn before tucking the puck inside the right post, and Houck added his second of the night to round out the scoring. The victory marked the most goals the Giants have scored in a game this season and was just the second time the Vancouver club has shutout its opposition.

The G-Men will be right back at it at the Rink on Renfrew on Saturday night to host the Victoria Royals. The face-off is set for 7:00pm. For tickets, call 604-4-GIANTS or visit vancouvergiants.com.

3 Stars:
1. Dalton Sward - Vancouver
2. Luca Leone - Vancouver
3. Payton Lee - Vancouver

Pre-Game Report: Giants vs. Hurricanes

The Vancouver Giants (23-18-5-3) will look to bump a three-game losing skid when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes (9-36-2-3) at the Pacific Coliseum on Friday night. The game will mark the first of two meetings in the season series between the teams.

The G-Men remain in seventh in the Western Conference but are now only four points up on eighth place Tri City after consecutive losses to the Americans, Portland Winterhawks and Medicine Hat Tigers. The Vancouver power play has struggled to find the net over the course of the losing skid as the Giants are 1-for-16 on the man advantage over the last three games. The Vancouver club hasn't lost four in a row since early October.

The Hurricanes sit in last place in the WHL and have dropped their last six straight games. Friday's contest will be the fourth game of a five game road trip for a Lethbridge club that has already lost to the Red Deer Rebels, Prince George Cougars and Kamloops Blazers. Riley Sheen, who was acquired from the Seattle Thunderbirds earlier this season, leads the Hurricanes in points with 12 goals and 20 assists in 40 games.

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.)

Vancouver Giants This Week: January 23, 2014

Click here to listen to this week's podcast.

Tigers Down Giants 6-1

The Vancouver Giants lost their third in a row, falling 6-1 to the Medicine Hat Tigers at the Pacific Coliseum on Wednesday evening. Jackson Houck had the lone Vancouver goal in the loss.

The Giants took a pair of penalties in the opening five minutes and spent the majority of the first half of the opening period on the penalty kill, but the Tigers couldn't capitalize. The best chance for the Medicine Hat club came late in the frame when Payton Lee made a nice glove-hand save on Blake Penner from the deep slot. The Tigers out shot the Giants 14-2 in the first, but it was still scoreless after 20 minutes.

Vancouver ramped up the physical play in the second as Jackson Houck and Dalton Sward both laid big open ice hits early in the period, but the Tigers kept coming, and Lee was forced into another difficult save on Penner in close, robbing him with the left pad. Miles Koules broke the deadlock to put the visitors ahead at 8:33 after a nice pass off the left wing from former Giant Anthony Ast to find his teammate alone in front of the goal. Jacob Doty doubled the lead for the Tigers later in the stanza, capitalizing on a turnover deep in the Vancouver zone for his sixth goal of the season.

Trevor Cox put the Medicine Hat club ahead by three just over six minutes into the final frame, blowing a hard wrist shot past Lee from just inside the Giants' blue line. A few minutes later, Curtis Valk netted his 24th of the year to make it 4-0. Blake Penner added his name to the score sheet as well, knocking a rebound across the Vancouver goal line for the Tigers' fifth of the evening. Doty tallied his second of the night in the late stages, and Houck spoiled Marek Langhammer's shutout bid with less than two minutes remaining, netting his team-leading 25th of the year.

The G-Men will look to bump their losing skid on Friday night when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Rink on Renfrew. For tickets, call 604-4-GIANTS or visit vancouvergiants.com.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Jacob Doty - Medicine Hat
2. Kyle Becker - Medicine Hat
3. Mason Geertsen - Vancouver

Pre-Game Report: Giants vs. Tigers

The Vancouver Giants (23-17-5-3) will kick-off a four-game home stand on Wednesday night as they host the Medicine Hat Tigers (26-16-3-0) at the Pacific Coliseum in the second and final meeting in the season series between the two clubs. The Giants won the first meeting 3-2 at the Rink on Renfrew on November 15th.

The G-Men will look to bump a two-game losing skid on Wednesday after dropping back-to-back road games to the Tri-City Americans and Portland Winterhawks. The Vancouver squad is 3-1-0-0 against the Central Division this season. Payton Lee is expected to start his fourth straight game for the Giants with Jared Rathjen still out due to an upper-body injury. Vancouver forward Dalton Sward has been producing offensively of late, tallying five points in five games since returning from injury on January 10th.

Wednesday's tilt will mark the second game of a four-game BC Division road trip for the Tigers. Medicine Hat is coming off a 2-1 loss to the Victoria Royals on Tuesday and currently sits in fourth in the Eastern Conference. Former Giant Anthony Ast will make his return to the Coliseum after being traded to the Tigers prior to the WHL Trade Deadline. In four games with his new team, Ast has a goal and an assist.

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.)

Winterhawks Beat Giants 5-2

Brendan Leipsic had a goal and three assists to lead the Portland Winterhawks to a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Giants at the Moda Center on Monday night. Cain Franson and Dalton Sward had the Vancouver goals while Payton Lee stopped 38 of 42 shots in the loss.

Franson opened the scoring for the Giants at 7:15 of the opening frame when he knocked the rebound of a Carter Popoff shot past Portland goalie Corbin Boes. The Winterhawks equalized a few minutes later on a pretty passing play as Brendan Leipsic fed Derrick Pouliot in the slot with a no-look behind-the-back pass, and Pouliot buried a shot from the slot. The Giants got into penalty trouble late in the stanza, and the Portland club capitalized as Mathew Dumba tallied his first of the year on a five-on-three man advantage with a hard slap shot from the point.

The two teams traded odd man rushes early in the middle frame. Travis McEvoy was stopped on a two-on-one with Tim Traber while at the other end of the ice, Lee made an important stop on Taylor Leier to keep the G-Men within a goal. Ty Ronning nearly tied the game later in the stanza when Dalton Thrower sprung him in on net with a stretch pass, but Boes kept the puck out, and the Giants went to the dressing room behind by one.

Paul Bittner put the Winterhawks ahead 3-1 early in the third with a shot from the right circle. Leipsic provided the screen in front, and the puck snuck through Lee and into the back of the net. Vancouver countered on a power play to pull back to within one as Sward shovelled the puck across the goal line after Popoff threw it to the net from the left boards, but Nic Petan would restore the two goal lead for Portland with a hard net drive out of the right corner, and Leipsic added an empty netter with less than two minutes remaining.

The Giants will now return to the Pacific Coliseum for a four-game home stand that starts on Wednesday against the Medicine Hat Tigers. The puck drop is set for 7:00pm. For tickets, call 604-4-GIANTS or visit vancouvergiants.com.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Brendan Leipsic - Portland
2. Corbin Boes - Portland
3. Derrick Pouliot - Portland

Pre-Game Report: Giants at Winterhawks

The Vancouver Giants (23-16-5-3) will wrap-up a three game road trip on Monday night as they'll take on the Portland Winterhawks (30-12-2-3) at the Moda Center. The game is the second of four meetings in the season series. The Winterhawks won the first game between the teams 5-4 in a shootout on January 12th at the Pacific Coliseum.

The G-Men will play their third game in four nights on Monday. Vancouver is coming off a 4-0 shutout loss at the hands of the Tri-City Americans on Sunday, marking the third time the Vancouver club has been held of the scoreboard this year. Goaltender Ryan Kubic made his WHL debut on Sunday, coming into the game late in the first period and stopping 10 of 11 shots including a pair of breakaways early in the second period.

The Winterhawks have won four in a row, most recently blanking the Spokane Chiefs 5-0 on Sunday. Danish forward Oliver Bjorkstrand is on a four game point streak and leads the Portland club in goals with 30 on the season. Defenseman Mathew Dumba has played in the last two games for the Winterhawks since being acquired from the Red Deer Rebels and returning from the World Juniors, and the Minnesota Wild draft pick already has four assists with his new team.

Where: Moda Center; Portland, OR

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

Listen: TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca.

Comrie Blanks Giants

The Tri-City Americans scored three goals in the third period en route to a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Giants on Sunday night at the Toyota Center. Goaltender Eric Comrie stopped all 43 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season while net minder Ryan Kubic made his WHL debut for the Giants, stopping 10 of 11 shots after coming into the game midway through the first period.

The Giants carried the play to start the hockey game, heavily outshooting the Americans in the early stages of the period, but Beau McCue opened the scoring for Tri-City, beating Payton Lee on a shorthanded two-on-one. Brian Williams extended the lead for the Americans a few minutes later, tallying his 28th of the season on a rebound in front of the Vancouver goal, and Parker Wotherspoon gave Tri-City a 3-0 advantage with a shot from the point that found its way into the net. After the third goal, Lee was pulled from the net and replaced by 16-year-old Ryan Kubic who made his first WHL appearance in the net.

Kubic had to come up big early in the second period as he stopped Rodney Southam on a good chance in close before making a big breakaway save moments later on Lucas Nickles. The Giants generated a number of chances in the Tri-City end and out shot the Americans 16-5 in the second period but still couldn't find the net.

Jessey Astles scored the fourth goal of the night for the Americans at 11:47 of the third period when he was sprung in on net after a stretch pass from Michal Plutnar. Astles got a shot away before falling into Kubic, and the puck ended up crossing the goal line. Jackson Houck had a chance to spoil Comrie's shut-out bid in the late stages when he hammered a hard shot off the cross-bar, but the puck stayed out and the Giants were kept off the scoreboard for the third time this season.

The Giants will wrap-up a three game road trip on Monday in Portland against the Winterhawks. Catch the action on TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca. The Pre-Game Show starts at 6:30pm, followed by the face-off at 7 o'clock.

Game Summary

3 Stars:

1. Eric Comrie - Tri-City

2. Beau McCue - Tri-City

3. Parker Wotherspoon - Tri-City

Pre-Game Report: Giants at Americans

The Vancouver Giants (23-15-5-3) will visit the Toyota Center on Sunday to face the Tri-City Americans (21-21-2-2) in the fourth and final meeting in the season series between the two teams. The G-Men are 2-0-1-0 against the Americans this season.

The Giants are coming off a 6-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers on Friday night that marked Don Hay's 600th head coaching win. The line of Joel Hamilton, Dalton Sward and Thomas Foster had a good outing, combining for six points in the win. The G-Men have picked up points in four consecutive games and are 6-1-0-1 in their last eight contests. Vancouver blue liner Brett Kulak is currently on a five game point streak.

Tri-City played at home on Saturday night, defeating the Spokane Chiefs 3-1. The Americans, who sit in eighth in the Western Conference, are five points clear of the ninth place Prince George Cougars. Tri-City also has two games in hand. Sunday's game will mark the second meeting of the season between the Thrower brothers as Vancouver captain Dalton will line-up against his younger brother Josh who was acquired by the Americans from Calgary prior to the WHL Trade Deadline.

Where: Toyota Center; Kennewick, WA

When: 5:00pm (The Pre-Game Show starts at 4:30pm.)

Listen: TEAM 1040 and teamradio.ca.

Hay Reaches 600 in Kamloops; Giants Win 6-2

Don Hay won his 600th regular season game as a Head Coach in the WHL on Friday night as the Vancouver Giants defeated the Kamloops Blazers 6-2 at the Interior Savings Centre. Dalton Sward scored twice for the G-Men in the win while Vancouver also got goals from Thomas Foster, Travis McEvoy, Tyler Morrison and Arvin Atwal. Joel Hamilton had three assists.

With the victory, Hay becomes the third coach in WHL history to reach 600 wins, joining Ken Hodge (742) and Lorne Molleken (603).

Sward opened the scoring for Vancouver just after the midway mark of the opening period when he threw the puck to the net off the left wing boards, and it bounced off a Kamloops defender and past goaltender Bolton Pouliot to give the G-Men the lead.

Vancouver built on the lead with three goals in the second period. Foster scored just 57 seconds into the stanza when he wired a wrister past Pouliot from the high slot for his fourth of the season. McEvoy made it 3-0 later in the frame when Ty Ronning forced a turnover at the Blazers' blue line and McEvoy rippled the mesh with a shot off the left wing. Morrison rounded out the scoring for the G-Men in the second when he buried the rebound of an Alec Baer shot off the rush.

Sward made it 5-0 with his second of the night just over five minutes into the third with a pretty goal as he picked the top right corner off the rush. Atwal added a power play marker with a slap shot from the point to give Vancouver a six goal lead before Joe Kornelsen spoiled Payton Lee's shutout bid, scoring at 10:06 of the third on a man advantage. Nathan Looysen added his first WHL goal later in the period, but that was as close as the Blazers would get as the Giants closed out the milestone victory for Hay.

Vancouver will continue its three game road trip on Sunday against the Tri-City Americans. Face-off is set for 5:00pm on TEAM 1040 and teamradio.ca, preceded by the Pre-Game show at 4:30pm.

Game Summary

3 Stars:
1. Joel Hamilton - Vancouver
2. Dalton Sward - Vancouver
3. Nathan Looysen - Kamloops

Pre-Game Report: Giants at Blazers

The Vancouver Giants (22-15-5-3) will open a three game road trip on Friday night when they visit the Kamloops Blazers (10-29-2-3) at the Interior Savings Centre. The game will be the fifth in the season series between the two BC Division clubs. Vancouver is 4-0-0-0 against Kamloops.

The Giants have picked up points in their last three straight games. Trade deadline addition Dominik Volek has three points in his first two games with the Vancouver club. Friday's game will mark the second opportunity for Giants bench boss Don Hay to pick up his 600th career regular season win in the WHL. A Kamloops native, Hay served as both an assistant and head coach of the Blazers from 1986-1995, winning Memorial Cups in 1992, 1994 and 1995.

There will be a few of different faces in the Blazers' lineup as GM Craig Bonner made a handful of trades before the WHL's deadline last Friday. 17-year-old forward Matt Revel, who hails from Abbotsford and was acquired from the Saskatoon Blades, has a goal and an assist in his first two games in Kamloops. The Blazers also added goaltender Justin Myles and blue liner Austin Douglas in a trade with Seattle while picking up former Giant forward Matt Bellerive in a deal with Red Deer.

Where: Interior Savings Centre; Kamloops, BC

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

Listen: TEAM 1040 and teamradio.ca.

Vancouver Giants This Week: January 16, 2014

Click here to listen to this week's podcast.

Winterhawks Edge Giants in Shootout

The Portland Winterhawks tied the game with less than three minutes remaining in the third period and went on to defeat the Vancouver Giants 5-4 in a shootout on Sunday night at the Pacific Coliseum. Dominik Volek, Dalton Thrower, Brett Kulak and Dalton Sward had the Vancouver goals.

Alex Schoenborn put the Winterhawks on the board just under three minutes into the game when he re-directed a high centring pass from Keegan Iverson past Rathjen. Volek would equalize for the Giants on the power play when  he batted a loose puck into the Portland net from the top of the crease. The Winterhawks went ahead again when Chase De Leo rippled the mesh with a hard shot off the right wing, but Thrower pulled the Giants back onto level terms again, scoring on a slap shot from the point. Kulak gave the Vancouver club its first lead of the hockey game when he tallied his 14th of the season on a long wrist shot that snuck past Winterhawks goalie Corbin Boes.

Portland tied the game at 3-3 early in the second when Paul Bittner beat Rathjen short side off the rush. Don Hay opted for a goaltending change after the tying goal, and Rathjen left the game after surrendering three goals on 10 shots. The Winterhaws went to a man advantage later in the stanza, but Sward netted his third shorthanded goal of the year to give Vancouver the lead, making a strong power move around Derrick Pouliot before tucking the puck past Boes' pad on the forehand.

Payton Lee was the story of the third period. The Vancouver goaltender made a number of big stops, but he got some help from the iron as well when De Leo fired a puck off the cross-bar off the rush. Moments later, Lee came up huge, stopping Schoenborn on a breakaway to keep the Giants ahead, but Portland tied the game in the late stages when Adam De Champlain was sprung in on a shorthanded break and beat Lee stick side.

Overtime solved nothing, and the Giants went to their fourth shootout of the season. Volek and Cain Franson were both stopped by Boes while Pouliot and Taylor Leier scored for Portland to clinch the win.

Vancouver will open a three game road trip on Friday in Kamloops against the Blazers. Catch the action on TEAM 1040 and teamradio.ca. The Pre-Game Show begins at 6:00pm, followed by the face-off at 7 o'clock.

3 Stars:
1. Dalton Sward - Vancouver
2. Chase De Leo - Portland
3. Payton Lee - Vancouver

Pre-Game Report: Giants vs. Winterhawks

The Vancouver Giants (22-15-5-2) host the Portland Winterhawks (27-12-2-3) on Sunday at the Rink on Renfrew in the first meeting of the regular season between the two teams. The G-Men went 0-3-1-0 in the season series against Portland last year.

Sunday could be a big day for Giants bench boss Don Hay as he goes for his 600th WHL regular season win as a Head Coach. Only two other coaches have won 600 games -- Ken Hodge (742) and Lorne Molleken (603). The G-Men have been on a good run of late, winning two in a row and five of their last six games. The Vancouver club is 5-5-3-0 against the US Division this season and 13-8-0-0 at the Pacific Coliseum.

The Winterhawks played on Saturday night, beating the Victoria Royals 2-1 on Vancouver Island. The Portland squad has been through a bit of a bumpy stretch of late, going 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 games. However, the Winterhawks have added Nic Petan, Taylor Leier, Derrick Pouliot and Brendan Leipsic back to their lineup in the last couple of days. Petan, Leier and Pouliot were away at the World Juniors representing Canada while Leipsic was sitting out a seven-game suspension.

Where: Pacific Coliseum

When: 5:00pm

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

Listen: TEAM 1040 and teamradio.ca (The Pre-Game Show starts at 4:30pm.)

Giants Outlast Cougars in High Scoring Affair

Trade deadline acquisition Dominik Volek had a goal and an assist as the Vancouver Giants skated to a 6-5 win over the Prince George Cougars at the Pacific Coliseum on Friday night. Tim Traber, Joel Hamilton, Ty Ronning, Mason Geertsen and Jackson Houck also had goals in the victory. The win also marked Don Hay's 599th win as a head coach in the WHL.

Vancouver got on the board early as Traber scored 49 seconds into the game, knocking home the rebound of a Dalton Thrower shot to put Vancouver ahead. The Cougars would answer with two goals in an 18 second span later in the period to take the lead as Marc McNulty beat Vancouver goalie Jared Rathjen on a two-on-one before Tate Olsen found the net with a long shot through traffic. Hamilton quickly pulled the Giants back to level terms, hammering home a one-timer from in close, and Volek gave Vancouver the lead again with his first goal as a Giant, beating Prince George goalie Ty Edmonds cleanly with a wrist shot from just inside the Cougars' blue line. Ronning put the G-Men ahead by two when he netted his fourth of the year, and Edmonds was given the hook after conceding four goals on 13 shots. The Giants added one more before the intermission as Mason Geertsen beat net minder Adam Beukeboom with a drive from the point, and Vancouver led by three after 20 minutes.

The Cougars fought back in the second period and scored twice to pull to within one. First, Zach Pochiro found the net on a five-on-three power play after receiving a cross-ice pass from Troy Bourke, and Klarc Wilson tallied his 18th of the season after beating a number of Giants to a loose puck right off the face-off and tucking the puck past Rathjen.

Houck turned the momentum back in the Giants' favour early in the third, scoring his team leading 24th goal of the season less than a minute into the stanza. The game remained 6-4 for Vancouver until the late stages when Wilson netted his second of the evening after the Cougars had pulled the goalie, but they wouldn't find another as the G-Men closed out their 22nd victory of the season.

The season series between Vancouver and Prince George is now in the books with the Giants posting a record of 6-1-0-1 against the Cougars.

Vancouver returns to action on Sunday when the Portland Winterhawks visit the Rink on Renfrew. Don Hay will be going for his 600th WHL career head coaching win. The puck drop is set for 5:00pm. For tickets, call 604-4-GIANTS or visit vancouvergiants.com.

3 Stars:

1. Brett Kulak - Vancouver

2. Cain Franson - Vancouver

3. Zach Pochiro - Prince George

Ast Traded to Medicine Hat

The Giants made one more move before the WHL Trade Deadline on Thursday morning, shipping forward Anthony Ast to the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for a third round bantam draft pick. Ast has five goals and three assists in 25 games played this season.

Here's the release from the Giants:

The Vancouver Giants have traded forward Anthony Ast to the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2016 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.

The 18-year old Richmond native has played 109 regular season WHL game, all with the Giants. In those games, he had 15 goals and 26 assists (41 points).

"Anthony’s agent had asked us to find him a new team and Medicine Hat seemed to be the best fit," said Giants' Executive Vice President and General Manager Scott Bonner. "Anthony is a really good person who has had some bad luck with injuries. Hopefully those injuries are behind him now."

Pre-Game Report: Giants vs. Cougars

The Vancouver Giants (21-15-5-2) will host the Prince George Cougars (16-22-2-4) on Friday night at the Pacific Coliseum in the final meeting between the two teams in the regular season. The Giants have won five of seven meetings with the Cougars thus far this year, most recently picking up a 5-2 win on December 30th.

The Vancouver club is coming off a 4-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans on Sunday. The G-Men now sit four points back of the fourth place Seattle Thunderbirds. Vancouver GM Scott Bonner acquired 19-year-old import forward Dominik Volek from the Red Deer Rebels on Thursday. The native of Praha, Czech Republic has 15 goals and 9 assists in 32 WHL games this season. Giants captain Dalton Thrower enters Friday's action on a four game point streak.

The Cougars hosted the Seattle Thunderbirds for back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday but lost them both by 9-7 and 2-1 scores. Prince George forward Zach Pochiro has picked up at least a point in his last eight games including a four point night in Tuesday's high scoring loss. The Cougars are on the outside of the playoff picture at the moment as they're four point back of eighth place Tri-City, and the Americans also have two games in hand.

Where: Pacific Coliseum

When: 7:30pm

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

Listen: TEAM 1410 and teamradio.ca (The Pre-Game Show starts at 7:00pm.)

Giants Add Volek from Red Deer

The Vancouver Giants made another trade on Thursday, this time adding 19-year-old Czech forward Dominik Volek from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for a third and fourth round bantam draft pick. Volek will fill the vacant import spot on the Giants roster that was left open when Andreas Eder was re-assigned to Germany and will likely make his Giants debut on Friday night against the Prince George Cougars.

Volek has also just returned from the World Junior Hockey Championships where he tallied one assist in five games while representing the Czech Republic.

See Volek's WHL stats here.

Here's the press release from the team:

The Vancouver Giants have acquired forward Dominik Volek from the Red Deer Rebels in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2015 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft and a third-round pick in the 2016 Bantam Draft.

The 19-year old from Praha, Czech Republic, is in his third season in the Western Hockey League and has 73 points (38 goals, 35 assists) in 134 regular season WHL games.

Volek has 24 points in 32 games so far this season, and has a career-high of 15 goals.

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The Giants made another deal on Thursday as well, sending the rights to goalie Adam Beukeboom to Prince George for a 7th round bantam pick.

Here's the release:

The Vancouver Giants have traded the rights to goaltender Adam Beukeboom to the Prince George Cougars in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2016 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.

The 19-year old Sundre, Alberta native is currently playing for the Drumheller Dragons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

Beukeboom played 19 WHL regular season games for the Regina Pats in 2011-2012.

Vancouver Giants This Week: January 9, 2014

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Tvrdon Shipped to Kelowna

The Giants made another trade on Wednesday ahead of Friday's trade deadline, shipping 20-year-old import forward Marek Tvrdon to the Kelowna Rockets for a 2nd round bantam draft pick. Tvrdon did not suit up for the Giants this season after playing in the ECHL for the first portion of the year.

Here's the full release from the Giants:

The Vancouver Giants have traded 20-year old forward Marek Tvrdon to the Kelowna Rockets for a second-round pick in the 2014 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft.

The Nitra, Slovakia native played 19 games for the Detroit Red Wings’ East Coast Hockey League affiliate Toledo Walleye this season where he had 8 goals and 3 assists (11 points).

Tvrdon was drafted by the Red Wings in the fourth round (115th overall) in the 2011 National Hockey League Draft.

In three seasons with the Giants, Tvrdon had 107 points (45 goals, 62 assists) in 90 games.

Giants Defeat Americans 4-2

Playing their third game in as many days, the Vancouver Giants skated to a hard fought 4-2 victory over the Tri-City Americans at the Pacific Coliseum on Sunday evening. Jared Rathjen made 17 saves for the win while the G-Men got goals from Alec Baer, Rob Trzonkowski, Dalton Thrower and Jackson Houck. With the two points, the Giants move into a tie for sixth place in the Western Conference with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Vancouver got out to a flying start in the opening period, beating Americans goalie Eric Comrie twice in the first six minutes of the game. Baer netted his second goal in as many nights when he scored on the rebound of a Brett Kulak point shot to put the Giants on the board, and less than a minute later, Trzonkowski tallied his third to the season to make it 2-0 on a long shot off the right wing that snuck past Comrie.

The Giants out shot the Americans 19-4 in the second period, but they weren't able to extend the lead until late in the frame after Tri-City forward Matthew Gelinas was thrown out of the game for a check to the head on Vancouver defenseman Dmitry Osipov. On the ensuing man advantage, Dalton Thrower rippled the mesh with a long shot from the point to give the Giants a three goal lead after two periods.

The five-minute Vancouver power play extended into the third period, but it was the Americans that scored as Lucas Nickles hustled down the left wing and beat Rathjen for a shorthanded marker to pull Tri-City to within two goals. The Giants maintained their two goal lead until the late stages of the period when Philip Tot scored for the Americans after throwing the puck to the front of the net from below the goal line, but Houck would answer back for Vancouver with an empty netter to clinch the win.

The Giants will be in action next on Friday when they host the Prince George Cougars at the Pacific Coliseum. For tickets, call 604-4-GIANTS or visit vancouvergiants.com.

Game Summary

3 Stars:

1. Jackson Houck - Vancouver

2. Brett Kulak - Vancouver

3. Mason Geertsen - Vancouver

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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