B.C. Division, Game Recap

Giants Split Weekend Versus Kamloops and Kelowna

Written by Adam Kierszenblat on

The Vancouver Giants finished their back-to-back versus Kamloops and Kelowna with one win and one loss. They fell to the Kamloops Blazers 7-4 in Kamloops but shut out the Kelowna Rockets on home ice 2-0 the next night. Here are the recaps:

Kamloops 7- Vancouver 4

Vancouver fell for the second time this season versus the division-leading Blazers on Saturday Night. The Giants found themselves down 6-1 early in the third before potting three late to make it a two-goal game. Dallas Stars prospect Logan Stankoven who has been on fire this season, ended the game with an empty netter to finish off the game late.

This game did feature some milestones as Fabian Lysell, and Nicco Camazzola scored their first-ever WHL goals. It was also the first game in a Giants uniform for Will Gurski, who made 21 stops on 27 shots.

Positives from the Game

Despite the loss, some positives could be drawn from this game. The Giants once again dominated the faceoff dot winning 32/56 draws. This included Ty Thorpe going 13/21. Thorpe has been a bright spot every game this season for the Giants since coming over from Brandon. He delivered another fantastic performance which also included the team’s first goal of the game.

The other positive was the play of Lysell, who is slowly adjusting to life in the WHL. The Boston Bruins prospect finished the game with a goal, two assists and three shots on goal. He was also named the second star of the game. Once he fully adjusts to the league’s speed and finds a bit more chemistry with Justin Sourdif, that line will be unstoppable.

The last positive is that the Giants never gave up despite the score. They fought to the end regardless of the result. If the team can put forward efforts like shown in the third period, they should finally beat Kamloops the next time the two play.

Three Stars for the Giants

Fabian Lysell- 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 shots

Ty Thorpe- 1 goal, 2 shots, 13/21 faceoffs

Nicco Camazzola- 1 goal, 1 assist, +1, 3 shots

Vancouver 2- Kelowna 0

On Saturday night, Jesper Vikman picked up his league-leading second shutout of the season as the Giants beat Kelowna 2-0. This was as physical a WHL game you will see as both teams made their presence felt throughout the game. It was tight-checking, end-to-end play with very few whistles. In the end, the Giants were able to get the shutout in front of their home fans for the first time since February 28th, 2020. That is a span of 603 days.

Neither team dominated the game, but the one player who caught everyone’s eye was Justin Lies. The 2022 draft-eligible prospect was fantastic throughout. He was physical, showed off some strong stick handling, and scored the game-winning goal in the second period. After the game, here is what he had to say.

“It felt good to finally get a win. The games have been really spread out so these past two weeks of practice have been long practices. Everyone bought into the defensive game tonight. We had no passengers. Everyone was working and when we got our offensive chances we buried a couple. (The physical game) is something I pride myself on. Lay hits and not give them time and space. Whenever I get chances to play physical, I take my opportunities.”

During the game, the Giants also debuted their new third jersey’s. They looked sharp on the ice, just like the team and should be a fan favourite once they go on sale. Lies on the jerseys ” It felt good, they look sharp. The socks are a little tight on my calves, and everyone was saying that. They are nice jerseys”.

This was also the first game in a Giants uniform for defenceman Cade McNelly. McNelly was brought over from Seattle in the offseason but had to finish serving a five-game suspension from last season. He played well, registering three shots on goal. Here is what coach Michael Dyck had to say about his performance post-game.

“I thought he was solid, steady. He offered a physical presence. I thought he played a real, smart game. He’s a physical presence in the league and everyone knows when he’s on the ice. For him, he did a great job walking the line, being physical but being smart.”

Positives from the Game

Jesper Vikman was fantastic for the Giants all game. He did not give up a ton of rebound chances and was able to manage the game. He was a little shaky at the start but cruised to the shutout. Through four games now, the Vegas Golden Knights prospect is 3-1 with a .910% save percentage, a 2.25 goals-against average and two shutouts.

As mentioned, the play of Justin Lies stood out tonight. He scored the game-winner four on four and was delivering hits whenever possible. By the end of the game, he recorded three shots on goal, won his only faceoff attempt, and was named the first star.

We may have to make a dedicated paragraph just for this player because he has stepped up every game, but again, Ty Thorpe was a difference-maker. He scored the insurance goal, had four shots on goal and went 12/16 in the faceoff dot—another fantastic performance from the pride of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Three Star for the Giants

Justin Lies- 1 goal, 3 shots, 1/1 faceoff

Ty Thorpe- 1 goal, 4 shots 12/16 faceoffs

Jesper Vikman- 23 save shutout.

Next Game:

The Giants’ next game is Friday, October 29th, where they will take on the Kelowna Rockets again in a rematch from Saturday night. This will be the team’s annual trick or treat night so remember to bring your sweet tooth.