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Miner ties Wolf as Giants shutout Kamloops 4-0

 

It was a special night for Vancouver Giants goaltender Trent Miner as he now ties Everett’s Dustin Wolf with his third consecutive shutout to start the season. It was a dominant performance by the entire team tonight as the Giants move to 4-1 and hand Kamloops their first loss of the season.

Trent Miner steals the show

Miner has now tied Ryan Kubic as the only goaltenders in Giants history to record three straight shutouts. This was Miner’s busiest game so far this year as he stopped all 30 shots he faced. One part of Miner’s game that has really improved is his confidence. He is controlling the puck well but is also managing the game at an elite level. This means holding pucks when the other team is pressing and your team needs a change and not getting caught in the after whistle scrums. The defense has not given up grade-A opportunities against, but when they do, Miner has stood tall this season. Add Miner to the list of great prospects in the Avalanche pipeline.

Penalty kill continues to impress

Every time Justin Sourdif and Tristen Nielsen are on the ice for a penalty kill, it seems like they have an opportunity to score. The Giants have given up three goals so far this season while shorthanded. They have scored two shorthanded goals and continue to create opportunities every shift. The key is continued pressure and trying to carry the puck out instead of just dumping the puck down the ice. If the Giants continue to play the way they have this early in the season, they should surpass the four shorthanded goals they scored last season.

50 for Sourdif

Justin Sourdif scored his 50th career WHL goal tonight midway through the second. The Florida Panthers draft pick also added an assist later on in the period to push his point total to nine points in five games. Sourdif continues to step up his game every night. His work on the penalty kill has been impressive, and he finally was rewarded tonight with his 50th goal. The goal also featured a milestone for Nicco Camazzola as his assist was his first career point in the WHL. If Sourdif continues his development curve through the rest of the season, he could have a shot at making the NHL next season.

“It is a milestone obviously getting 50 goals in this league. I hadn’t even realized it until Julian Cull came and told me after the game. It’s awesome. It was a great play by Nielsen and Camazzola to get me the puck and I kinda just waited Garand out and I guess put it in,” said Sourdif. 50 goals are something to be proud of.

Three best Giants of the evening

Trent Miner

Miner has been unstoppable this season. He has now made 64 consecutive saves this season. This shutout was lucky number seven of Miners’ career as he continues to show why he should be considered the top goaltender in the WHL. 

Miner on his early-season success-

“The score didn’t reflect how close it was. We battled all the way through and right to the end. That five-minute penalty we had in the third, we gave up absolutely nothing. Our team was rock solid all the way through.

“It’s cliche but our team is playing so well defensively that it’s giving me an opportunity to keep the puck moving. It is an opportunity to move it to the offensive zone. We are just playing a good defensive-style game right now.”

Justin Sourdif

Sourdif lead this team to victory tonight. His play on the penalty kill really stood out. Kamloops finished last season with the second-best powerplay in the league, but Sourdif was able to shut them down tonight. Although he was only able to bury one tonight, he had chance after chance and was even denied by Garand on two separate breakaways. Congratulations to Sourdif on scoring his 50th career WHL goal.

Alex Kannok Leipert

The Giants captain continues to step up game after game. Tonight he set the tone physically while being the backbone of the Giants’ penalty kill. He finished the game with three shots tonight and continues to bring offense from the blueline. The most impressive part of his game however is the calmness he has in the defensive zone. Kannok Leipert was a major part of the five-minute penalty kill early in the third stepping up when his team needed him most. He is an underrated player who has been a key part of the Giants’ success this season.

Next game:

The Giants next face Victoria on Wednesday night. Vancouver won the first meeting between the rivals after a come from behind 5-4 victory on March 30th. Game time is set for 7:05 pm on Sportsnet 650