Brian Liesse

Giants hold off Thunderbirds to take a 2-1 series lead

(Kent, WA) The Vancouver Giants took a 2-1 series lead over Seattle with a 6-4 victory down in Kent, Washington in front of a crowd of 4425 at the Accesso ShoWare Center.

The home team got off to a quick start in Game 3 with their regular season leading scorer Matthew Wedman opening the scoring just over four minutes into the game off a bouncing puck that hopped over the stick of Bowen Byram and found the back of the net. That would be one of multiple odd goals off funny bounces in the game.

Tristen Nielsen (photo-Brian Liesse)

The two teams played a fairly back and forth game throughout the opening period with the Thunderbirds outshooting the Giants 15-10.

“We were a little jittery midway through the period, we started out great but had some jitters at about the 5 to 10-12 minute mark, then we settled in.” said Giants associate coach Jamie Heward about the team’s first period.

Vancouver’s power play went 2-for-3 on the night with the first goal coming in the last 30 seconds of the period from Tristen Nielsen. The former Calgary Hitmen speedster put the puck on net from below the goal line for his first of the playoffs, as well as another quirky goal to tie the game at one going into the second.

Matthew Wedman (photo-Brian Liesse)

Within the first minute of the period, Seattle was on a 5 on 3 for 1:08, with Brayden Watts taking a tripping penalty with seven seconds left in the first and Jadon Joseph with the same infraction 45 seconds into the middle frame. The second best penalty kill in the regular season allowed no shots on the two-man disadvantage to give Vancouver a shot of momentum on the road.

Shortly after the Joseph penalty expired, the Giants earned their first lead since Game 1 when Bowen Byram jumped on a rebound off a Lukas Svejkovsky shot in the slot for his second of the series to make it 2-1.

Five minutes later, Payton Mount scored two power-play goals in 2:29 to quickly retake the lead after Vancouver was given two too many men penalties in just over three minutes. Those proved costly.

Payton Mount (photo-Brian Liesse)

Play picked up for the Giants as the period went on, finally seeming to find their feet towards the end. It paid off, once again on the power play, as Jadon Joseph sneaked a Bowen Byram pass by Roddy Ross to give him a goal in all the series’ games and tied the game late in each period.

The third period was the best for Vancouver right from the get-go. At the 0:24 mark, Alex Kannok-Leipert pounced on a puck that seemed only he had eyes on with everyone else on the ice looking for the puck, including Ross for his first of the playoffs to give the Giants their second lead of the night.

Arizona Coyotes prospect David Tendeck made his first appearance of the 2019 WHL Playoffs with a start in Game 3 and stopped 25-of-29 shots, as well as made some key saves that factored into the win.

“He made the saves when he had to, it doesn’t matter what happens in the entire game. If you make the key save at the key time to get us a win, that’s all that matters and he did that,” Heward said on Tendeck’s performance in Game 3.

Roddy Ross (photo-Brian Liesse)

The eventual game winning and momentum changing goal came off the unlikely stick in Dallas Hines. Yet another funny looking goal, a fanned on shot fooled Roddy Ross as it went off of his glove and in the net to give Vancouver a two goal lead that won the game despite a late Sean Richards goal, and you guessed it…..took a bad bounce. The puck looked to be going wide of the net but Tendeck tried to make a stick save to get it out of harms way but instead batted it into his own net to give Seattle some potential last minute hope.

Three of the five goal scorers for the Giants were mid season acquisitions in Nielsen, Joseph and Hines.

“They’re great kids. The fact that they know they have come in and contributed on a nightly basis makes them feel good about themselves after being traded, to see them play well and flourish and have a good night in the playoffs is gratifying for sure.” Heward added about the three players.

19-year-old Brayden Watts put the game away with an empty-net-goal with 22 seconds remaining, his first of the playoffs.

Game 4 goes Wednesday night in Seattle before the teams head back to Langley for Game 5 on Friday.

Giant Thoughts

  • After going 2/3 on the power play in Game 3, Vancouver sits in second place in playoff PP with a  success rate.
  •  The Giants were without Justin Sourdif and will be again in Game 4 as he did not travel with the team due to injury as a result of the crosscheck from Jake Lee in Game 1.
  •  Bowen Byram leads the WHL in shots on goal in the playoffs with 18 shots in three games.