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WHL Vancouver Giants

Giants Score 4 Power Play Goals In Road Win Over Rockets

January 26, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release


Vancouver Giants battle the Kelowna Rockets
Vancouver Giants battle the Kelowna Rockets
(Vancouver Giants, Credit: Steve Dunsmoor )

Kelowna, B.C. - After being held to a single goal on Tuesday night in a losing effort, the Vancouver Giants rebounded in a major way by scoring six in a 6-4 road win over the Kelowna Rockets on Saturday night at Prospera Place.

The win improves Vancouver's record this season to 23-17-5, while the Rockets fall to 16-22-4-1.

The G-Men are 10-4-1 in their last 15 games. They are now seven points back of the division-leading Victoria Royals with a game in hand.

Giants captain Mazden Leslie led the way with two goals (11th, 12th) and an assist. Also scoring for the G-Men were Tyler Thorpe (18th), Connor Levis (17th), Ty Halaburda (17th) and Ryan Lin (4th, empty-net goal).

Kelowna got two goals from Hayden Paupanekis, plus single tallies from Hiroki Gojsic and Dawson Gerwing.

The opening period was uneventful compared to the rest of the game.

The Giants struck first when Thorpe used his speed through neutral ice to create a 2-on-1 rush, where he came down the right wing and snapped home his 18th of the season.

Kelowna equalized on a power play goal late in the frame off the stick of Paupanekis to make it 1-1 after 20 minutes.

The Giants re-took the lead early in period two when Leslie one-timed a shot from the left circle through goaltender Jake Pilon in the dying seconds of a four-minute power play.

Paupanekis equalized a few minutes later on a great individual effort where he won a puck battle and cut his way to the high slot, making it 2-2.

With less than five minutes remaining in the second period, a point shot from Jackson Gillespie was redirected in by Gojsic, giving the home side their first lead of the hockey game.

Before the period was done, Levis tied the contest 3-3 with a power play goal from the top of the right circle, beating Pilon on the blocker side, with Thorpe providing the screen.

Gerwing got the lead back for Kelowna with a power play goal to start the third period, when he deposited in a rebound off the pad.

Several minutes later, Leslie picked off a pass in neutral ice that was intended for defenceman Carter Kowalyk back in the Kelowna zone, creating a 1-on-1 opportunity. He toe-dragged the puck around the defending stick of Kowalyk, before firing home a wrist shot past Pilon from the slot to make it 4-4.

Later in the third, the Rockets were called for delay of game after shooting the puck directly over the glass from their own zone.

On the ensuing power play, the Giants took full advantage again, after Leslie threw a low shot to the net that led to a rebound goal from Halaburda for the Giants' fourth power play goal of the game.

Lin would score into the empty net with less than one minute remaining to make the final score 6-4.

"I thought we played much, much better. It was a good response game compared to Tuesday in Seattle. I think there's a lot of belief and confidence on the bench with the way we were playing that we could get the job done and get a win tonight. They stuck with it. We bent a little bit, but we didn't break. It was great to see the group kind of fight through and in that third period, down a goal, come back and win the game...there were a lot of power plays, not as many kills, but a lot of power plays, so what it does is your bench isn't utilized as much, right, at that point. So it is a little tough for guys to get out there after sitting out for a little bit that aren't on the PP. You could see once we got going again, our legs were there and we got contributions. I thought all the lines played well tonight." - Giants Associate Coach Adam Maglio on the game overall

"He was outstanding. There's been a lot of nights where he's been one of our better guys or our best player and no different tonight. He elevated...sometimes you need a guy that's going to drag you into the fight when things are hard and really step up. Maz did that tonight." - Giants Associate Coach Adam Maglio on the play of captain Mazden Leslie

STATISTICS

SOG: VAN - 7/13/14 = 34 | KEL - 7/9/14 = 30

PP: VAN- 4/8 | KEL - 2 /2

Face-Offs: VAN - 32 | KEL - 19 3 STARS

1st: KEL - Hayden Paupanekis - 2G, 1A, 3 SOG, +1

2nd: VAN - Mazden Leslie - 2G, 1A, 4 SOG, +1

2nd: KEL - Hiroki Gojsic - 1G, 1A, 5 SOG GOALTENDING BATTLE

Vancouver: WIN - Brady Smith (26 saves / 30 shots)

Kelowna: LOSS - Jake Pilon (28 saves / 33 shots)

THIS AND THAT

With two goals, captain Mazden Leslie has 48 in his career, which is just one goal shy of tying the Giants all-time record for goals by a defenceman, currently held by Jonathon Blum (49)

Leslie's three points also give him an nine-game point streak (5G-11A) and has 21 points in his last 13 games (5G-16A)

With a goal, Connor Levis has three goals in his last four games and 93 goals in his career

With two points, 16-year-old defenceman Ryan Lin increased his point streak to seven games (2G-9A)

Saturday was the ninth time this season the Giants have scored six or more goals. They haven't lost when doing so (9-0)

The Giants tied a season-high with four power play goals, which they also accomplished in a 10-1 win over Prince Albert on Oct. 19 UPCOMING

Date Opponent Time Location

Sunday,January 26 Swift Current 4:00 PM PST Langley Events Centre

Friday, January 31 Seattle 7:05 PM PST accesso ShoWare Center

Saturday, February 1 Kamloops 7:00 PM PST Langley Events Centre

The Giants next home game is Sunday, January 26 against the Swift Current Broncos at 4 p.m. Vancouver will then host Kamloops on Saturday, February 1 and the Spokane Chiefs on Sunday, February 2.

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Images from this story

Vancouver Giants battle the Kelowna Rockets
Vancouver Giants battle the Kelowna Rockets
(Steve Dunsmoor )		   

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