
Giants Top Chiefs 5-3 on Ref Appreciation Night
October 23, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release

Spokane Chiefs' Brayden Crampton versus Vancouver Giants' Brett Mirwald
(Vancouver Giants, Credit: Rob Wilton)
Langley, BC - There was a lot of celebrating from the men in stripes on Sunday, as the Vancouver Giants defeated the Spokane Chiefs 5-3 in the team's first ever Referee Appreciation Night at the Langley Events Centre.
With the win, the Giants snapped a five-game slide and improved to 3-5-1 this season.
For the second straight game, five different G-Men found the back of the net. This time, the goal scorers were Colton Roberts, Cameron Schmidt, Ty Halaburda, Patrik Kral and Tyler Thorpe.
Brett Mirwald made 34 saves to pick up his third win of the season.
On the other side, Connor Roulette potted a pair of goals and Layton Feist also scored for Spokane.
GAME SUMMARY:
The Giants got on the board first, doing so midway through the opening period after Colton Roberts put home a juicy rebound from the high slot for his first of the season.
Vancouver took that 1-0 lead into first intermission, where they also led on the shot clock 13-10.
In the second, Cameron Schmidt doubled the Giants lead thanks to a seeing-eye shot on the man advantage, giving him his third goal of the season.
The Chiefs got a goal back a few minutes later, off the stick of Connor Roulette, who netted his fifth goal of the season at the 8:06 mark of the period.,
Less than three minutes later, however, the Giants caught Spokane on a bad line change when Adam Titlbach found Ty Halaburda all alone at the offensive blue line, who went in all alone and made no mistake for his second goal in two games.
After 40 minutes, Vancouver was out in front 3-1.
Early in the third period, Patrik Kral and Cameron Schmidt combined for a goal off a 2-on-1 rush, after Schmidt's shot went off a stick and missed, but Kral was able to put home the rebound after it ricocheted off the end boards.
The Chiefs wouldn't go away easy however, responding with two goals to cut Vancouver's lead to 4-3. First, Roulette scored his second of the game, and then Layton Feist got on the board with his fourth of the season.
With the goalie pulled, Vancouver's Tyler Thorpe got an unassisted empty-net goal, after he defended Berkly Catton very well, forcing him outside the blueline and beating him to the loose puck, before depositing it into the empty net.
THEY SAID IT
"I really liked the way we battled. Tough with the back end of three games in two and a half days here. Our kids battled hard. Fatigue was a factor for both teams, but I like the way we grinded out that win here and did a lot of things really well. This whole weekend I thought we did really well, how we played and I saw a lot of positives. Even though we only got one win, it was a good weekend for us." - Head Coach Manny Viveiros post-game
STATISTICS
SOG: VAN - 13/11/13 = 37 | SPO - 10/8/19 = 37
PP: VAN - 1/4 | SPO - 0/5
Face-Offs: VAN - 37 | SPO - 25
3 STARS
1st: VAN - Cameron Schmidt - 1G, 1A, 5 SOG
2nd: SPO - Connor Roulette - 2G, 1A, 6 SOG
3rd: VAN - Colton Roberts - 1G, 1A, 2 SOG
GOALTENDING BATTLE
Vancouver: Win - Brett Mirwald (34 saves / 37 shots)
Spokane: Loss - Dawson Cowan (32 saves / 36 shots)
NOTEWORTHY:
10 different Giants recorded a point on Sunday, the same number as Saturday
Vancouver now has 10 goals in their last two games, after scoring just seven in the previous three
The Giants now have power play goals in back-to-back games for the first time this season
Cameron Schmidt was the first star thanks to the first multi-point game of his career (1G-1A), while also tying his career-high of five shots on goal (second time this season)
Colton Roberts' two-point performance was the third multi-point game of his young career
Tyler Thorpe scored his ninth goal of the season into an empty net, giving him nine goals and zero assists through nine games. He also had a team-high six shots on goal
NEXT GAME:
The Giants will have another 3-in-3 next weekend, starting with a home contest on Friday, October 27 against the Victoria Royals. On Saturday they'll travel to Victoria for the rematch, before heading home for a Sunday matchup with Kamloops for the annual Trick or Suite night.
Images from this story
![]() Spokane Chiefs' Brayden Crampton versus Vancouver Giants' Brett Mirwald (Rob Wilton) |
Western Hockey League Stories from October 23, 2023
- Winterhawks Weekly: Win Streak Continues as Hawks Hit the Road - Portland Winterhawks
- Cole Reschny to Represent Canada at 2023 World Under-17 Challenge - Victoria Royals
- Winterhawks Prospects Earn Medals at 2023 WHL Cup - Portland Winterhawks
- October 23 - Canes Chatter - Lethbridge Hurricanes
- Chiefs Sign 2023 CHL Import Pick F Rasmus Ekström - Spokane Chiefs
- Cristall Named WHL Player of the Week - Kelowna Rockets
- Stehouwer Named Equipment Manager for 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge - Saskatoon Blades
- Prince George Cougars Prospects Shine Bright at 2023 WHL Cup - Prince George Cougars
- Cougars Forward Parascak Named Kal Tire WHL Rookie of the Week - Prince George Cougars
- WHL Names Daniel Hauser Goaltender of the Week - Wenatchee Wild
- WHL Announces Weekly Award Winners - WHL
- Temple to Represent Canada at 2023 World U17 Hockey Challenge - Regina Pats
- Hockey Canada Names 14 WHL Players to Rosters for 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge - WHL
- Schmidt, Parneta to Represent Hockey Canada at World U17 Hockey Challenge - Vancouver Giants
- Jackson Smith Named to Team Canada Red for 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge - Tri-City Americans
- Reese Hamilton Named to Canada's World U17 Challenge Roster - Calgary Hitmen
- Big Third Period Lifts Cougars over Tigers on Mega 50/50 Night - Prince George Cougars
- McKenna Heading to World Under 17 Challenge - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Blake Fiddler Named to Canada White for World Under-17 Hockey Challenge - Edmonton Oil Kings
- Kettles Named to Team Canada Red for World Under-17 Hockey Challenge - Swift Current Broncos
- Chase Harrington Named to Canada Red for 2023 World U-17 Hockey Challenge - Spokane Chiefs
- Schmidt Named to Canada Red for 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge - Moose Jaw Warriors
- Late Everett Mistake Lifts Ams - Tri-City Americans
- Rebels this Week - Red Deer Rebels
- Saturday Is Avista 'Way to Save' Team Poster Giveaway, Post-Game Autographs, and Fright Night - Spokane Chiefs
- Four Warriors Prospects Capture Medals at 2023 WHL Cup - Moose Jaw Warriors
- Giants Top Chiefs 5-3 on Ref Appreciation Night - Vancouver Giants
- Tigers Drop BC Division Finale to Cougars - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Americans Pull Out Late 5-4 Over Silvertips In Kennewick - Everett Silvertips
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Vancouver Giants Stories
- Giants Forward Chorney Invited to Hockey Canada's Under-17 Development Camp
- Giants Defenceman Lin Named to Hockey Canada's U-18 Team Selection Camp
- Giants Sign Czech Defenceman Skok to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement
- Giants Sign 2024 Import Pick Tomik to WHL Scholarship & Development Agreement
- Giants Select Czech Shutdown Defender Skok in CHL Import Draft

