Lin Scores OT Winner as Giants Top T-Birds in Seattle
Published on March 16, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release
Vancouver Giants goaltender Burke Hood eyes the puck vs. the Seattle Thunderbirds
(Vancouver Giants, Credit: Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds)
KENT, WA. - Draft-eligible defenceman Ryan Lin netted the overtime winner for the Vancouver Giants on Sunday night, helping the G-Men defeat the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-2 at accesso ShoWare Center.
The Giants took a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes and 2-1 lead after two periods. Seattle tied it late in the third period, forcing overtime. After the Giants killed off a penalty in overtime, Lin put in a rebound off a Mathis Preston shot to give the Giants the victory.
Vancouver improves to 25-38-1-2 (53 points), while Seattle drops to 28-27-6-3 (66 points).
Blake Chorney and Misha Volotovskii providef the goals in regulation for Vancouver. Burke Hood made 27 saves on 29 shots to grab his 18th win, while the Giants' penalty kill played a huge part in the win, going 5-for-5.
Ashton Cumby and Cameron Schmidt each scored for Seattle.
GAME SUMMARY
Chorney opened the scoring for the Giants late in the first period after receiving a pass in front of the net from Jakob Oreskovic, who lost his coverage in the right corner.
The Giants extended their lead at the 7:45 mark of the second period when Torretto Marrelli threw the puck from the corner to the slot. The puck eventually found Volotovskii's stick, and he backhanded a shot past goaltender Marek Sklenicka to make it 2-0 for Vancouver.
In the final minute of the second period, a strong shift from Seattle eventually led to a goal from Cumby, cutting Vancouver's 2-0 lead to 2-1.
The Giants killed off two consecutive penalties to begin the third period and hold their lead, but only until Schmidt flew off the bench and burst into the Vancouver zone with speed, before ripping a shot home to tie the game 2-2 with 5:34 left in the third period.
Vancouver was whistled for a tripping infraction with only 45 seconds left in regulation, but killed it off, leading to 4-on-4 play for most of the overtime.
Things finally returned to 3-on-3, and before long, Lin ended the game with only 32 seconds left in OT with his 14th goal of the season.
STATISTICS
SOG: VAN - 5/7/8/3 = 23 | SEA - 10/5/13/1 = 29
PP: VAN - 0/4 | SEA - 0/5
Face-Offs: VAN - 28 | SEA - 29
3 STARS
1st: SEA - Ashton Cumby - 1G, 1 SOG
2nd: SEA - Brock England - 1A, 1 SOG
3rd: VAN - Ryan Lin - OT Winner, 2 SOG
GOALTENDING BATTLE
Vancouver: OT WIN - Burke Hood (27 saves / 29 shots)
Seattle: OT LOSS - Marek Sklenicka (20 saves / 23 shots)
THEY SAID IT
"We were pretty happy with our response from the prior two games against Victoria. We didn't feel like that was us and we responded...Excellent on the PK. They boys really dug in and did a great job tonight." - Giants Assistant Coach Gaelan Patterson
UPCOMING
The Giants wrap up their regular season with a home-and-home with Kamloops.
Date Opponent Location Time
Friday, March 20 Kamloops Sandman Centre 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, March 21 Kamloops LEC 7:00 PM PT
Stream all Giants games for free on Victory+.
Images from this story
 Vancouver Giants exchange congratulations after the win (Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds) |
 Vancouver Giants centre Blake Chorney (Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds) |
 Vancouver Giants centre Misha Volotovskii (7) (Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds) |
 Vancouver Giants goaltender Burke Hood eyes the puck vs. the Seattle Thunderbirds (Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds) |
Western Hockey League Stories from March 16, 2026
- Rebels this Week - Red Deer Rebels
- Lin Scores OT Winner as Giants Top T-Birds in Seattle - Vancouver Giants
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- T-Birds Earn Critical Point in Playoff Chase - Seattle Thunderbirds
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