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WHL Vancouver Giants

Lipinski Has 4-Point Night as Giants Take Down Rockets 5-1

February 22, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release


Vancouver Giants' Tyler Thorpe
Vancouver Giants' Tyler Thorpe
(Vancouver Giants, Credit: Steve Dunsmoor/Kelowna Rockets)

Kelowna, B.C. - The Vancouver Giants won their third consecutive game on Friday night, defeating the Kelowna Rockets 5-1 thanks to a two-goal, two-assist performance from Jaden Lipinski.

The win improves Vancouver's record this season to 28-21-6, while Kelowna falls to 16-33-4-2 on the season. The Giants are 4-1-0 in their last five games and 15-8-2 since Dec. 15.

Vancouver led 2-1 after 40 minutes and 3-1 after 40, before adding two more goals in the third to close it out. The G-Men are 18-6-3 when they score the first goal of the game.

In addition to Lipinski's two goals, Tyler Thorpe, Tyus Sparks and Adam Titlbach also each found the back of the net. Burke Hood made 33 saves on 34 shots to win his fourth straight start.

Kalder Varga had the lone goal for Kelowna.

Lipinski opened the scoring for the G-Men when he and Thorpe entered the Rockets zone on an odd-man rush, with Thorpe using his speed to find Lipinski open in front of the net, who deked to the backhand and tucked it home.

Several minutes later, Lipinski returned the favour to Thorpe, hitting him with a pass in the neutral zone while killing a penalty, leading to Thorpe's fifth shorthanded goal of the season, after he flew down the right wing and beat Jake Pilon with a low shot.

Varga got one back for Kelowna just a couple minutes later to make the score 2-1 for Vancouver after one period.

Lipinski notched his goal of the contest at the 6:07 mark of the second period after Colton Roberts spotted him uncovered in the slot. Lipinski deked to the backhand yet again, this time to make it 3-1.

Sparks would score on a delayed penalty to increase the Giants lead early in the third period when he zipped a one-timer to the back of the net off a cross-ice pass from Lipinski.

Titlbach scored late on a great individual effort to deke around Will Sharpe before snapping it past the blocker of Pilon on a breakaway. STATISTICS

SOG: VAN - 8/5/16 = 29 | KEL - 13/10/11 = 34

PP: VAN- 0/3 | KEL - 0 /3

Face-Offs: VAN - 33 | KEL - 28 3 STARS

1st: VAN - Jaden Lipinski - 2G, 2A, 4 SOG, +5

2nd: VAN - Burke Hood - 33 Saves on 34 Shots

3rd: KEL - Kalder Varga - 1G, 1 SOG GOALTENDING BATTLE

Vancouver: WIN - Burke Hood (33 saves / 34 shots)

Kelowna: LOSS - Jake Pilon (24 saves / 29 shots) THEY SAID IT

"I thought tonight early on we take some penalties, but the group was resilient. We got through three early kills in that first and then I thought our third [period] was our best. It was a real nice complete game how we built that out and kind of rolled through it. I thought we had everyone contributing. Hood was great in the net. A good solid effort." - Giants Associate Coach Adam Maglio

"I just felt like we were forcing too much through the neutral zone. It seemed like we'd get it out, get it between the blues and it's right back in our end. Credit to our guys. They did a good job cleaning that up in the third. It was something we talked about." - Giants Associate Coach Adam Maglio

"Three really big bodies that are really effective below the hashmarks and then each of them has good finish around the net. I thought that line was really good tonight. They seem to just work well. They're connected; they feed off each other; they have good chemistry out there." Giants Associate Coach Adam Maglio on the line of Lipinski, Thorpe and Muranov

THIS AND THAT

It was the first time this season Lipinski has recorded four points in a game and the first time since Dec. 9, 2023, vs. EVT. He has 31 points in 24 games since the Holiday break (9G-22A)

Thorpe's first period goal was his fifth shorthanded marker of the season, which ranks 2nd in the WHL. He has 7 SHG in his career

Hood is 4-0 in his last four starts with a .942 SV%. He holds a 10-5-2 record since Dec. 31

Sparks has six points in his last eight games (3G-3A), after putting up eight in his first 33 contests

Titlbach has seven goals in his last eight games

Roberts has eight points in eight February games (1G-7A), along with a +5 plus-minus rating UPCOMING

Date Opponent Time Location

Saturday, February 22 Kelowna 7:00 PM PST Langley Events Centre

Sunday, February 23 Wenatchee 4:00 PM PST Town Toyota Center

Wednesday, February 26 Spokane 7:05 PM PST Spokane Veterans Memorial Coliseum

The Giants next home game is this Saturday, February 22 at 7 PM vs. the Kelowna Rockets. Head to VancouverGiants.com/tickets for more details or call 604-4-GIANTS.

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Images from this story

Vancouver Giants' Tyler Thorpe
Vancouver Giants' Tyler Thorpe
(Steve Dunsmoor/Kelowna Rockets)		   



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