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WHL Vancouver Giants

Rockets Down Giants on Friday, Sets up Battle for 5th on Saturday in Kelowna

March 23, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Vancouver Giants News Release


Vancouver Giants' Cameron Schmidt and Kelowna Rockets' Turner McMillen in action
Vancouver Giants' Cameron Schmidt and Kelowna Rockets' Turner McMillen in action
(Vancouver Giants, Credit: Rob Wilton)

Langley, B.C. - The Vancouver Giants lost 6-2 to the Kelowna Rockets on Friday night at the Langley Events Centre, setting up a do-or-die battle for fifth place on Saturday night in Kelowna in the regular season finale.

With just one game to go, the Rockets now have a one point lead on the Giants for fifth place in the Western Conference standings, meaning whoever wins on Saturday will finish fifth and face the Wenatchee Wild in the first round of the playoffs. Whoever loses will finish in sixth and face the Everett Silvertips.

Scoring for the Giants on Friday was Cameron Schmidt (31st) and Tyson Zimmer (22nd).

The Rockets top line of Andrew Cristall, Gabriel Szturc and Max Graham combined for 11 points in the win, with Szturc scoring twice and Cristall and Graham each scoring once. Kayden Longley and Caden Price had the other tallies for Kelowna.

GAME SUMMARY

The Giants opened the scoring at the 13:55 mark of the first period on their first power play of the game, as Schmidt let a wrist shot go from the high slot that beat goaltender Jari Kykkanen cleanly.

Kelowna responded quickly tying the game 46 seconds later after Longley whacked in a rebound off a point shot.

Just 13 seconds after Longley made it 1-1, Szturc gave Kelowna their first lead of the game, letting a backhand go from the slot after a good pass from Cristall off the rush, making it 2-1 for the visitors.

Kelowna would increase their lead to 3-1 at the 5:13 mark of the second period, after Graham was the first one to a loose puck at the right circle after a foot race that started in the neutral zone. He snapped home his 18th of the season to give the Rockets a two-goal lead.

Only 24 seconds into the third period, Kelowna scored the all-important next goal, as Cristall tucked home his 40th of the season off a great feed from Szturc to make it 4-1.

The Giants got one back at the 12:08 mark of the third after an impressively quick snap shot from Zimmer on a 1-on-1 rush that went over the glove of Kykkanen to make it 4-2, but again, Kelowna responded right away, scoring 30 seconds later off the stick of Price to make it 5-2.

The Rockets added an empty-net goal with 4:29 left to play to make the final score 6-2.

CLICK FOR THE ONLINE RECAP WITH GOAL CLIPS

THEY SAID IT

"All the credit to Kelowna. They came in, they battled for pucks. They won puck battles. They were quicker on the puck. We were slow at times. We didn't get on the inside. We didn't forecheck. We played on the perimeter offensively. Eventually we ended up just getting frustrated and lost our cool in some situations and they capitalized. Complete credit to Kelowna. They came in with a game plan and executed and beat us...at this particular time tonight, just didn't have the answer for Kelowna, but we can still control our destiny tomorrow. I guarantee we're going to be much better tomorrow. We win tomorrow then we'll still be able to get fifth place." - Head Coach Manny Viveiros on the game overall

"There's not a whole lot of major adjustments we need to make with our group. We just need to be a little bit better in certain areas and that starts with puck battles, on the wall, going to the inside, staying connected as a group here. And if we do that, we're going to be absolutely fine. There's no secret formula to it, it's just hard work."

STATISTICS

SOG: VAN - 7/10/7 = 24 | KEL - 9/14/13 = 36

PP: VAN- 1/2 | KEL - 1/2

Face-Offs: VAN - 27 | KEL - 29

3 STARS (THREE 20-YEAR-OLDS FOR FINAL HOME GAME)

1st: VAN - Brett Mirwald

2nd: VAN - Logen Hammett

3rd: VAN - Wyatt Wilson

GOALTENDING BATTLE

Vancouver: Loss - Brett Mirwald (30 saves / 35 shots)

Kelowna: WIN - Jari Kykkanen (22 saves / 24 shots)

NEXT GAME:

The Giants close out their regular season tomorrow night, Saturday March 23, on the road in Kelowna at 7:05 p.m. Any sort of win (regulation or overtime) will result in them hopping Kelowna for fifth because the first tiebreaker after points is wins.

Playoff tickets for the first round will go on sale to the general public on Monday, March 25 at 10 a.m.

Check out the Vancouver Giants Statistics




Images from this story

Vancouver Giants' Colton Roberts battles Kelowna Rockets' Tij Iginla
Vancouver Giants' Colton Roberts battles Kelowna Rockets' Tij Iginla
(Rob Wilton)		 Vancouver Giants' Cameron Schmidt and Kelowna Rockets' Turner McMillen in action
Vancouver Giants' Cameron Schmidt and Kelowna Rockets' Turner McMillen in action
(Rob Wilton)		  



Western Hockey League Stories from March 23, 2024


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