by Roxanne Hooper and Steve Ewen
Vancouver Giants were out shot 42-28 by its Edmonton counterparts during action in Alberta Wednesday night, but the Langley-based hockey team was still able to pull out a win against the Oil Kings.
The team has won 16 games and lost 23 in its 39-game season thus far.
Last night’s game was the second win in a row for the Giants, placing them 7-0 against teams from the central division this year.
On the ice
As for specific on ice play last night, marketing director Brendan Batchelor pointed to the efforts of Brendan Semchuk, as well as a few others.
Semchuk scored the winning goal with 3:33 left in the third period to lift the Vancouver Giants to a 3-2 victory.
But the six-foot Kamloops native shared much of the credit for the win with G-Men’s goalie Ryan Kubic, who made 40 saves in the Giants’ crease.
He also shared Wednesday’s limelight with fellow right-winger Ty Ronning, who is ranked second in scoring for the Giants this season. He has 15 goals and 17 assists in 36 games this season.
Ronning put the Giants on the board late in the first period, banking the puck off an Edmonton defenceman and into the net after a pretty setup by Matt Barberis.
Next to put a point on the scoreboard, however, was Edmonton’s Adam Berg, who equalized for the Oil Kings after the midway mark of the second period, jamming a loose puck past Kubic.
The other goal for the Giants Wednesday night was scored by #14 James Malm. The centre also enjoys a strong scoring record this season, ranked fifth with 11 goals and 14 assists.
Malm restored the Giants’ lead on a power play early in the third period, redirecting Ronning’s centring pass over the shoulder of Edmonton goalie Patrick Dea, Batchelor explained.
Trey Fix-Wolansky pulled the Oil Kings back into a tie when he fired a rebound past Kubic just 48 seconds after Malm’s goal.
Then, Semchuk “bagged the eventual winner off the rush, ripping a hard wrist shot past Dea from the slot,” Batchelor said.
Vancouver continues its road trip on Friday night against the Red Deer Rebels. Face-off is set for 6 p.m.
The G-Men are not back on home ice again until next Friday, Jan. 13, when they take on the Moose Jaw Warriors at Langley Events Centre.
For tickets, click here or call 604-4GIANTS (604-444-2687).
Off the ice
The Vancouver Giants announced earlier in the day on Wednesday, that team captain Tyler Benson would not be playing against the Edmonton Oil Kings that night due to a “minor injury,” said Giants general manager Glen Hanlon.
“In consultation with the Edmonton Oilers, we’ve decided that it would be best for Tyler to miss tonight’s game due to a minor injury,” Hanlon said. “Tyler has been assessed by both our staff and the Oilers’ medical team, and we’ll take his status day-by-day. Tyler is very disappointed that he won’t be able to play in his hometown and help our team continue its winning road trip tonight.”
The 18-year-old is an Edmonton native, leads the Giants in scoring with 42 points in 33 games.
But, Benson missed 42 games last season recovering from surgery to remove a cyst near this tailbone and then from an inflamed pubic bone.
Benson, the first overall pick in the 2013 WHL bantam draft, also missed Vancouver’s first five games this season at Oilers training camp. He never suited up for a game with the NHL club due to a shoulder injury he suffered in a Sept. 11 Giants pre-season game in Ladner.
He has played every Vancouver game since his return and was ranked first on the team in scoring going into Wednesday.
The Giants aren’t saying what’s ailing him now. He didn’t play a shift in overtime in Vancouver’s 5-4 shootout win on the road Monday against the Calgary Hitmen, but did take one of their shootout attempts.
A post-game interview with him following Vancouver’s 4-2 loss to the Kamloops Blazers at the Langley Events Centre last Friday was held up for a few minutes while he was getting treatment in the team’s medical room.
The Edmonton Oilers selected him with the 32nd overall pick in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft. He signed an entry-level contract with the Oilers last week.
– with files from The Province