Vancouver Giants are hoping to bounce back from a 7-4 fall to the Blazers in Kamloops Friday night, as they suit up to take on another Okanagan team on home ice tonight.
The G-Men are preparing for a showdown at Langley Events Centre, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m.
It’s the first of three consecutive meetups with the Kelowna Rockets. They play them tonight and next Friday, Oct. 29 at LEC, then conclude the trio of games in Kelowna on Wednesday, Nov. 3.
In the meantime, on Friday night at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, the Giants (2-2) dropped a 7-4 decision to the B.C. division, leading Kamloops Blazers (6-1).
Josh Pillar paced the Blazers attack with a goal and two assists, while Logan Stankoven and Quinn Schmiemann each added two goals.
Lysell's got his first 🚨@WHLGiants | @NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/8jyB1PH8x2
— The WHL (@TheWHL) October 23, 2021
Fabian Lysell (1G, 2A) responded with a three-point effort to lead all Giants. Adam Hall, Ty Thorpe and Nicco Camazzola also supplied goals for the Giants.
Dylan Garand earned the win in goal for Kamloops with 25 saves. Will Gurski made 21 saves in his Vancouver Giants debut.
The Giants are now 0-2 on the season against Kamloops, and will face them next on Friday, Nov. 12, again in Kamloops.
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GAME BY THE NUMBERS
1st period
KAM – At 12:42 of the opening frame, Quinn Schmiemann notched his first of two goals on the evening for Kamloops on a power play. Schmiemann’s point shot from the left-wing was set up by Fraser Minten and Dylan Sydor.
KAM – 20 seconds later Marko Stacha (4) increased the Kamloops lead to 2-0 off a low shot from the left-wing circle. The lone helper came from Daylan Kuefler.
KAM – 28 seconds after that, Logan Stankoven (4) made it 3-0 Kamloops on a breakaway finish. Josh Pillar secured his first of three points on the night with an assist. It marked three goals in a span of 48 seconds for Kamloops.
Shots: 14-5
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2nd period
VAN – 49 seconds into the period, Ty Thorpe put the Giants on the board when he backhanded home a Fabian Lysell rebound for his second goal of the season.
KAM – At 5:13, Josh Pillar restored the three-goal lead for Kamloops with an unassisted, highlight reel goal – His fourth of the season.
KAM – Quinn Schmiemann’s second goal of the night came off an odd-man rush at 8:05. Nick McCarry and Matthew Seminoff both earned the assists.
Shots: 12-9 Vancouver
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3rd period
KAM – 1:13 into the third, Fraser Minten made it 6-1 Kamloops when his cross-crease pass deflected off a Giant and past Will Gurski. Connor Levis drew the helper on Minten’s fourth marker of the season.
VAN – Adam Hall kick-started the Giants comeback efforts at 2:55 when he batted home a Payton Mount rebound from just outside the Kamloops crease. Nicco Camazzola earned an assist on Hall’s team-leading fourth goal.
VAN – 18 seconds later, Nicco Camazzola wired home his first career WHL goal off a screened shot from the slot. Justin Sourdif and Fabian Lysell both assisted.
VAN – Then with 9:13 remaining, Fabian Lysell took a Justin Sourdif pass and snapped home his first career WHL goal off the rush from the right-wing circle to make the game 6-4, Mazden Leslie drew the second assist. Sourdif has now produced a multi-point game in three of the Giants first four games this season. He leads the team in scoring with two goals and five assists for seven points.
KAM – All hopes of a Giants comeback ended at 17:19 when Logan Stankoven potted his second of the night into an empty net off a breakaway. Josh Pillar set up the play, securing his third point of the game in the process.
Shots: 12-5 Vancouver
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Final Score: Kamloops 7 – Vancouver 4
Final Shots: 29-28 Vancouver
Netminder Dylan Garand: 25/29 saves for Kamloops
Goalie Will Gurski: 21/27 saves for Vancouver
Kamloops power play: 1/4
Vancouver power play: 0.2
3 Stars: 1) Josh Pillar (KAM) – 1G, 2A; 2) Fabian Lysell (VAN) – 1G, 2A; 3) Quinn Schmiemann (KAM) – 2G
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Ty Thorpe scores for the Giants in a battle against the Blazers in Kamloops Friday night. (Allen Douglas/Special to Langley Advance Times)
Will Gursky made the save while a Blazer team member looked for a rebound. (Allen Douglas/Special to Langley Advance Times)
