Vancouver Giants forward Ty Halaburda scored the first and last goals of the game in Portland, to secure a victory over the host Winterhawks Tuesday night.
The 17-year-old right winger from Victoria was key to securing the win, as was goaltender Brett Mirwald who stopped more than double the number of shots on goal as fired by their competitors.
The Giants clinched their fourth consecutive WHL playoff berth early this month with a 4-2 win over the Victoria Royals. But it was determined with Tuesday’s result, that Kamloops was confirmed as the second seed in the Western Conference, while Vancouver is locked in as the seventh seed.
The first-round series was confirmed after the Blazers fell 6-3 to the Seattle Thunderbirds and the Vancouver Giants won 3-2 in overtime in Portland versus the Winterhawks, noted Giants media director Jamison Derksen.
Kamloops, the hosts of the 2023 Memorial Cup presented by Kia, will face the Vancouver Giants in the First Round of the 2023 WHL playoffs, marking the second post-season meeting in as many years between the two B.C. Division rivals. The playoffs are expected to begin on March 31.
Last spring, the upstart Giants met the B.C. division champion Blazers in the second round of the post-season, with Kamloops coming away victors in a six-game series.
It’s Vancouver, though, who holds the edge between the two sides in the all-time playoff ledger, winning two of the previous best-of-seven series, Derksen said.
GAME BY THE NUMBERS
1st period:
VAN: Ty Halaburda opened the scoring 2:10 into the game with a shortside shot, Vancouver’s first shot of the game.
2nd period:
No Scoring.
3rd period:
VAN: Tyler Thorpe scored for the second time this year in the Veterans Memorial Coliseum when he banked in a shot from below the goal line to make it 2-0 just 3:28 into the third.
POR: Robbie Fromm-Delorme got Portland on the board with a power-play goal 7:14 into the period.
POR: Diego Buttazzoni tied the game 6:21 later when he grabbed a rebound in the slot and put it top corner.
Overtime:
VAN: Ty Halaburda ended the game with his second of the night with 0:36 left in overtime.
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Final score: Vancouver 3 – Portland 2 (OT)
Final shots: Vancouver – 18, Portland – 39
Brett Mirwald: 37/39 saves for Vancouver
Jan Spunar: 16/18 saves for Portland
Vancouver power play: 0/3
Portland power play: 1/6
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The G-Men wrap up their regular season with two last games this weekend. The first is a home game Friday, March 24 against the Kelowna Rockets, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Langley Events Centre. Then they’re off to the B.C. Interior to take on the Rockets again Saturday night in Kelowna.
Make sure to stop by the Chevrolet Fan Appreciation photo booth to say hi to Jack the Giant and his friends at the top of Gate 2. Tag @WHLGiants for a chance to win a signed hockey puck! pic.twitter.com/AnVGblA7ru
— X – Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) March 23, 2023
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The Giants are also in the midst of hosting what they call an end of the year garage sale.
From March 17 through to April 5, there’s an online auction where fans can buy game-worn jerseys, signed pucks, locker room name plates from this year’s season, and other Giants memorabilia.
Some of the team jerseys, for instance, already have bids of $190, $210, and a few higher value ones include one of several Tyler Thorpe’s currently priced at $470, and a Zack Ostapchuk black jersey currently going for $270.
Vancouver Giants End of Year Garage Sale is OPEN!
Check out the link below. The regular whites, alternate blacks, signed prints, and more are up for auction 👀https://t.co/b7itVHyd8d
Auction closes on April 5 at 5:00 pm PST. pic.twitter.com/2q0AbXnBPY
— X – Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) March 23, 2023
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Vancouver Giants were in Portland Tuesday, where they defeated the Winterhawks in overtime by the score of 3-2. Last two games of regular season run Saturday and Sunday against the Kelowna Rockets. (Keith Dwiggins/Special to Langley Advance Times)
