Turns out Vancouver Giants defenceman Trevor Longo is a tough competitor in the virtual hockey realm as well.
Longo recorded a 4-0 shutout against Max McCue of the London Knights in the first round of a virtual hockey tournament that pits players from junior hockey teams across the country against each other to see who is which best at NHL 21 for the Sony PlayStation 4.
Longo grabs a W in the first game of the #KiaCHLeCup! pic.twitter.com/AXLfQmR6zn
— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) November 29, 2020
His Nov. 29 win was the only shutout recorded in the first day of play for the Memorial eCup presented by Kia, a 64-team eSports tournament featuring all 60 CHL member clubs including the Langley-based Giants, plus four hockey personalities serving as guest participants.
An online summary posted to the Giants website said “Longo impressed as he controlled the puck from start to finish, pushing his name to the forefront as a favourite moving into Round 2 of the CHL Memorial eCup.”
The ultimate champion will be crowned December 17.
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Longo was selected in a vote by his teammates to represent the Giants.
NHL 21 is familiar territory for Longo, who reportedly buys the latest version of the game every year.
CHL President Dan MacKenzie said the growth of gaming and eSports “offers a new opportunity to stay better connected with our fans. It is also a fun way to give our players a chance to showcase their skills in a format that many of them enjoy in their spare time.”
Fans can follow along on Facebook Live, Twitch, CHL.ca/MemorialeCup, and across social media via #KiaCHLeCup for their chance to win daily prizes and a grand prize of a $1,000 prepaid Vanilla VISA® gift card.
Giants were idled by the COVID-19 pandemic that closed down most sports.
Plans by the WHL call for play to resume on Friday, Jan. 8 next year.
READ ALSO: Vancouver Giants will play hockey – in a B.C. bubble
Play will look very different due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, as the teams are expected to play only within provincial division boundaries.
That means the five B.C.-based teams, including Langley’s Vancouver Giants, will be seeing a lot of each other. The Giants’ primary opponents will be the Kamloops Blazers, Kelowna Rockets, Prince George Cougars, and Victoria Royals.
That’s just five of the 22 clubs in the WHL.
WHL players are scheduled to report to their clubs following the Christmas break, when they will begin training in preparation for the opening of the regular season.
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