Jesper Vikman was a standout in goal for Vancouver Giants, but so was his counterpart for the Calgary Hitmen, who eked out a narrow 3-2 win Sunday, Oct. 30 in Calgary. (Cassandra Vilgrain/Special to Langley Advance Times)

Jesper Vikman was a standout in goal for Vancouver Giants, but so was his counterpart for the Calgary Hitmen, who eked out a narrow 3-2 win Sunday, Oct. 30 in Calgary. (Cassandra Vilgrain/Special to Langley Advance Times)

VIDEO: Great goaltending, inspired play, but a close loss for Vancouver Giants against Calgary Hitmen

Ty Halaburda made a near-impossible shot while falling down

  • Oct. 31, 2022 10:00 a.m.

A short-handed Vancouver Giants suffered a hard-fought loss at the hands of the Calgary Hitmen, despite an inspired effort that saw Ty Halaburda score while taking a fall Sunday afternoon, Oct. 30, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, in a game with stellar goal tending on both ends of the ice .

The Langley-based Giants played the final 40 minutes with only four defencemen after Tom Cadieux was given a game misconduct early in the first period and Carson Haynes left the game with an injury.

After a scoreless first period, Calgary’s London Hoilett, with an assist from Maxim Muranov and Trey Patterson, scored his first career Western Hockey League goal to open the scoring at 1:53 of the second.

Vancouver’s Ty Halaburda tied the game at 6:34 into the third period, on a rebound, while he was falling down.

Samuel Honzek and Ty Thorpe had the assist.

Sean Tschigerl, with an assist by Carter Yakemchuk, restored Calgary’s lead just two minutes later on a sharp angle backhand, and Riley-Fiddler Schultz, with Grayden Siepmann and Tyson Galloway, brought the Hitmen lead to two on a breakaway with 1:59 remaining in the game.

Calgary’s Maxim Muranov and Vancouver’s Brenden Pentecost, at the Sunday, Oct. 30 game that saw the Calgary Hitmen, eket a narrow 3-2 win. (Cassandra Vilgrain/Special to Langley Advance Times)

Calgary’s Maxim Muranov and Vancouver’s Brenden Pentecost, at the Sunday, Oct. 30 game that saw the Calgary Hitmen, eket a narrow 3-2 win. (Cassandra Vilgrain/Special to Langley Advance Times)

Vancouver’s Samuel Honzek, with an assist from Mazden Leslie, and Jaden Lipinski, brought the game back within one just 0:35 later, but it proved to be the final tally of the game.

Honzek was named third star of the game.

READ ALSO: VIDEO: Two Giants goals disallowed during loss to Red Deer

Final Score Calgary 3 – Vancouver 2.

Calgary Hitmen netminder Brayden Peters was under slightly less pressure than Vikman, with Vancouver outshooting Calgary 34 to 26.

Giants’ Ethan Semeniuk and Calgary’s David Adaszynski battle for the puck at the Sunday, Oct. 30 game that saw the Calgary Hitmen, eke out a narrow 3-2 win. (Cassandra Vilgrain/Special to Langley Advance Times)

Giants’ Ethan Semeniuk and Calgary’s David Adaszynski battle for the puck at the Sunday, Oct. 30 game that saw the Calgary Hitmen, eke out a narrow 3-2 win. (Cassandra Vilgrain/Special to Langley Advance Times)

Giants next stop on their road trip will be Medicine Hat, where they will take on the Tigers Tuesday night at Co-op Place.

READ ALSO: Vancouver Giants who bear watching identified


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