For the first time this season, the Vancouver Giants have won three consecutive games.
A 6-5 shootout victory on the road over the Prince Albert Raiders on Tuesday night, Jan. 9, saw newcomer Tyson Zimmer – acquired by the Giants on Monday – get only the goal from either side in the shootout.
In net, Matthew Hutchison picked up his third win of the season for Vancouver by stopping all six Raiders he faced in the shootout. The 17-year-old also made 29 saves in regulation.
Associate Coach Adam Maglio knew coming in it was going to be a hard fought game.
“P.A. does a really good job in their home barn,” Maglio commented.
“I think they keep their games simple and a lot of a lot of the play was along the walls.”
Maglio views the out-of-division swing as an opportunity to gain “a lot of momentum and traction.”
“There’s a lot of team building that happens on the road, so teams become a little bit closer, especially when you’re winning games. So we’ve done exactly that.”
The Giants got goals from five different players: Mazden Leslie, Tomis Marinkovic, Sam Honzek, Jaden Lipinski and Tyler Thorpe. It was Marinkovic’s first goal in a Giants uniform, while Honzek scored in his first game back with the club following the World Junior Hockey Championship.
Prince Albert got a hat-trick from Oli Chenier, plus single tallies from Krzysztof Macias and Sloan Stanick.
Giants scored twice early, three minutes apart from Leslie and then Marinkovic.
The Raiders got one back midway through the period, and went on to tie the game 2-2 at the 7:16 mark of the second.
A power play goal by Honzek restored the Giants one-goal lead, but the Raiders tied it up before the second frame ended.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Another standout game by Mirwald as Vancouver Giants down Wheat Kings
After the first 10 minutes of the third period saw no goals from either side, Vancouver scored twice quickly to take a 5-3 lead just past the halfway point, from Lipinski and Thorpe, but Raiders scored two of their own to force overtime.
In the shootout that followed a scoreless overtime, 11 of the 12 overall shooters were stopped, with Zimmer the only one scoring for either side in the sixth round to cap off the win for Vancouver.
READ ALSO: Vancouver Giants down Calgary
Next, Giants continue their five-game road trip through the Prairies Wednesday in Saskatoon against the Blades. Then they’ll face off against Regina on Friday and Moose Jaw on Saturday.
The Giants next home game is Sunday, January 21 at 2 p.m. against the Kelowna Rockets
