RECAP: Americans (3) @ Giants (6) – January 17, 2025
Langley, BC – The Tri-City Americans (21-15-3-1) scored just 1:34 into the game, but the Vancouver Giants (21-16-5-0) scored twice in each period, handing the Americans a 6-3 loss at the Langley Events Centre.
Max Curran opened the scoring for Tri-City shortly after the opening puck drop. Finding a loose puck on the goal line, Curran swung up toward the right circle before sending the puck to the net, sneaking it through the five hole of Burke Hood for his 13th of the season.
Four minutes later the Giants answered back to tie the game. After a pair of blocked shots, Maxim Muranov took a breakaway pass and scored his 12th of the year to even the game at one. Just over a minute later Vancouver took the lead.A nice passing play was capped off by Cameron Schmidt who tapped in his 30th goal of the year to put the Giants ahead 2-1.
Tri-City had numerous chances to tie the game over the remainder of the period, including back-to-back power plays late, but Hood stood his ground and Curran was called for holding at the end of the first, sending the two teams to the locker room with Vancouver leading 2-1.
After starting the period at four-on-four, the Giants scored on the ensuing power play. Mazden Leslie threw the puck to the net and got a lucky bounce as it went off the shinpad of Terrell Goldsmith and in, pushing Vancouver’s lead to 3-1.
Six minutes later Brett Olson scored on a shot from the slot, ending the night for Nathan Preston who was replaced by Lukas Matecha 7:44 into the second period.
Late in the period the two teams went down to four-on-four again, and Tri-City cut into the lead. Brandon Whynott had the puck at the point and fired toward the goal where it was tipped by Carter MacAdams for his 13th goal of the season.
The Americans went into the room down 4-2, but leading 23-14 on the shot clock.
Just 11 seconds into the third the Giants restored their three-goal lead. Ty Halaburda finished off a two-on-one rush to put Vancouver ahead 5-2.
Schmidt then scored his second of the game on a hard shot from the slot 8:25 into the third as the Giants jumped ahead 6-2.
The game got heated late in regulation as Jake Gudelj was given a five-minute major for boarding in the neutral zone. Vancouver proceeded to take two separate penalties during the five-minute major as the teams primarily played four-on-four during the five-minute penalty.
That also included MacAdams scoring his second goal of the night. After Jackson Smith danced around a couple Giants in the neutral zone, he stopped along the right-wing boards and fed the puck to MacAdams. He wound up for a slap shot and blasted the puck past Hood with 2:34 remaining.
That capped off the scoring as the Americans dropped the 6-3 game.
It’s a quick turnaround for Tri-City as they head home to host the Wenatchee Wild (15-21-3-1) at the Toyota Center on Saturday.