Game Day Preview: Giants @ Americans

Sunday January 19, 2014
Vancouver Giants (23-15-5-3, 54 pts.) At Tri-City Americans (21-21-2-2, 46 pts.)
Toyota Center, Kennewick WA; 5:05 p.m.
Local Radio Broadcast: NewsTalk 870 AM, 4:45 p.m.

Previous Game

Vancouver: 01/17/14 at Kamloops (6-2, Win)

Tri-City: 01/18/14 vs. Spokane (3-1, Win)

2013/14 Point Leaders

Vancouver: Carter Popoff 11G-38A-49PT, Brett Kulak 14G-33A-47PT, Cain Franson 16G-24A-40PT

Tri-City: Brian Williams 27G-11A-38 PT , Phil  Tot 14G-16A-30PT , Lucas Nickles 14G-14A-28PT,

Game Overview

The Tri-City Americans conclude a busy weekend of hockey by welcoming the Vancouver Giants into town for the fourth and final meeting of the season. So far, home ice advantage has been the key in the series, with teams winning its home games in the first three meetings. All-time, Tri-City has a 32-19-0-1 record against Vancouver going 20-6-0-1 at home.

Players to Watch

Vancouver:

Dalton Thrower- The Giants bring with them a pair of talented offensive defenseman in Brett Kulak and Dalton Thrower, the older brother of Americans defenseman Josh Thrower. This will be the fourth and final time the 20-year-old will face off against his sibling in the WHL and he will be looking to continue his hot streak, scoring points in six of his last seven games.

Jackson Houck- Coming into tonight, Houck leads the team with 24 goals, five of which coming in the month of January. The North Vancouver native has had success against the Americans in the first three meetings, tallying two goals and three assists head-to-head.

Carter Popoff-  Popoff leads the Vancouver Giants in points and assists through 46 games with 49 and 38 respectively. The 18-year-old forward has been Mr. Consistent for the Giants, registering points in 13 of his last 16 games but has been held pointless in two of the three meetings against the Americans this season.

Tri-City:

Josh Thrower- Josh Thrower is looking to defeat his older brother for the first time in the WHL, having gone winless in his first three attempts while playing with the Calgary Hitmen. The 17-year-old defenseman is four-games into his Americans career and his physical play has been as advertised since being acquired.

Phil Tot-  Tot is coming off a big night against the Spokane Chiefs last night, where he registered two goals on his way to being named the first star of the game. With the departure and injuries to key players this season, Tot has had to take on a bigger offensive role as of late and currently sits second on the team with 30 points.

Eric Comrie– Comrie came up big again for the Americans last night, continuing his consistent play that he has shown all season. The 18-year-old  net minder comes into tonight’s game with a 2.49 goals against average and a 0.925 save percentage, ranking second in the WHL.

Game Notes

Previous Game: The Americans are coming off of a big win against the arch rival Spokane Chiefs last night where strong goaltending and defense shut down a high powered Spokane offense. Brian Williams scored the eventual game winning goal late in the second period and Phil Tot capped off a two-goal night with an insurance marker in the third period, lifting Tri-City to a 3-1 victory.

Playoff Implications: Tri-City is looking to gain some ground on the Vancouver Giants who sit eight points ahead of the them for the seventh spot in the Western Conference. The Ams will also be looking to put more distance between itself and the Prince George Cougars for the eighth and final playoff spot. Tri-City currently leads the Cougars by five points and will pick up one of its two games in hand on the B.C. Division team with tonight’s game.

Sibling Rivalry : Tonight will be the fourth and final meeting between the Thrower brothers Josh and Dalton. In three previous meetings against his older brother, Josh has gone winless, two of which coming in overtime. The brothers met earlier this season when Josh was a member of the Calgary Hitmen, losing 4-3 in overtime.

Against the BC Division: The Americans have gone 6-8-0-0 against the B.C division with wins against Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George as well as three victories against the Kamloops Blazers. Tri-City will have one more stop in Victoria and three meetings against the Kelowna Rockets left against the B.C Division after tonight’s contest.

Parker Bowles Returns to Lineup: Tri-City returned an important piece of its team to the lineup last night when Parker Bowles played in his first game since November 23. The Kelowna native has played in just 12 games this season, but has registered 19 points in limited time, ranking fourth on the team.

Americans Busy Week Continues: The Americans are two games into its busy six games in nine day schedule splitting its early weekend contests against Seattle and Spokane. After tonight, Tri-City will stay home for games against Moose Jaw and Seattle before traveling to Spokane to conclude its busy stretch of games.

Next Game

Tri-City: vs. Moose Jaw 01/22/14

Vancouver: at Portland 01/20/14