GAME 5 PREVIEW: Giants Need Win Sunday to Keep Season Alive
PHOTO BY: ROB WILTON
Everett, WA– The Vancouver Giants’ season is on the line this afternoon in Game 5 of their opening round series against the Everett Silvertips, with puck drop scheduled for 4 p.m. at Angel of the Winds Arena.
Everett currently leads the best-of-7 series 3-1.
The Giants’ only win in the series so far came on the road in Game 1 on March 29, when they scored four first period goals en route to a 6-4 win.
Since then, they have only beaten Tyler Palmer three times in three games.
Brett Mirwald’s goaltending has held the Giants in the series, with Everett out-scoring Vancouver 13-9 despite a 189-100 edge in shots on goal.
If Vancouver wins tonight, it means a Game 6 on home ice on Tuesday, April 9 will be guaranteed.
HOW TO TUNE IN
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ROUND 1 SCHEDULE
| GAME | DATE | AWAY | HOME | TIME/RESULT |
| 1 | Friday, March 29 | Vancouver | Everett | 6-4 W |
| 2 | Saturday, March 30 | Vancouver | Everett | 2-1 L |
| 3 | Wednesday, April 3 | Everett | Vancouver | 3-1 L |
| 4 | Friday, April 5 | Everett | Vancouver | 4-1 L |
| 5* | Sunday, April 7 | Vancouver | Everett | 4:05 p.m. PT |
| 6* | Tuesday, April 9 | Everett | Vancouver | 7:00 p.m. PT |
| 7* | Wednesday, April 10 | Vancouver | Everett | 7:05 p.m. PT |
LAST TIME OUT
The Everett Silvertips out-shot Vancouver 57-25 in a 4-1 win over the Vancouver Giants in Game 4 of the opening round series on Friday night at the Langley Events Centre, giving them a 3-1 series lead.
The Silvertips power play went 2-for-6 for the second straight game.
With his second 53-save performance of the series, Giants netminder Brett Mirwald has now made 176 saves in just four playoff games on 189 shots.
Everett got goals from Kaden Hammell, Jesse Heslop, Austin Roest and Parker Berge.
The Giants tally on Friday came from Sam Honzek, who tied the game shorthanded near the end of the second period.
TODAY’S FOCUS
Just like in Game 1, a quick start could be the key to winning. The Giants haven’t had a lead at any point of Games 2, 3 or 4, and it’s tough to win when you’re always chasing.
Cameron Schmidt scored 43 seconds into Game 1 on March 29 and Vancouver took a 4-2 lead into the first intermission. They were able to hold off Everett for a 6-4 win.
Staying disciplined and not getting frustrated will also be important, considering Everett went 4-for-12 on the power play in the two games in Langley.
“When things don’t go well, you don’t go off script. You’ve got to stay and continue [with your game plan], especially in playoff hockey,” Giants Head Coach Manny Viveiros said after Wednesday’s game. “We’re talking one-goal games we’ve been in during this series and we’re right in it. Then all of a sudden, we think we need to make something happen out of nothing. [Wednesday] was one of those nights. They never gave us any room here, so let’s just continue to hang around, hang around and don’t give them anything for free. We got a little bit frustrated, took some penalties I don’t think I’ve ever seen before and we just lost our cool.”
Laying it all on the line is also of course a must in an elimination game, especially since the compete level wasn’t good enough in Game 4.
“It wasn’t our best evening as a group, that’s for sure,” Viveiros said of Wednesday. “This [wasn’t] about x’s and o’s. This [was] about competing for the Vancouver Giants. That’s the biggest thing for me more than anything. There’s a certain level of compete that this organization expects from their players.”
SERIES AT A GLANCE – SO FAR
| VANCOUVER | STAT | EVERETT |
| 0-2 | HOME RECORD | 1-1 |
| 1-1 | ROAD RECORD | 2-0 |
| 9 | GOALS FOR | 13 |
| 13 | GOALS AGAINST | 9 |
| 20% (3-for-15) | POWER PLAY | 26.3% (5-for-19) |
| 73.7% (14-for-19) | PENALTY KILL | 80% (12-for-15) |
TALE OF THE TAPE – REGULAR SEASON
| VANCOUVER | STAT | EVERETT |
| 32-32-4-0 (68 points) | RECORD | 45-18-2-3 (95 points) |
| 6th | CONFERENCE RANK | 3rd |
| 19-12-3-0 | HOME RECORD | 26-5-2-1 |
| 13-20-1-0 | ROAD RECORD | 19-13-0-2 |
| 222 (3.26 – 14th) | GOALS FOR
(Per Game) |
296 (4.35 – 4th) |
| 249 (3.66 – 12th) | GOALS AGAINST (Per game) | 208 (3.06 – 4th) |
| 20.7% (16th) | POWER PLAY | 26.6% (5th) |
| 78.4 (7th) | PENALTY KILL | 73.5% (17th) |
| Lipinski (24-42-66)
Halaburda (21-45-66) Schmidt (31-28-59) |
LEADING SCORERS | Hemmerling (30-61-91)
Rymon (34-47-81) Roest (38-33-71) |
| Schmidt – 31 Goals | TOP GOAL SCORER | Roest – 38 Goals |
| Mazden Leslie (14-30-44) | TOP SCORING D-MAN | Parker Berge (13-50-63) |
| Brett Mirwald (29-22-3-0, 3.10 GAA, .913 SV%) | GOALTENDING H2H | Tyler Palmer (30-9-2-3,
2.57 GAA, .907 SV%) |
WHAT ARE WE WEARING
The Giants will be wearing their white primary jerseys for today’s game.
SEASON SERIES VS. EVERETT (1-3-0-0; 4 H2H)
| DATE | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
| Nov. 11, 2023 | Angel of the Winds Arena | 6-2 L |
| Dec. 8, 2023 | Angel of the Winds Arena | 4-1 L |
| Dec. 9, 2023 | LEC | 8-7 L |
| Feb. 3, 2024 | LEC | 4-3 W |
NEXT UP
If the Giants win on Sunday, Game 6 will be played on Tuesday, April 9 at the Langley Events Centre at 7 p.m.
