GAME DAY: Nov. 15 vs. Kamloops
Langley, B.C. – The Vancouver Giants (9-5-3-0) kick off White Spot Legends Weekend tonight at 7 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre with a battle against the Kamloops Blazers (10-9-1-0), who have won eight of their last 11 games.
This will be the third meeting of the season already, all of which have come at the LEC, with the Giants winning both by slim margins (8-6 on Oct. 4 and 3-1 on Oct. 27).
The Giants are looking to rebound after a tough weekend in Prince George where they picked up a single point in two games, most recently a 5-4 overtime setback on Sunday. They do get some reinforcements back, with Ryan Lin and Brett Olson returning from the U17 World Challenge, where Lin won Gold and Olson won Silver.
The Giants will play seven of their next eight games on home ice.
The Blazers most recent game was a 3-1 loss to Victoria on home ice on Monday. They are 4-4-1 this season on the road.
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HOW TO TUNE IN
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TODAY’S MATCHUP
Tonight is the third of eight head-to-head meetings this season.
The two contests so far have been wildly different: first, a come-from-behind 8-6 Vancouver win on Oct. 4, then, a tight-checking, physical affair that ended 3-1 in the Giants favour on Oct. 27.
The Giants will be looking to shut down a dangerous top line for Kamloops, consisting of Jordan Keller (21 points), Emmitt Finnie (27 points) and Nathan Behm (29 points) – their three top scorers.
Aiding Vancouver on Friday will be a near sell-out crowd, as the Giants are currently 6-1-0 on home ice, outscoring their opposition 41-25. Overall, Vancouver is the league’s third highest-scoring team with 4.29 goals for per game, including the league’s lone 20-goal man, Cameron Schmidt. Schmidt enters riding a four-game goal streak, with eight goals over his last four. He has been held pointless just once in 17 games.
This weekend is a big opportunity for the Giants to make up ground in the standings, as they have played the second-fewest games in the Western Conference at 17. They are currently six points back of second place Prince George, with three games in hand.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Player to Watch for the Giants is forward Ty Halaburda.
The 19-year-old was probably the most consistent Giant in the team’s last game, a 5-4 overtime loss last Sunday, where he recorded a goal and two assists. It was his first three-point game of the season and fifth of his career.
The right-shot forward is now third on team scoring with 17 points (6G-11A). Halaburda has points in six of his last seven games, with nine points during that stretch (2G-7A). Twelve of his points have come at even-strength. The speedy winger is playing in career game number 195 tonight.
On the other side, Emmitt Finnie is the Player to Watch for Kamloops.
He has been driving the bus for Kamloops this season, to the point where he has been drawing World Junior buzz.
His 27 points (12G-15A) in just 17 games put him just inside the top-15 in scoring in the WHL, meaning he is well on his way to crushing his previous career-high of 59 points, set last year.
Finnie has 19 points in his last 10 games (8G-11A), during which his team has gone 7-3. The first-year captain is also shooting the puck a ton, with 81 shots on goal, the fourth-most in the WHL. Finnie has nine multi-point games this season.
TALE OF THE TAPE (2024-25 REG SEASON)
| VANCOUVER | STAT | KAMLOOPS |
| 9-5-3 (21 points) | RECORD | 10-9-1 (21 points) |
| .618 | POINTS % | .525 |
| 4th/7th | DIV/CONF RANK | 3rd/6th |
| 4-3-3 | LAST 10 | 7-3-0 |
| 6-1-0 | HOME RECORD | 6-5-0 |
| 3-4-3 | ROAD RECORD | 4-4-1 |
| 73
(4.29 – 3rd) |
GOALS FOR
(Per Game) |
69
(3.45 – 15th) |
| 66
(3.88 – T-16th) |
GOALS AGAINST
(Per game) |
74
(3.70 – 14th) |
| +7 (9th) | GOAL DIFF | -5 (15th) |
| 28.4% (T-3rd) | POWER PLAY | 24.3% (10th) |
| 73.4% (17th) | PENALTY KILL | 76.5% (12th) |
| Schmidt (20-10-30)
Leslie (6-15-21) Halaburda (6-11-17) |
LEADERS | Behm (13-16-29)
Finnie (12-15-27) Keller (7-14-21) |
| Schmidt – 20 Goals | TOP GOAL SCORER | Behm – 13 Goals |
| Leslie (21 Points) | TOP SCORING D-MAN | Brunicke (12 Points) |
SEASON SERIES VS. KAMLOOPS (2-0-0; 8 H2H)
| DATE | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 4, 2024 | LEC | 8-6 W |
| Oct. 27, 2024 | LEC | 3-1 W |
| Nov. 15, 2024 | LEC | 7:00 PM PT |
| Dec. 27, 2024 | Sandman Centre | 7:00 PM PT |
| Jan. 10, 2025 | Sandman Centre | 7:00 PM PT |
| Feb. 1, 2025 | LEC | 7:00 PM PT |
| March 8, 2025 | Sandman Centre | 6:00 PM PT |
| March 21, 2025 | Sandman Centre | 7:00 PM PT |
NEXT 5 GAMES
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
| Nov. 15, 2024 | vs. Kamloops | LEC | 7:00 pm PT |
| Nov. 16, 2024 | vs. Portland | LEC | 7:00 pm PT |
| Nov. 22, 2024 | at Kelowna | Prospera Place | 7:05 pm PT |
| Nov. 23, 2024 | vs. Spokane | LEC | 7:00 pm PT |
| Nov. 24, 2024 | vs. Prince George | LEC | 4:00 pm PT |
