GAME DAY: Nov. 16 vs. Portland
Langley, B.C. – The Vancouver Giants (9-6-3-0) look to punt last night’s game in the rearview mirror, as White Spot Legends Weekend continues tonight at 7 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre against the Portland Winterhawks (9-8-2).
The G-Men came out flat yesterday against a surging Kamloops team and suffered a 6-2 defeat on home ice. It was their first home loss since September 27, dropping their home record to 6-2.
Six of the Giants next seven games will be played at the LEC and tonight is a brand new day against a brand new opponent.
Last year, Portland went all-in, winning three playoff series before bowing out in the Championship Final in just four games to Moose Jaw. While the Winterhawks have lost a lot of their star power from last season (their six top scorers are all gone), they do return some key names like forwards Diego Buttazzoni and new captain Kyle Chyzowski, as well as defencemen Tyson Jugnauth and Carter Sotheran.
The Winterhawks won in a shootout last night, 3-2 over Red Deer on home ice.
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TODAY’S MATCHUP
Tonight is the first of five head-to-head meetings this season.
Last year, the Giants went 1-4 against a veteran Winterhawks squad that won 48 games. This season, Portland has 10 rookies.
The Giants will be looking to bring more energy to their game, after what Head Coach Manny Viveiros described as a ‘flat’ effort last night. Tightening up defensively and getting a few more saves will be key, as Vancouver has allowed 26 goals in their last five games.
Portland is led by captain Kyle Chyzowski, who scored his 13th goal of the season last night in a 3-2 shootout win over Red Deer at home. The Winterhawks are 3-2 in their last five and 3-5-2 in their last 10.
The G-Men hope to make up ground in the standings, as they have played the second-fewest games in the Western Conference at 18. They are four points back of fourth-place Victoria, with two games in hand.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The Player to Watch for the Giants is forward Tyus Sparks.
After not getting much ice-time in his first two career games, Sparks has now scored three goals in his last four contests, following a second period tally last night.
The 16-year-old forward has a dangerous shot and has also shown a high compete level the last two weekends. Sparks played for the L.A. Jr. Kings and then the Windy City Storm in the United States before committing to the Giants and the Western Hockey League this past spring.
On the other side, Surrey’s Kyle Chyzowski is the Player to Watch for Portland.
The Winterhawks captain leads his team in scoring by a fair margin – his 27 points are eight more than anyone else. With 13 goals, he is already six shy of his career-high of 19 set last season in 65 games.
The left-shot forward also has two shorthanded tallies this season. He enters action riding a four-game point streak (4G-3A) and is nine assists shy of 100 in his WHL career, currently with 62 goals and 91 assists for 153 points in 226 career games.
TALE OF THE TAPE (2024-25 REG SEASON)
| VANCOUVER | STAT | PORTLAND |
| 9-6-3 (21 points) | RECORD | 9-8-2 (20 points) |
| .583 | POINTS % | .526 |
| 4th/7th | DIV/CONF RANK | 4th/8th |
| 4-3-3 | LAST 10 | 3-5-2 |
| 6-2-0 | HOME RECORD | 3-4-1 |
| 3-4-3 | ROAD RECORD | 6-4-1 |
| 75
(4.17 – 4th) |
GOALS FOR
(Per Game) |
63
(3.32 – 17th) |
| 72
(4.00 – 19th) |
GOALS AGAINST
(Per game) |
75
(3.95 – 18th) |
| +3 (11th) | GOAL DIFF | -12 (16th) |
| 26.8% (4th) | POWER PLAY | 26.6% (5th) |
| 73.5% (18th) | PENALTY KILL | 83.6 (2nd) |
| Schmidt (20-10-30)
Leslie (6-15-21) Halaburda 6-11-17) |
LEADERS | Chyzowski (13-14-27)
Jugnauth (5-14-19) Buttazzoni (7-11-18) |
| Schmidt – 20 Goals | TOP GOAL SCORER | Chyzowski – 13 Goals |
| Leslie (21 Points) | TOP SCORING D-MAN | Jugnauth (19 Points) |
SEASON SERIES VS. PORTLAND (0-0-0; 5 H2H)
| DATE | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 16, 2024 | LEC | 7:00 PM PT |
| Dec. 7, 2024 | Veteran Memorial Coliseum | 6:00 PM PT |
| Dec. 8, 2024 | Veteran Memorial Coliseum | 4:00 PM PT |
| Feb. 7, 2025 | LEC | 7:00 PM PT |
| March 16, 2025 | Veteran Memorial Coliseum | 4:00 PM PT |
NEXT 5 GAMES
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
| 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 |
| Nov. 29, 2024 | vs. Everett | LEC | 7:00 pm PT |
