GAME DAY: Saturday, February 1 vs. Kamloops
Langley, B.C. – The Vancouver Giants (23-18-6-0) begin a four-game homestand tonight at the Langley Events Centre at 7 p.m. against the Kamloops Blazers (18-25-3-0), who they haven’t hosted since mid-November.
That being said, these teams are very familiar with one another, with Saturday being the sixth of eight meetings in 2024-25. Vancouver is 3-1-1 head-to-head so far.
The Giants are coming off a 5-2 loss on the road in Seattle on Friday night, in a game where the Thunderbirds went 3-for-8 on the power play.
The Blazers’ 5-2 win last night at home over Swift Current hopped them over the Wenatchee Wild and into the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Kamloops is 3-1 in their last four and 5-5-0 in their last 10.
Tonight is also Sock Saturday!
For every pair of brand new socks that fans bring to the game to donate, they will receive a puck for the 2nd intermission Chuck-a-Puck! All sock donations and money raised will go to youth homelessness initiatives. Prizes include a team-signed jersey and $100 Barley Merchant gift card!
HOW TO TUNE IN
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LAST MEETING – JAN. 10/25: VAN 4 at KAM 5 (OT)
The Vancouver Giants found themselves on the wrong end of a hectic contest on Jan. 10, losing 5-4 in overtime to the Kamloops Blazers.
The Giants had a 3-1 lead heading into the third period, but Kamloops scored twice in the final six minutes to tie the game 3-3. The Giants retook the lead at 4-3 when they responded 26 seconds after surrendering the 3-3 goal, but the Blazers once again found the equalizer with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker, tying the contest 4-4 with 9.8 seconds left. Jordan Keller won the game for Kamloops 2:01 into 3-on-3 overtime.
Mazden Lesie had a standout game for the G-Men with four four assists, while Ty Halaburda (13th), Connor Levis (15th), Maxim Muranov (11th) and Ryan Lin (3rd) each scored for Vancouver. Giants goaltender Burke Hood tied a career-high with 44 saves
VAN LAST 5 GAMES (2-2-1) | 14 GF, 20 GA
DATE | VAN RESULT | SCORE | VAN SCORERS | IN GOAL | GWG |
Jan. 31 | LOSS | VAN 2 at SEA 5 | Hoilett, Lipinski | Hood (31/36) | Cootes (SEA) |
Jan. 26 | OTL | VAN 2 vs. SC 3 (OT) | Halaburda, Thorpe | Hood (32/35) | Birnie (SC) |
Jan. 25 | WIN | VAN 6 at KEL 4 | Thorpe, Leslie (2), Levis, Halaburda, Lin (ENG) | Smith (26/30) | Halaburda (VAN) |
Jan. 21 | LOSS | VAN 1 at SEA 7 | Schmidt | Hood (24/31) | Pekar (SEA) |
Jan. 19 | WIN | VAN 3 vs. BDN 1 | Thorpe, Titlbach (2) | Hood (31/32) | Titlbach (VAN) |
2024-25 TEAM RANKS
VANCOUVER | Kamloops | |
Record | 23-18-6-0 | 18-25-3-0 |
Points | 51 | 39 |
Points % | .553 | .424 |
Conference Rank | 6th | 8th |
Last 10 | 4-4-2-0 | 5-5-0-0 |
Goals For/Game | 3.79 (8th) | 2.38 (T-16th) |
Goals Against/Game | 3.98 (16th) | 4.11 (19th) |
Goal Differential | -9 (14th) | -38 (18th) |
Power Play % | 25.1% (8th) | 25.9% (7th) |
Penalty Kill % | 73.9% (18th) | 74.3% (16th) |
Penalty Min./Game | 12.64 (6th) | 11.72 (3rd) |
WHO TO WATCH
VANCOUVER: #11 LONDON HOILETT – Hoilett (Winnipeg, MB) scored a phenomenal goal on Friday night to tie the game 1-1 in the first period, where he stole the puck in the neutral zone, then drove the net and essentially willed the puck past goaltender Scott Ratzlaff. While it was only his fourth goal of the season and 25th of his career, it showed that the energetic winger has some scoring touch.
KAMLOOPS: #18 HARRISON BRUNICKE – Brunicke (Calgary, AB) returned to the Blazers lineup on January 24 after a 22-game absence due to injury and he hasn’t skipped a beat. The 18-year-old defenceman has five assists in four games since his return, including two helpers last night in a 5-2 win over Swift Current. Brunicke was a second round selection by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft this past summer after posting 10 goals and 21 points in 49 games in 2023-24. Brunicke won a Gold Medal with Canada at the 2024 U-18 World Championships in Finland.
SEASON SERIES VS. KAMLOOPS (3-1-1-0; 8 H2H)
DATE | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
Oct. 4, 2024 | LEC | 8-6 W |
Oct. 27, 2024 | LEC | 3-1 W |
Nov. 15, 2024 | LEC | 6-2 L |
Dec. 27, 2024 | Sandman Centre | 4-3 OTW |
Jan. 10, 2025 | Sandman Centre | 5-4 OTL |
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 |
LOOK AHEAD
Vancouver wraps up the weekend on Sunday against Spokane, who visits for the second and final time this season.
DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
Saturday, February 1 | Kamloops | LEC | 7:00 PM |
Sunday, February 2 | Spokane | LEC | 4:00 PM |
Friday, February 7 | Portland | LEC | 7:00 PM |