PRESEASON PREVIEW: Giants Wrap Up Exhibition Schedule vs. Blazers
Maple Ridge, B.C. – The Vancouver Giants will play their fourth and final preseason contest tonight at 7:00 p.m. PT at Cam Neely Arena in Maple Ridge against the Kamloops Blazers. Tickets for tonight can be purchased by clicking here.
The Giants are 2-0-1 so far in preseason action, following a 7-4 win last night against the Kelowna Rockets.
Vancouver has now scored 19 goals in three preseason games. In addition to last night’s seven-goal output, they scored eight in an 8-4 win on Sept. 8 against Prince George and four in a 5-4 shootout loss on Sept. 10 to Victoria.
The Blazers enter action tonight with a preseason record of 1-2-0. They won their first game 4-2 against Kelowna on Sept. 8, then lost in the rematch to the Rockets on Sept. 9 by a score of 4-2. Last night, they were shut out 2-0 by Victoria.
For the most up to date Giants preseason roster, click HERE.
TODAY’S MATCHUP
Today will be the first and only meeting between Vancouver and Kamloops in the 2023 preseason.
The two B.C. division rivals have met in the playoffs two years in a row now, with Kamloops winning in six games in 2022 and four games in 2023. The Giants went 2-6 in eight regular season meetings last season against the Memorial Cup hosts.
Much of the Blazers fire power from last year does not return, including NHL draft picks Logan Stankoven, Olen Zellweger, Caedan Bankier, Jakub Demek and Matthew Seminoff. While none of those five players have aged out, none of them are listed on the Blazers roster and each are expected to make the jump to pro this season.
The Blazers currently have 17 rookies listed on their 31-man preseason roster.
Both teams will be without their top guns tonight, as five Giants and four Blazers are currently away at NHL rookie tournaments, including Giants NHL Draft selections Samuel Honzek (Calgary Flames) and Jaden Lipinski (Calgary Flames), and Rockets NHL Draft picks Fraser Minten (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Connor Levis (Winnipeg Jets).
LAST TIME OUT
After a bit of a slow first 10 minutes, the Vancouver Giants turned things around and poured on the offence in last night’s preseason win, taking down the Kelowna Rockets 7-4.
The G-Men got goals from six different players: Justin Ivanusec, Colton Roberts, Ryan Lin, Colton Langkow, Cameron Schmidt and Adam Titlbach, who potted two.
Matthew Hutchison and Burke Hood split the game in goal, with each allowing two goals.
Special teams played a factor in Friday’s win, with the Giants power play going 2-for-6 and their penalty kill going 4-for-4.
