PREVIEW: Giants Host Rockets in Crucial 4-Point Game

PHOTO BY: ROB WILTON

Langley, B.C. – Tonight the Vancouver Giants (28-26-3-0) look to create more separation between them and the visiting Kelowna Rockets (26-28-3-1) in a 7 p.m. showdown at the Langley Events Centre.

Currently, the Giants sit in sixth place in the Western Conference with 59 points and a three-point cushion on the visitors, who are in seventh place with 56 points.

This contest comes just one week after the Rockets beat Vancouver 4-1 at Prospera Place, giving them a 4-1 lead in the season series.

Vancouver is coming off a 7-1 thumping of the Kamloops Blazers last Saturday night, improving their record in the last 14 games to 11-2-1. The Giants enter with a nine-game unbeaten streak on home ice.

The Rockets’ last game was a 6-5 shootout loss to Prince George on Saturday on home ice. Kelowna is 1-4 in their last five road games and 4-5-0-1 in their last 10 overall.

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HOW TO TUNE IN Date | Time  Friday, March 1 | 7:00 pm PT Place Langley Events Centre Video Stream watch.chl.ca Listen Sportsnet 650 | Pre-Game begins at 6:00 p.m. Live Stats Click Here Social Media Twitter | Facebook  | Instagram | TikTok

LAST TIME OUT

Cameron Schmidt‘s hat-trick led the way for the Vancouver Giants last Saturday night in a commanding 7-1 win over the Kamloops Blazers.

In addition to Schmidt’s three goals (20th, 21st, 22nd), London Hoilett scored twice for the G-Men (7th, 8th), while Tyson Zimmer (20th) and Adam Titlbach (7th) also found the back of the net. Vancouver scored three times in a span of 2:02 late in the second period to increase their 2-1 lead to 5-1, before adding two late goals.

Brett Mirwald stopped 29 of 30 for his 25th win of the season.

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP

Tonight is the sixth of eight head-to-head meetings this season. Kelowna leads the season series 4-1, outscoring Vancouver 21-12.

The lone Giants win in the season series came on home ice just over a month ago, when they beat Kelowna 4-2 on Jan. 21. These teams also met one week ago, with the Rockets winning 4-1 at Prospera Place thanks to a hat-trick from Andrew Cristall.

During Vancouver’s 9-0 stretch at the LEC, they have outscored the opposition 44-21, for a +23 goal differential.

The Rockets trio of Cristall, Gabriel Szturc and Tij Iginla have scored 13 of the 21 goals Kelowna has scored against Vancouver this season, so shutting those three down will be key.

The player to watch from the Giants is forward London Hoilett, who is coming off a two-goal performance last Saturday, his first multi-goal performance as a Giant and the second of his WHL career. Since being acquired from the Calgary Hitmen in mid-December, Hoilett has chipped in 11 points, including six goals, in 27 games, but his value goes beyond the offensive production, thanks to a motor that never stops, making him a fan favourite because of that incredible work ethic.

The player to watch from the Rockets is Iginla, who is coming off a four-point performance against Prince George last Saturday where he tallied his 39th and 40th goals of the season. Over his last 10 games, Iginla has registered eight goals and five assists for 13 points. On the season, the left-shot forward has 70 points in 54 games. Iginla has five goals and eight points in four games against Vancouver this season.

TALE OF THE TAPE

VANCOUVER	STAT	KELOWNA
28-26-3-0 (59 Pts)	RECORD	26-28-3-1 (56 Pts)
3rd	DIV. RANK	4th
6th	CONF. RANK	7th
8-2-0-0	PAST 10	4-5-0-1
1W	STREAK	1L
16-10-2-0	HOME	17-9-2-1
12-16-1-0	AWAY	9-19-1-0
182 (3.19 – 15th)	GF (/G)	203 (3.50 -11th)
208 (3.65 – 11th)	GA (/G)	229 (3.95 – 17th)
41-for-194 (21.1%)	PP%	47-for-218 (21.6%)
196-for-246 (79.7%)	PK%	163-for-226 (72.1%)
Halaburda (17-34-51) Lipinski (16-33-49) Levis (19-28-47)	LEADERS	Cristall (34-56-90) Iginla (40-30-70) Sztruc (27-40-67)

SEASON SERIES VS. KELOWNA (1-4-0-0; 8 H2H)