PREVIEW: Giants Look to Build Off Tuesday’s Win in Friday Tilt vs. Hurricanes
Lethbridge, Alta. – The Vancouver Giants (4-2-0-0) look to build off their best effort so far this season when they visit the Lethbridge Hurricanes (4-1-0-0) on Friday night at 6 p.m. PT in the only head-to-head meeting of the year.
This will be game three of five on the Giants Alberta road trip, and their first game since a convincing 5-2 win over the Red Deer Rebels on Tuesday night. It’s also the first meeting between Vancouver and Lethbridge since November 18, 2023, when the Canes edged the G-Men 4-3 in overtime at the LEC.
The Hurricanes’ most recent game was a 4-3 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors on home ice last Friday.
HOW TO TUNE IN
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TODAY’S MATCHUP
Scoring has come easily for the Giants so far this season: the club has averaged 4.5 goals for per game this season, which ranks third in the WHL. Vancouver also has nine players with at least a point-per-game: Schmidt, Lin, Leslie, Obobaifo, Gronick, Zimmer, Halaburda, Roberts and Levis.
The Hurricanes are 3-0-0 on home ice this season. They are a stout defensive team, with just 2.2 goals against per game, which ranks second in the WHL. They did, however, trade 20-year-old starting netminder Harrison Meneghin to the Medicine Hat Tigers last week, meaning their goaltending now lies in the hands of 19-year-old Brady Smith (23 career games) and 17-year-old Koen Cleaver (five career games).
These teams have only played each other three times in the last five seasons:
| DATE | LOCATION | RESULT |
| November 18, 2023 | LEC | 4-3 OTL |
| November 4, 2022 | Enmax Centre | 4-3 SOW |
| November 17, 2019 | LEC | 6-0 L |
Players to Watch
The Player to Watch for the Giants is forward Tyson Zimmer, who is facing his former team.
The 20-year-old centre carries a six-game point streak into action, with seven points in those games, all of which are assists.
Zimmer scored a career-high 23 goals last season split between Lethbridge and Vancouver. Although he hasn’t scored yet, he has fired 17 shots on goal, which ranks fifth on the Giants.
The Player to Watch for the Hurricanes is defenceman Noah Chadwick. Last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick had 56 points, which was 10th in scoring amongst defencemen in the WHL (12G-44A).
The Hurricanes captain has only played in three games because he was at camp with the Leafs, but he leads his team in ice-time per game with over 25 minutes and has a pair of assists.
TALE OF THE TAPE (2024-25 REG SEASON)
| VANCOUVER | STAT | LETHBRIDGE |
| 4-2-0-0 (8 points) | RECORD | 4-1-0-0 (8 points) |
| 3rd | DIVISION RANK | 2nd |
| 6th | CONFERENCE RANK | 4th |
| 2-1-0-0 | HOME RECORD | 3-0-0-0 |
| 2-1-0-0 | ROAD RECORD | 1-1-0-0 |
| 27
(4.5 – 3rd) |
GOALS FOR
(Per Game) |
16
(3.20 – 12th) |
| 24
(4.00 – T-16th) |
GOALS AGAINST
(Per game) |
11
(2.2 – 2nd) |
| 42.3% (1st) | POWER PLAY | 33.3% (T-2nd) |
| 80.9% (9th) | PENALTY KILL | 86.4% (T-2nd) |
| Schmidt (8-3-11)
Lin (0-9-9) Leslie (3-5-8) |
LEADERS | Edwards (3-4-7)
Wormald (2-4-6) Braillard (4-0-4) |
| Schmidt – 8 Goals | TOP GOAL SCORER | Braillard – 4 Goals |
| Ryan Lin (0-9-9) | TOP SCORING D-MAN | McCutcheon (1-3-4) |
SEASON SERIES VS. LETHBRIDGE (0-0-0; 1 H2H)
| DATE | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
| Oct. 11, 2024 | VisitLethbridge.com Arena | 6:00 PM PT |
NEXT 5 GAMES
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
| October 8, 2024 | at Red Deer | Peavy Mart Centrium | 6:00 pm PT |
| October 11, 2024 | at Lethbridge | VisitLethbridge.com Arena | 6:00 pm PT |
| October 12, 2024 | at Medicine Hat | Co-Op Place | 6:00 pm PT |
| October 14, 2024 | at Edmonton | Rogers Place | 11:00 am PT |
| Oct. 19, 2024 | vs. Prince Albert | LEC | 7:00 pm PT |
