PREVIEW: Giants Look to Close Gap on 5th Place in Final H2H vs. Royals

PHOTO BY: ROB WILTON

Victoria B.C. – Tonight the Vancouver Giants (24-24-3-0) go for their fifth straight win when they take on the Victoria Royals (25-20-4-4) for the eighth and final time this season at the Save on Foods Memorial Centre at 7:05 p.m.

The Giants enter action following a 7-2 home win over Wenatchee on Saturday, which increased the team’s point streak to eight games (7-0-1). Vancouver is also back to .500 for the first time since early October and are 6-0 on home ice since New Year’s Day.

The Royals, meanwhile, have lost five straight, most recently a 9-6 loss to Prince George. Victoria sits in fifth place in the Western Conference, but they are just 2-6-1-1 in their last 10 games.

The Giants are tied for sixth place in the Western Conference standings with the Kelowna Rockets, with two games in hand.

HOW TO TUNE IN Date | Time  Wednesday, February 14 | 7:05 pm PT Place Save on Foods Memorial Centre Video Stream watch.chl.ca Listen Sportsnet 650 | Pre-Game begins at 6 p.m. Live Stats Click Here Social Media Twitter | Facebook  | Instagram | TikTok

LAST TIME OUT

The trio of Kyren Gronick, Connor Levis and Cameron Schmidt combined for eight points in a 7-2 come-from-behind win over the Wenatchee Wild on Saturday night at the Langley Events Centre.

Levis (16th, 17th) and Gronick (6th, 7th) each had a pair of goals in the win, while Ty Halaburda (16th), Matthew Edwards (2nd) and Jaden Lipinski (15th) also scored. Goaltender Brett Mirwald made 28 saves on 30 shots for his 21st win of the season. He is now 10-2-1 in his last 13 games.

TONIGHT’S MATCHUP

This is the eighth and final head-to-head meeting this season.

The Giants have the edge in the season series with a 4-2-1 record, following victories in the home opener on Sept. 22 (4-1), on the road on Oct. 28 (3-2 in a shootout), at home on Jan. 26 (5-3) and on the road on Jan. 27 (7-6 in overtime). Victoria won 3-2 on Oct. 27, 4-2 on Dec. 27, and 3-2 in overtime on Jan. 28.

One player to watch from the Giants is forward Connor Levis, who had two goals and an assist on Saturday against Wenatchee, his third multi-point game since Jan. 21. Levis also had four goals in the triple header against Victoria at the end of January, including a hat-trick on Jan. 27.

One player to watch from the Royals is Justin Kipkie, who had three points last game against Prince George (1G-2A). He also has seven points in six head-to-head games against the Giants this season (3G-4A).

These teams have been headed in different directions the past six weeks. The Giants are 11-3-1 since New Year’s Day, while the Royals are just 3-7-4-2 during that same time period. Victoria is, however, 15-6-1-2 on home ice this season.

TALE OF THE TAPE

VANCOUVER	STAT	VICTORIA
24-24-3-0 (51 Pts)	RECORD	25-20-4-4 (58 Pts)
4th	DIV. RANK	3rd
6th	CONF. RANK	4th
7-2-1-0	PAST 10	2-6-1-1
4W	STREAK	5L
13-10-2-0	HOME	15-6-1-2
11-14-0-0	AWAY	10-14-3-2
157 (3.08 – 18th)	GF (/G)	179 (3.38 -13th)
190 (3.73 – 13th)	GA (/G)	201 (3.79 – 14th)
37-for-170 (21.8%)	PP%	43-for-204 (21.1%)
174-for-219 (79.5%)	PK%	158-for-208 (76.0%)
Halaburda (16-30-46) Lipinski (15-30-45) Thorpe (23-21-44)	LEADERS	Pasternak (18-30-48) Scott (17-29-46) Laventure (20-25-45)

SEASON SERIES VS. VICTORIA (4-2-1; 8 H2H)