PREVIEW: Giants VS. Chiefs (Preseason Game #2)
This afternoon in Everett, WA the Vancouver Giants put their 1-0 preseason record on the line when they clash with the Spokane Chiefs. Jason McKee’s crew had a lot to feel good about after yesterday’s 3-1 victory over Seattle. Meanwhile the Chiefs are coming off a 7-3 loss at the hands of Portland yesterday and will no doubt be looking for a strong bounce back effort today.
SPOKANE CHIEFS
OVERVIEW:
Head Coach: Dan Lambert
2017 Preseason Record: 0-1
2016-17 Leading Scorers: Kailer Yamamoto: 65 GP – 42 G – 57 A – 99 PTS, Jarret Anderson-Dolan: 72 GP – 39 G – 37 A – 76 PTS, Hudson Elynuik: 64 GP – 29 G – 44 A – 73 PTS.
WHO’S UP FRONT:
Kailer Yamamoto: The 2017 first round pick of the Edmonton Oilers led all Chiefs last season with 42 goals and 99 points. In yesterday’s preseason opener for Spokane he registered a goal and an assist.
Jarret Anderson-Dolan: The LA Kings prospect recorded 76 points in 72 games a season ago for Spokane. The LA Kings prospect did not play for Spokane in yesterday’s preseason opener which means he could very well be in the lineup today against the G-Men.
WHO’S ON D:
Ty Smith: The first overall pick of the 20115 WHL Bantam Draft had a terrific rookie season in 2016-17. He led all Chiefs defenceman a season ago with 32 points in 66 games. The draft eligible defenceman should only get better with time and experience.
Tyson Helgesen: The 20-year-old was a work horse last season for the Chiefs appearing in all 72 games. He finished with new career highs in goals (8) and points (29).
WHO’S IN GOAL:
Dawson Weatherill: The 1999-born product of Red Deer comes into the season as the likely favorite to carry the load for the Chiefs. Yesterday marked a tough preseason debut for him though as he surrendered seven goals against in a loss to Portland. Last season he was 11-14-4-2 with a 3.58 goals-against-average and an .885 save percentage.
X-FACTOR:
Bounce Back Effort: The results of preseason mean zero in the standings, but a 7-3 loss isn’t bound to sit well with the Chiefs. The Giants will need to expect an urgent, hungry opponent and will have to prepare themselves accordingly.
VANCOUVER GIANTS
OVERVIEW:
Head Coach: Jason McKee
2017 Preseason Record: 1-0
2016-17 Leading Scorers: Ty Ronning (68 GP – 25 G – 28 A – 53 PTS), James Malm (69 GP – 20 G – 31 A – 51 PTS), Tyler Benson (33 GP – 11 G – 31 A – 42 PTS)
WHO’S UP FRONT:
Brendan Semchuk: Led the charge for the Giants yesterday with a goal and an assist. The 18-year-old is playing with a lot of confidence right now and appears poised to ‘break out’ in 2017-18. Later this month he’ll be heading to Washington Capitals rookie camp, which will be a further boost to his confidence.
Owen Hardy: Hardy also bagged a goal and an assist in yesterday’s victory and is tied with Semchuk for the team lead in preseason scoring. Hardy has established himself as a reliable ‘lunch bucket’ type of player for the Giants over the past two years and his energy, speed and physicality are all going to be key ingredients to the Giants success.
WHO’S ON D:
Darian Skeoch: The 20-year-old didn’t dress in yesterday’s game but will likely make his preseason debut today in Everett. Skeoch worked extremely hard over the course of the summer to recover from an injury that ended his season prematurely and he’s coming into his final WHL campaign very motivated to help his team win.
Kaleb Bulych: The 17-year-old was the only defenceman to get on the score sheet yesterday and did so with an assist on the Giants power play. At 6’3” and 188 pounds, Bulych has a lot going for him size-wise and has earned the trust of his coaching staff to get some playing time in all situations.
WHO’S IN GOAL:
Ryan Kubic/David Tendeck/Jacob Wassermann: Todd Scott and Trent Miner teamed up for an excellent outing yesterday against the T-Birds. The two rookie hopefuls combined for 22 saves on 23 shots faced. That likely means that any combination of Kubic, Tendeck and Wassermann will likely get the nod today against Spokane. Goaltending has been a major point of positivity since Day 1 of Training Camp for the Giants and they’ll look to continue that trend today in Everett.
X-FACTOR:
Maintain Urgency: Confidence-wise the G-Men should be feeling good after yesterday’s game, but it will be very important for them to not to let any early complacency set in. The Chiefs will be hungry given their result Friday, and it will be important for the Giants to play today’s game with a similar urgency and a similar mindset.
