PREVIEW: Giants Wrap Up Road Trip in Moose Jaw Against Warriors
PHOTO BY: ROB WILTON
Moose Jaw, Sask. – Tonight the Vancouver Giants (17-22-2-0) wrap up their five-game East Division road trip in Moose Jaw when they take on the Moose Jaw Warriors (23-15-0-2) at 5 p.m. PT.
The Giants are 3-1 so far on their five-game East Division road trip, after wins over Brandon (4-0), Prince Albert (6-5) and Regina (4-2). The Giants currently sit in 7th place in the Western Conference standings.
The Warriors are coming off a 5-0 shutout win over Victoria on home ice on Wednesday night. They have won six of their last seven games and currently sit in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference standings.
HOW TO TUNE IN
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LAST TIME OUT
The Vancouver Giants defeated the Regina Pats 4-2 on Friday night at the Brandt Centre to improve to 3-1 on their East Division road trip.
The Giants got goals from four different players, including many of their new additions: Connor Levis (11th, who scored on his first shift in a Giants uniform), Tyler Thorpe (20th), Tomis Marinkovic (2nd) and London Hoilett (4th).
Brett Mirwald stopped 28 of 30 in net for his 14th win of the season.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
This is the first and only head-to-head meeting of the season.
The Giants haven’t played a WHL game in Moose Jaw since October 11, 2019, which was a 4-1 win. Vancouver hosted the Warriors once last season, falling 5-4 in overtime on Nov. 30.
The Warriors are one of the highest scoring teams in the league (7th in goals for per game) and they have the WHL’s deadliest power play, operating at 29.8 per cent. They are also incredibly disciplined, having been shorthanded the least number of times in the entire WHL (121 – 3.03 time per game).
One player to watch from the Giants is forward Connor Levis, who scored in his Giants debut on Friday, playing on a line with Sam Honzek and Aaron Obobaifo.
One player to watch from the Warriors is forward Matthew Savoie, who is expected to make his Warriors debut after being acquired from the Wenatchee Wild on January 4 for seven draft picks. Savoie had 24 points in 11 games for the Wild before the trade.
TALE OF THE TAPE
| VANCOUVER | STAT | MOOSE JAW |
| 17-22-2-0 (36 Pts) | RECORD | 23-15-0-2 (48 Pts) |
| 4th | DIV. RANK | 2nd |
| 7th | CONF. RANK | 3rd |
| 5-5-0-0 | PAST 10 | 6-4-0-0 |
| 1W | STREAK | 1W |
| 8-10-2-0 | HOME | 12-8-0-1 |
| 9-12-0-0 | AWAY | 11-7-0-1 |
| 118 (2.88 – 19th) | GF (/G) | 153 (3.80 – 7th) |
| 156 (3.80 – T-15th) | GA (/G) | 134 (3.35 – 8th) |
| 30-for-140 (21.4%) | PP% | 42-for-141 (29.8%) |
| 143-for-180 (79.4%) | PK% | 92-for-121 (76.0%) |
| Lipinski (12-26-38)
Halaburda (14-21-35) Thorpe (20-14-34) |
LEADERS | Firkus (30-41-71)
Calvert (24-24-48) Yager (18-25-43) |
WHAT ARE WE WEARING
The Giants will be wearing their white primary jerseys.
SEASON SERIES VS. MOOSE JAW (0-0-0; 1 H2H)
| DATE | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
| Jan. 13, 2024 | Moose Jaw Events Centre | 5:00 pm PST |
NEXT 5 GAMES
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | TIME |
| Jan. 13, 2024 | at Moose Jaw | Moose Jaw Events Centre | 5:00 pm PST |
| Jan. 19, 2024 | at Kelowna | Prospera Place | 7:05 pm PST |
| Jan. 21, 2024 | vs. Kelowna | LEC | 2:00 pm PST |
| Jan. 26, 2024 | vs. Victoria | LEC | 7:00 pm PST |
| Jan. 27, 2024 | at Victoria | Save on Foods Memorial Arena | 6:05 pm PST |
