PREVIEW: Vancouver Giants at Kamloops Blazers (Game #45)
Tonight in Kamloops, the Vancouver Giants continue their weekend with a road matchup against the division-leading Kamloops Blazers. Last night at home, both the Giants and the Blazers wound up on the wrong end of their respective games. The Blazers fell 4-1 to Everett while the Giants dropped a 5-2 score to the Victoria Royals. Tonight marks the 10th meeting of 12 on the season between these two clubs.
KAMLOOPS BLAZERS
OVERVIEW
Record: 34-13-1-0 (1st in Division/2nd in Conference)
Home Record: 14-5-1-0
Last Game: A 4-1 home loss last night to Everett
Last 10: 8-2-0-0
Record vs. VAN: 8-1
Goals For/Goals Against: 204 GF/122 GA (+82)
Power Play: 23.2% (9th)
Penalty Kill: 81.4% (6th)
Leading Scorers: Logan Stankoven (28-38-66), Luke Toporowski (30-24-54), Matthew Seminoff (20-25-45)
STANKOVEN’S VIEW FROM THE TOP
With 1.69 points-per-game, nobody in the Western Hockey League has managed more throughout the entirety of the 2021-2022 WHL season so far than Blazers forward Logan Stankoven. Coming into tonight, the Dallas Stars (signed) prospect has 28 goals and 38 assists for 66 points which ranks him first on the team and third in the entire WHL in scoring behind Saskatoon’s Kyle Crnkovic and Red Deer’s Arshdeep Bains. Stankoven brings an 18-game point streak into tonight’s tilt with Vancouver and during that span (Since December 8th) he’s posted 16 goals and 21 assists for 37 points. 16 of his 66 points have come against Vancouver (7G, 9A). A point tonight will give Stankoven the longest WHL point streak of the season outright.
THREE BLAZERS INVITED TO TOP PROSPECTS GAME
The Kamloops Blazers have three players that are invited to participate at the 2022 Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects game in Kitchener on Wednesday, March 23rd. Forwards Matthew Seminoff, Fraser Minten and defenseman Mats Lindgren will all participate in the event.
- Seminoff has 20 goals, 25 assists and 44 points in 43 games this season.
- Minten is in his second season with the Blazers and has compiled 14 goals, 20 assists and 34 points in 46 games.
- Lindgren has four goals, 30 assists and 34 points in 47 games in his second season with the Blazers.
BLAZER NOTES
- The Blazers have outscored the Giants 38 – 15 through nine games this season.
- Matthew Seminoff has three goals and eight assists for 11 points in nine games against Vancouver.
- Dylan Garand has played every second of hockey in net for Kamloops so far this season against the Giants.
- Kamloops is 13/47 on the power play in the nine meetings so far.
- The Blazers penalty kill has gone 29/33 in those same nine games.
- With 204 goals, no team in the WHL has scored more times than the Blazers so far this season.
VANCOUVER GIANTS
OVERVIEW
Record: 18-24-2-0
Road Record: 10-12-1-0
Last Game: A 5-2 home loss last night Victoria
Last 10: 3-7-0-0
Goals For/Goals Against: 122 GF/152 GA (-30)
Power Play: 19.2% (15th)
Penalty Kill: 76.4% (18th)
Leading Scorers: Fabian Lysell (15-20-35), Ty Thorpe (13-22-35), Alex Cotton (11-18-29)
GOOD LUCK ‘CHUK’
One of the main bright spots last night for the Giants, and for much of the season for that matter has been 2003-born forward/Ottawa Senators prospect Zack Ostapchuk. The 6’3″ forward bagged his 11th goal of the season last night and now has 25 points (11G, 14A) through 38 games. Over his past six games, Ostapchuk has managed two goals and four assists for six points. In seven games against Kamloops this season, Ostapchuk has recorded two goals and one assist for three points.
‘SELL’ HIGH
Since returning to the Giants from the World Juniors, 2003-born Swedish forward Fabian Lysell has produced four goals and three assists for seven points in that eight-game span. Coming into tonight, Lysell is tied for the team lead in scoring with 35 points, and his 15 goals are tops among all Giants. In nine appearances this season against Kamloops, Fabian Lysell has produced three goals and three assists for six points, which leads all Giant skaters.
GIANT NOTES
- Payton Mount is 11 points shy of 100 for his WHL career.
- Ty Thorpe is 24 games shy of 200.
- The Giants power play has now scored in three straight games and has gone 3/8 in that span.
- The Vancouver Giants are 11-1 on this season when Ty Thorpe records a goal.
- 10 of Fabian Lysell’s 15 goals have been scored on the road.
