PREVIEW: Vancouver Giants at Kelowna Rockets (Game #7)
Tonight at Prospera Place in Kelowna, the Vancouver Giants look to kick off their November schedule in winning fashion when they battle the Kelowna Rockets for a third straight game. The Giants have won back-to-back home games against the Rockets, but tonight will battle them on the road for the first time.
KELOWNA ROCKETS
OVERVIEW
Head Coach: Michael Dyck
Record: 3-3
Last Game: A 5-4 overtime victory over Victoria on Saturday, October 30th.
Record vs. VAN: 0-2
Power Play: 5/17 (29.4%)
Penalty Kill: 15/22 (68.2%)
Leading Scorers: Pavel Novak (6GP – 5G – 5A – 10PTS), Colton Dach (5GP – 4G – 2A – 6PTS), Jake Poole (6GP – 3G – 2A – 5PTS)
NOVAK GETS TRICKY
Heading into action tonight, Minnesota Wild prospect Pavel Novak leads all Rockets in both goals (six) and points (10). On Saturday night against Victoria, Novak struck three times in what ended up as a 5-4 overtime victory over the Victoria Royals. Novak has produced at least one point in five of Kelowna’s first six games and has two-or-more points in four of those five games. In two meetings so far though he’s just managed one assist against Vancouver.
‘POOLE’ING YOUR WEIGHT
2002-born forward Jake Poole has had a strong start to the 2021-2022 season for the Rockets. The McAuley, MB native has started the season with three goals and two assists for five points in six games. Poole had the OT winner in Saturday against Victoria, and also scored the night previously in Vancouver. He’s earned points in four of his past five games and has three goals and two assists for five points in that span.
ROCKET NOTES
- The Rockets are 4-6 against the Giants at home dating back to the start of the 2018-19 season. Two of those wins were in regulation.
- Colton Dach has four goals and two assists for six points through his first five this season.
- Kelowna is 2-1 this season when they’ve outshot their opposition.
- Colby Knight is 0-2 against the Giants with a 5.40 goals-against average and an .845 save percentage.
VANCOUVER GIANTS
OVERVIEW
Head Coach: Michael Dyck
Record: 4-2
Last Game: A 7-2 Victory over Kelowna
Record vs. KEL: 2-0
Power Play: 5/22 (22.7%)
Penalty Kill: 23/28 (82.15)
Leading Scorers: Justin Sourdif (5GP – 4G – 7A – 11PTS), Adam Hall (6GP – 5G – 3A – 8PTS), Fabian Lysell (5GP – 2G – 6A – 8PTS)
SO ‘SPECIAL’
The Vancouver Giants special teams units made their presence felt at both ends of the ice last Friday against the Rockets. The power play, which started the season 1/17, scored four times on five opportunities and the penalty killers struck twice shorthanded, meaning six of the team’s seven goals came courtesy of special teams. The Giants power play is now 4/10 in two games against Kelowna, and now sits with a 22.7% success rate through six games. Justin Sourdif leads all Giants with three power play points (2G, 1A).
THE START OF A BUSY STRETCH
Tonight’s game marks the first of a busy stretch of games for the G-Men that will see them play seven games in the span of 11 days in four different cities. Following tonight, the Giants will return home for back-to-back home games this weekend against Prince George (Nov. 5) and Portland (Nov. 6) before taking to the road next week for two more with Prince George (Nov 9, Nov 10) and then a home-and-home weekend with Kamloops that begins on the road November 12th, and wraps up at the LEC next Saturday on the 13th.
GIANT NOTES
- Tanner Brown will play in his 100th career WHL game tonight for Vancouver.
- Giants goaltender Jesper Vikman enters play tonight tied for first in the league with two shutouts.
- Ty Thorpe (4G, 3A) has recorded points in six of the first seven games this season for the Giants.
- Payton Mount is two points shy of 75 for his WHL career.
- Justin Sourdif has recorded four multi-point games through the first six Giants games of the season.
