PREVIEW: Vancouver Giants at Portland Winterhawks (Game #54)
Tonight in the Rose City the Vancouver Giants wrap up their three-game voyage through the United States with their third meeting of the season against the Portland Winterhawks. So far on the trip the Giants are 1-1 and are coming off a spirited 3-2 victory last night in Kennewick against the Tri-City Americans. The Portland Winterhawks were also Friday winners having outlasted the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-2 in a game that featured a seven-round shootout. If the playoffs were to start today the Giants and Winterhawks would meet each other in Round 1.
PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS
Record: 38-14-3-2
Home Record: 19-6-3-1
Last Game; A 3-2 road win last night in Seattle.
Last 10: 8-2-0-0
Record vs. VAN: 0-1-1-0
Goals For/Goals Against: 245 GF/159 GA (+86)
Power Play: 25.7% (5th)
Penalty Kill: 83.0% (3rd)
Leading Scorers: Cross Hanas (22-48-70), James Stefan (30-36-66), Tyson Kozak (29-35-64)
POWER OF THE CROSS
Last night in Seattle marked the first game in a span of five that Cross Hanas didn’t find the scoresheet. In his previous four games, the 2020 draftee of the Detroit Red Wings had three goals and seven assists for 10 points. He enters tonight’s game with a team-leading 70 points (28G, 48A). In 185 career WHL games with Portland, Hanas has notched 54 goals and 91 assists for 145 points.
GAUTHER SHINES AGAIN
Last night in Seattle, Portland goaltender Taylor Gauthier not only stopped 51 of the 53 Seattle shots fired his way but he also turned aside all seven Seattle shootout attempts. Since joining the Winterhawks in a late December trade from Prince George, Gauthier has dazzled with a 16-2 record, a 1.82 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage. For his efforts, Gauthier inked a three-year entry level contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins at the start of March.
WINTERHAWK STATS
- Portland’s power play has gone 2/13 against the Giants this season.
- James Stefan leads the Winterhawks in goals with 30, but hasn’t scored in each of his past four games.
- Clay Hanus is tied for the league lead in scoring for defencemen with 58 points (15G, 43). He’s tied with Everett’s Olen Zellweger.
- Portland’s 245 goals is tops among all Western Conference teams, and the second most in the entire WHL.
- Portland’s 19 wins rank them third in the Western Conference behind Kamloops and Everett.
VANCOUVER GIANTS
OVERVIEW
Record: 21-29-3-0
Road Record: 12-15-1-0
Last Game: A 3-2 win over the Tri-City Americans last night.
Last 10: 3-6-1-0
Record vs. POR: 2-0
Goals For/Goals Against: 147 GF/183 GA (-36)
Power Play: 18.5% (17th)
Penalty Kill: 76.6% (17th)
Leading Scorers: Fabian Lysell (19-26-45), Ty Thorpe (14-25-39), Zack Ostapchuk (17-14-31)
‘LIP’ SERVICE
2004-born forward Jaden Lipinski is enjoying one of his best statistical stretches of hockey so far in his young career. The product of Scottsdale, AZ has four goals in his past four games and potted the first two goals of the game for the Vancouver Giants in last night’s 3-2 victory in Kennewick, WA. For the season, Lipinski now has five goals and five assists. He’s not eligible for the NHL draft until 2023.
LYSELL DELIVERS
With only 1:52 remaining in the third period last night in Tri-City, Giants leading scorer Fabian Lysell scored his team-leading 19th goal of the season to help secure a huge two points for the Vancouver Giants. On the season the 2021 first-round pick of the Boston Bruins now has 19 goals and 26 assists for 45 points. He’s recorded points in five of his last six games and nine of his last 11 altogether. He’s got two assists in two games against Portland so far.
GIANT NOTES
- Cole Shepard has points in each of his past six games. In that span Shepard has three goals and four assists for seven points.
- The Giants power play is 2/9 against Portland so far.
- Ty Thorpe leads the Giants with a goal and three assists against Portland.
- 13 of Fabian Lysell’s 19 goals this season ahve been scored on the road.
- Ethan Semeniuk has points in each of his past three games.
