PREVIEW: Vancouver Giants vs. Kootenay Ice (Game #32)
Tonight at the LEC the Vancouver Giants take aim at their third straight victory when they take the ice against the Kootenay ICE for the first and only time in 2017-18. So far this week the Giants have rattled off back-to-back victories against the Western Conference leading Portland Winterhawks and tonight they’ll look to shake off some fatigue in pursuit of win number 15 against a snarly Kootenay Club who’s looking to atone after a 10-3 loss last night in Victoria.
KOOTENAY ICE
OVERVIEW:
Head Coach: James Patrick
Record: 13-17-1-0
Road Record: 5-10-0-0
Last Game: A 10-3 loss last night in Victoria.
Last 10: 5-5-0-0
Goals For/Goals Against: 87/121 (-34)
Power Play: 13.5% (22nd in WHL)
Penalty Kill: 78.1% (11th in WHL)
Leading Scorers: Colton Kroeker (28GP 7G – 20A – 27PTS), Alec Baer (31GP – 12G – 12A – 24PTS), Peyton Krebs (26GP – 7G – 17A – 24PTS)
WHO’S UP FRONT:
Alec Baer: The former Giant leads all Kootenay skaters with 12 goals and has added 12 assists for 24 points. In 240 career games with the Giants, Baer registered 44 goals along with 61 assists for 105 points.
Peyton Krebs: The first overall pick from 2016 is having a fine rookie season. His seven goals and 17 assists have him tied for second in team scoring. He was a teammate with Giants defenceman Bowen Byram on Canada Red’s World Under-17 silver medal winning team last month.
WHO’S ON D:
Jonothan Smart: The former Regina Pat and Kelowna Rocket was the center-piece in a recent trade that sent ICE captain Cale Fleury to the Regina Pats. He leads all ICE defenders with three goals and 12 assists for 15 points. So far with Kootenay he’s managed a goal and two assists for three points in 10 games.
Martin Bodak: Selected by the Kootenay Ice in the second round of the 2017 CHL Import Draft, the 19-year-old has had a nice season up to this point. He’s got a goal and 11 assists for 12 points and is only a -2 on a team that has a goal differencial of -34.
WHO’S IN GOAL:
Bailey Brkin/Duncan McGovern: This one’s tough to call as both surrendered five goals against in last night’s loss in Victoria. Brkin is the older of the two and has played in 18 games and is 6-9-1-0. McGovern is a year younger and is 3-3 with a 2.81 goals-against-average and a .904 save percentage.
X-FACTOR:
Response: Last night the ICE dropped a 10-3 decision. That can’t sit well with anybody in that locker room, which likely means they’ll be playing with an even bigger purpose tonight in Vancouver. The Giants will need to match the Kootenay work-ethic tonight, as the ICE will want to end their lengthy road swing on a positive note.
VANCOUVER GIANTS
OVERVIEW:
Head Coach: Jason McKee
Record: 14-13-2-2
Home Record: 8-6-0-0
Last Game: A 1-0 victory last night in Portland.
Last 10: 5-5-0-0
Goals For/Goals Against: 107/112 (-5)
Power Play: 22.7% (12th in WHL)
Penalty Kill: 73.7% (19th in WHL)
Leading Scorers: Ty Ronning (31GP – 27G – 12A – 39PTS), James Malm (31GP – 13G – 18A – 31PTS), Brad Morrison (31GP – 9G -21A – 30PTS)
WHO’S UP FRONT:
Brendan Semchuk: The lone goal in last night’s game courtesy of Brendan Semchuk. The 18-year-old has matched his goal totals from a season with eight. He accomplished this feat in 25 fewer games than he did a season ago. He’s one point shy of matching his point totals from a season ago.
Ty Ronning: The Giants leading scorer comes into tonight’s game with 27 goals and 12 assists for 39 points in 31 games. It’s game like tonight where the Giants will need their skill and experience to take over, and Ronning will look to be front and center with the Giants attack tonight.
WHO’S ON D:
Dylan Plouffe: The 18-year-old assisted on the Giants lone goal in last night’s victory and has now recorded 20 assists which puts him second only to Brad Morrison on the team in that regard. Defensively Plouffe continues to shine as well boasting a +5 rating. The ICE can expect to see a lot of Plouffe tonight in all situations.
Matt Barberis: Admittedly there may have been some rust for Matt Barberis who missed seven games with an injury prior to his return last night, but he found a way to make an impact. Offensively he adds so much to the Giants attack and defensively he won’t shy away from battles and blocks. Having him back provides a massive boost in all areas for the Giants.
WHO’S IN GOAL:
David Tendeck/Todd Scott: What a question. Do you give David Tendeck his third straight start? His numbers this week would suggest he’s earned it, especially after posting his first WHL shutout last night. But it’s a tough turnaround with the travel and no doubt Todd Scott is clamoring to get back between the pipes as well. Scott’s last victory came on November 28th against Seattle and his last appearance was last Saturday in Prince George.
X-FACTOR:
Match or Surpass the Work Ethic of the Opposition: The Kootenay ICE are at the end of a trip and they got clobbered a night ago. They’re going to be snarly, they’re going to be aggressive and the Giants will need to prepare themselves accordingly. If the Giants can match or surpass the work ethic on the other side they’re going to give themselves every opportunity to earn their 15th victory of the season.