PREVIEW: Vancouver Giants vs. Tri-City Americans (Game #55)

Category: ArticleMarch 16, 2022

Tonight at the LEC the Vancouver Giants will get a dose of home cooking as they kick off a modest two-game home stand against US Division competition. For the second and final time this season, Michael Dyck’s Giants welcome the Tri-City Americans to town. The road team has captured all three victories so far in this season series, and the playoff implications remain large for both teams. A win for the Giants tonight would give them a six-point cushion for sixth place in the Western Conference. Meanwhile the Tri-City Americans are eight points back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference and only have 12 games remaining/24 available points still up for grabs. There’s no denying the importance of two points tonight for either club.

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TRI-CITY AMERICANS

OVERVIEW

Record: 15-36-5-0

Road Record: 6-20-3-0

Last Game: A 5-1 loss in Seattle last night.

Last 10: 2-8-0-0

Goals For/Goals Against: 146 GF/264 GA (-118)

Power Play: 14.3% (22nd)

Penalty Kill: (72.9% (20th)

Leading Scorers: Samuel Huo (25-23-48), Parker Bell (14-25-39), Marc Lajoie (10-24-34)

‘HUO’ ARE YOU?

2001-born Samuel Huo (Richmond, BC) is enjoying a strong final season in the WHL. The 6’5″ forward comes into tonight’s game leading the Tri-City Americans in scoring with 25 goals and 23 assists for 48 points. Only five of his 24 goals have come via the power play. In his last 11 games, Huo has produced nine goals and seven assists for 16 points. Two of those goals came last Friday night against the Giants at home. For the season, Huo has three goals and one assist for four points in just two appearances this season against Vancouver. Huo leads all active Tri-City skaters with 258 career games played with Seattle and Tri-City. In that span he’s produced 55 goals and 61 assists for 117 points.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT

Last night in Seattle the Tri-City Americans dropped a 5-1 decision to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Sam Huo notched the lone goal of the evening for Tri-City in the second period in a game where the Americans were outshot 35-14. Tomas Suchanek started the game in goal for Tri-City and made 16/20 saves before being pulled in favour of Nick Avakyan. It marked the seventh straight loss for the Americans who enter tonight’s action eight points back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference standings.

TRI-CITY NOTES

Tri-City Americans broadcaster Craig West called his 2500th WHL game last night in Seattle.
Samuel Huo leads all Tri-City skaters with four points (3G, 1A) in two games against the Giants.
Defenceman Marc Lajoie has three points (1G, 2A) in three games against Vancouver.
Tomas Suchanek has started all three games this season against Vancouver and has a 1-2 record.
Tri-City’s power play has gone 1/11 against Vancouver in three games.

VANCOUVER GIANTS

OVERVIEW

Record: 22-29-3-0

Home Record: 9-14-2-0

Last Game: A 6-5 victory on the road in Portland on Saturday

Last 10: 4-5-1-0

Record vs. TC: 2-1

Goals For/Goals Against: 153 GF/188 GA (-35)

Power Play: 18.7% (17th)

Penalty Kill: 77.2% (16th)

Leading Scorers: Fabian Lysell (20-27-47), Ty Thorpe (14-26-40), Zack Ostapchuk (18-15-33)

GETTING ‘LIPPY’ WITH IT

2004-born rookie forward Jaden Lipinski (Scottsdale, AZ) is in the midst of a breakout month. The 6’3″ forward has registered five goals and one assists for six points in his past six games, and has scored five goals in his past five games. Last Friday in Kennewick, WA Jaden Lipinski recorded his first career two-goal game in the WHL in a 3-2 Vancouver victory over the Tri-City Americans. Then a day later in Portland, Lipinski added a goal and an assist in a 6-5 victory over the Portland Winterhawks. For the season Lipinski now has 12 points (6G, 6A), six of which have come during the month of March. Lipinski, who went undrafted in the WHL Prospects Draft, was signed by the Giants in April of 2021. He’s eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft.

FRESH FACES

The Vancouver Giants will receive a big lineup boost tonight with the return of three veterans:

Forward Payton Mount returns to the lineup after missing the previous three games with injury. The 2002-born forward brings a stat line of eight goals and 18 assists for 26 points and contributes on both the power play and the penalty kill.
Fellow forward Jacob Boucher returns to the lineup after sustaining an injury against Kamloops back on March 4th. Tonight will mark just his third game in a Giants uniform after being acquired at the trade deadline from Edmonton. Boucher has 11 goals and 10 assists for 21 points so far this season.
2002-born defenceman Tom Cadieux has also missed the previous three games with injury. In 44 games this season, Tom Cadieux has three goals and 12 assists for 15 points. He was acquired by the Giants at the trade deadline from Regina.

GIANT NOTES

The Giants are 18-9-1-0 when Ty Thorpe records at least one point and 11-2 when he scores a goal.
Giants captain Zack Ostapchuk will make his home ‘captain’ debut. He has six goals and one assist for seven points in his last nine games.
Fabian Lysell leads all Giants skaters with 13 multi-point games.
In his last 25 games (Since Nov. 26^th in Tri-City), Fabian Lysell has produced 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points.
All nine of Alex Cotton’s goals with the Giants have been scored on the road.
When leading after two periods, the Giants are 17-1-2-0.
Jaden Lipinski recorded his first career multi-point game with two goals on Friday against Tri-City. He now has four points in his past four games (3G, 1A).