RECAP: Giants Never Quit in Heartbreaking 8-7 Loss to Everett

Category: ArticleDecember 9, 2023

PHOTO BY: ROB WILTON

Langley, B.C. – The Vancouver Giants lost 8-7 to the Everett Silvertips in a wild, back-and-forth affair on Teddy Bear Toss night at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday.

With the loss, the Giants’ record falls to 11-17-2-0 this season. Everett improves to 19-11-1-1.

The contest included five power play goals from each team and four different lead changes.

Providing the offence for Vancouver was: Jaden Lipinski (10th, 11th), Tyler Thorpe (13th, 14th), Sam Honzek (3rd), Ty Halaburda (10th) and Cameron Schmidt (8th).

Scoring for the Silvertips was Dominik Rymon (17th, 18th), Ben Hemmerling (11th, 12th), Tarin Smith (5th), Kaden Hammell (2nd), Julias Miettinen (9th) and Beau Courtney (7th).

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GAME SUMMARY:

Jaden Lipinski brought the teddy bears raining down just six minutes into this game, opening the scoring on a shorthanded breakaway.

Everett responded by scoring on the very same power play, off a point shot from Smith.

With under five minutes left in the first period, Everett scored twice in nine seconds. First, Hammell scored from the blue line on the power play, and then Rymon scored off an offensive zone face-off to make it 3-1 for the Silvertips.

Before the first period ended, Sam Honzek cut the visitors’ lead to one when he scored from the slot on a Giants power play, making it 3-2 for Everett after 20 minutes.

Lipinski evened the score just 31 seconds into the second period when he came down the right wing and beat Ethan Chadwick on the blocker side, which ended the goaltender’s night after just 20:31.

Several minutes later, the Giants got out to a 4-3 lead after Halaburda one-timed a bouncing puck past goaltender Tyler Palmer from the left circle.

After the Giants were called for a major penalty, Rymon scored his second of the night with exactly two minutes remaining in the second to even the game 4-4.

Early in the third period, the Silvertips struck twice in quick succession once more. At the 2:08 mark, Hemmerling notched his 11th of the season and then 10 seconds later, Miettinen extended Everett’s lead to 6-4 after the puck went in off his skate.

The Giants, however, wouldn’t go away.

On a power play of their own halfway through the third, Thorpe put home a rebound to make the score 6-5.

Courtney responded for Everett less than a minute later to restore their two-goal lead, but once again Vancouver battled back.

Thorpe scored from in front of the net on yet another power play at the 15:33 mark of the third period to make the score 7-6.

Less than a minute later, Schmidt zipped one in from the slot after a good move to the middle of the ice from Aaron Obobaifo to tie the game 7-7.

Unfortunately Hemmerling would score the game-winning-goal with just 1:26 remaining to give Everett the two points.

THEY SAID IT

“It was one of those games that we’re going to have to take some time to absorb here over a day or two and have a look at it. But from both sides, from both teams – I don’t want to speak for them – but for us there were just too many mistakes that we made that cost us. We did a lot of things to score goals – any time you score seven goals, that’s more than enough to win a hockey game. It’s actually more than enough to win two hockey games. Our penalty kill, which has been a staple for us this year, was a little off tonight and our power play – we scored five tonight too. Everett is a good team. They put us under pressure. They skate well. We have trouble with speed right now, with our young group. There are teams that come at us with speed and we’re just not up to that elite level in this league, as far as speed, so we tend to make mistakes under pressure when we don’t have the time and sometimes we hurry things. It’s just part of the learning curve for our young guys.” – Giants Head Coach Manny Viveiros

STATISTICS

SOG: VAN — 9/9/11 = 29 | EVT – 19/11/13 = 43
PP: VAN — 5/7 | EVT — 5/5
Face-Offs: VAN — 39 | EVT — 40

3 STARS

1st: EVT – Dominik Rymon– 2G, 3A, 4 SOG, +1
2nd: VAN – Jaden Lipinski – 2G, 2A, 4 SOG, +1
3rd: VAN – Ty Halaburda – 1G, 4A, 8 SOG

GOALTENDING BATTLE

Vancouver: Loss – Brett Mirwald(35 saves / 43 shots)
Everett: Win – Ethan Chadwick (8 saves / 11 shots); Tyler Palmer (14 saves / 18 shots)

NEXT GAME:

The Giants have a three-in-three next weekend to wrap up their first half schedule. On Friday, Dec. 15 they travel to Seattle to battle the Thunderbirds; on Saturday they are home to the Prince George Cougars and on Sunday they welcome the Thunderbirds to the LEC.

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