RECAP: Schmidt's OT Winner Lifts Giants Past Canes

RECAP: Schmidt’s OT Winner Lifts Giants Past Canes

Category: ArticleOctober 11, 2024

Lethbridge, Alta. – Vancouver Giants forward Cameron Schmidt delivered a dazzling overtime winner on Friday night in Lethbridge, helping the Giants edge the Hurricanes 4-3 to improve to 5-2-0 this season.

Tyson Zimmer, Tyler Thorpe and Aaron Obobaifo each scored in regulation for the G-Men, while Matthew Hutchison won his third straight start with 27 saves, improving his record to 4-1 this season.

Schmidt now leads the entire Western Hockey League in goals with nine, while his 12 points are tied for third.

The win improves the Giants record to 2-1 on their five-game Alberta road trip, with games in Medicine Hat (Saturday) and Edmonton (Monday) still remaining.

Logan Wormald, Leo Braillard and Kooper Gyzowski had the goals for the Hurricanes, who dropped their first game at home and are now 4-1-1 this season.

CLICK FOR THE OFFICIAL WHL BOXSCORE

GAME SUMMARY

Lethbridge scored the first goal on Friday – something they hadn’t yet done through five games – after Brayden Edwards entered on a shorthanded 2-on-1 down the right wing and fed a pass to Wormald in the slot, who made no mistake.

The Giants thought they had tied it late in the opening period on a power play, after Zimmer let a one-timer go from the left circle that appeared to get past goaltender Brady Smith, but the referee waved it off. Upon review, it was confirmed that the puck hit the crossbar and stayed out.

Early in the second period, Zimmer tied the game for the Giants – for real this time – after Ty Halaburda’s low shot from the goal line hit the post and went right to Zimmer in the slot, who had an empty net to shot at and buried it against his former team.

Just a few minutes later, Ryan Lin escaped the forechecking pressure of Miguel Marques and led the rush, firing a pass up ice to Halaburda, who returned it to Lin. The 16-year-old defenceman then proceeded to backhand a pass behind him towards the slot, which went off a skate and found Thorpe in the right circle, who snapped a shot off the crossbar and in, making it 2-1 for the Giants.

BAR DOWN! 🚨
Tyler Thorpe with his second of the season, giving the G-Men 2-1 lead!!!

5:34 | 2nd#BeAGiant | @TheWHL pic.twitter.com/hVFvY8D5Cb

— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) October 12, 2024

After some key stops from Hutchison the penalty kill, the Giants went into the second intermission with a 2-1 lead.

Lethbridge wouldn’t go away easy, tying the game off a deflection from Braillard at the 10:55 mark of the third, and then taking the lead on a power play goal from Gizwoski less than three minutes later.

But with 3:30 left in regulation time, Obobaifo took a bank pass from Connor Levis on the left side in neutral ice and chipped it past defenceman Noah Chadwick, before powering his way to the net while fending off the check of Luke Cozens. The 17-year-old was able to take the puck to his backhand and calmly slide it past Smith to tie the game 3-3 on his sixth goal of the season.

AARON OBOBAIFO YOU ABSOLUTE BEAST.

It's now a 3-3 game with 3:30 left in the 3rd.@TheWHL pic.twitter.com/dnB2xVNgHF

— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) October 12, 2024

The Giants proceeded to head to overtime for the second time this season and only needed 12 seconds to end the game. Levis won the face-off back to Mazden Leslie, who gave the puck to Schmidt in his own zone, who picked up speed, dangled past Noah Chadwick and roofed a backhand shot past Smith to end the game.

just speechless…#NHLDraft | @TheWHL pic.twitter.com/NG5GGnRaF4

— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) October 12, 2024

STATISTICS

SOG: VAN — 11/6/13/1 = 31 | LET – 9/11/10/0 = 30
PP: VAN—0/4 | LET — 1/4
Face-Offs: VAN — 28 | LET — 28

THEY SAID IT

“I thought we were a little inconsistent tonight, but it’s a good road win and that’s a good club over there, so it feels good getting two points tonight…I think in the o-zone we threw it away a little too much, so that’s a work in progress, but as far as getting through the neutral zone, the movement has been good the last two games.” – Giants Associate Coach Adam Maglio

“There were some really good moments tonight. I think these last two games are similar games. You don’t like giving up a lead, I think a little bit of discipline there, but we talked I think in Red Deer about being resilient. One thing with this group is they don’t quit. We’ve got to reset though. We’ve got a big one tomorrow again in Med Hat. Our mentality is enjoy it and then get going again and move on and get a little bit better because I think there’s so much room and such a high ceiling with this team. We haven’t even tapped into it yet.” – Giants Associate Coach Adam Maglio

BY THE NUMBERS

Cameron Schmidt leads the WHL in goals with nine, and is T-3rd in points with 12
The Giants have nine players with at least a point-per-game (Schmidt, Lin, Leslie, Obobaifo, Zimmer, Halaburda, Gronick, Roberts, Levis)
Ryan Lin’s 10 assists rank 2nd in the WHL
Aaron Obobaifo’s six goals are T-5th in the WHL
Matthew Hutchison’s four wins are T-2nd in the WHL

3 STARS

1st: LET – Leo Braillard – 1G, 1A, 1 SOG
2nd: VAN – Ryan Lin – 1A, 1 SOG, +1
3rd: LET – Will Sharpe – 2A, 1 SOG

GOALTENDING BATTLE

Vancouver: WIN – Matthew Hutchison (27 saves / 30 shots)
Lethbridge: LOSS – Brady Smith (27 saves / 31 shots)

UP NEXT

Date	Opponent	Time	Location
Saturday, October 12	Medicine Hat Tigers	6 PM PT	Co-op Place
Monday, October 14	Edmonton Oil Kings	11 AM PT	Rogers Place
Saturday, October 19	Prince Albert	7 PM PT	Langley Events Centre

B.C. Division