#TalkToday GAME DAY: Friday, February 7 vs. Portland
Langley, B.C. – The Vancouver Giants (24-19-6-0) host the Portland Winterhawks (27-18-2-1) tonight at the Langley Events Centre at 7 p.m., who sit one spot above them in the standings, currently three points up.
Tonight will be the fourth of five head-to-head meetings, with the G-Men 1-1-1 so far. These teams haven’t met since a 5-2 road win for the Giants on Dec. 8, when Adam Titlbach scored a hat-trick.
Vancouver suffered a 5-2 loss in their last outing on Sunday, Feb. 2 to the Spokane Chiefs, but brought a strong effort in a game that was essentially a one-goal contest, with Spokane scoring two empty-net goals. The previous night, the G-Men thumped visiting Kamloops 9-2.
The Winterhawks played twice last weekend, losing at home to Medicine Hat on Friday (7-2) and falling to Victoria on Saturday (2-1). Portland is 6-4-0 in their last 10, while the Giants are 5-3-2.
Tonight is the Giants annual #TalkToday game in partnership with CMHA Vancouver-Fraser. Talk Today provides mental health support to players, educates them about mental health and suicide prevention and raises awareness about mental health and suicide prevention throughout communities across the region. Fans will learn more about #TalkToday at Friday’s game.
HOW TO TUNE IN
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LAST MEETING – DEC. 8/24: VAN 5 at POR 2
The Giants got a combined 10 points from Adam Titlbach, Connor Levis and Tyler Thorpe in a 5-2 win over the Portland Winterhawks to spoil the Hawks Teddy Bear Toss on December 8. Titlbach led the way offensively with a hat-trick – the first of his Western Hockey League career. Levis had a goal and two assists, while Thorpe had four assists. Marek Howell also scored for the Giants, his first goal since coming over in a trade from Moose Jaw in the summer of 2023. Burke Hood delivered a knockout performance for the G-Men, stopping 34 of 36 shots.
VAN LAST 5 GAMES (2-2-1) | 21 GF, 19 GA
| DATE | VAN RESULT | SCORE | VAN SCORERS | IN GOAL | GWG |
| Feb. 2 | LOSS | VAN 2 vs. SPO 5 | Schmidt, Thorpe | Hood (41/44) | McIsaac (SPO) |
| Feb. 1 | WIN | VAN 9 vs. KAM 2 | Lin, Levis, Halaburda (2), Titlbach (2), Schmidt, Thorpe, Cail | Smith (28/30) | Halaburda (VAN) |
| Jan. 31 | LOSS | VAN 2 at SEA 5 | Hoilett, Lipinski | Hood (31/36) | Cootes (SEA) |
| Jan. 26 | OTL | VAN 2 vs. SC 3 (OT) | Halaburda, Thorpe | Hood (32/35) | Birnie (SC) |
| Jan. 25 | WIN | VAN 6 at KEL 4 | Thorpe, Leslie (2), Levis, Halaburda, Lin (ENG) | Smith (26/30) | Halaburda (VAN) |
2024-25 TEAM RANKS
| VANCOUVER | Portland | |
| Record | 24-18-6-0 | 27-18-2-1 |
| Points | 54 | 57 |
| Points % | .551 | .594 |
| Conference Rank | 6th | 5th |
| Last 10 | 5-3-2-0 | 6-4-0-0 |
| Goals For/Game | 3.86 (8th) | 3.98 (4th) |
| Goals Against/Game | 3.96 (15th) | 4.02 (17th) |
| Goal Differential | -5 (13th) | -2 (14th) |
| Power Play % | 25.9% (7th) | 26.9% (6th) |
| Penalty Kill % | 73.9% (17th) | 76.6% (10th) |
| Penalty Min./Game | 12.78 (7th) | 15.71 (14th) |
WHO TO WATCH
VANCOUVER: #21 ADAM TITLBACH – Titlbach (Litvinov, CZE.) has been hot and cold as of late, but had a pair of goals on Saturday in a big win over Kamloops. The speedy winger also recorded his first career WHL hat-trick earlier this season against Portland, in a 5-2 win on Dec. 8. Titlbach has more points this season (34) than he did all of last season (30) in 17 fewer games, and he has more than twice as many goals (19 this season vs. just nine in 2023-24). Titlbach’s game is all about speed and skill, and against a fast team like Portland that isn’t the most physical, he tends to be the most effective. With his next goal, he’ll become the fourth Giant to reach 20 goals this season.
PORTLAND: #27 TYSON JUGNAUTH – Jugnauth (Kelowna, B.C.) leads all defencemen in the WHL in scoring with 66 points. He currently has a comfortable lead, sitting 13 points ahead of Giants captain Mazden Leslie, who ranks second with 53 points. Jugnauth has nine points in just three head-to-head games with Vancouver, which includes a six-assist night on December 7 in a 7-2 win for Portland on home ice. The left-shot defender has been incredibly consistent the past couple of months, recording two separate 10-game point streaks, one from Dec. 1-31 (20A) and another from Jan. 3-25 (6G-13A).
SEASON SERIES VS. PORTLAND (1-1-1; 5 H2H)
| DATE | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
| Nov. 16, 2024 | LEC | 6-5 OTL |
| Dec. 7, 2024 | Veteran Memorial Coliseum | 7-2 L |
| Dec. 8, 2024 | Veteran Memorial Coliseum | 5-2 W |
| Feb. 7, 2025 | LEC | 7:00 PM PT |
| March 16, 2025 | Veteran Memorial Coliseum | 4:00 PM PT |
LOOK AHEAD
Vancouver takes on Everett at home tomorrow, before a home-and-home with Victoria next weekend.
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT/TIME |
| Saturday, February 8 | Everett | LEC | 7:00 PM |
| Friday, February 14 | Victoria | Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre | 7:00 PM |
| Saturday, February 15 | Victoria | LEC | 7:00 PM |
