Giants Erupt Offensively For a 6-3 Win Over Kootenay
CRANBROOK, BC – After 3 trades in 3 days leading up to this game, the Giants came up with their best road performance of the season in a 6-3 triumph in Cranbrook on Saturday night, matching their highest offensive output so far.
Just one game after having his 9 game points streak snapped, Marek Tvrdon led the way with 2 goals and 2 assists, while linemates Kale Kessy chipped in with three points and Anthony Ast with two.
Tvrdon opened the scoring with his first of two halfway through the first period and the Giants led 1-0 going to the locker room.
Vancouver started the second period with a power play, but it was Jon Martin for Kootenay who scored shorthanded to tie the game at one.
(Courtesy of Kootenay Ice)
However the Giants took off from there, scoring three unanswered goals in 3 and a half minutes (Anthony Ast with his first of the season, then Kale Kessy and Jackson Houck) to open up a 4-1 lead through 40 minutes.
After Marek Tvrdon scored his second goal early in the 3rd to make it 5-1, the Ice came back with a pair of goals from Kyle O’Connor and Sam Reinhert, before Mason Geertsen iced the game for Vancouver into an empty net for his first career WHL goal.
Payton Lee started the game in his hometown and finished with 21 saves as the Giants outshot the Ice 28-24.
(Courtesy of Kootenay Ice)
Wyatt Hoflin played the first 2 periods for Kootenay and surrendered 4 goals on 17 shots before Mackenzie Skapski came in for the 3rd and made 10 saves on 11 shots.
The Giants finished 0 for 4 on the power play and are now 1 for 29 in 7 road games this season. However they were 3 for 3 on the penalty kill and have now killed off 23 consecutive opposition power plays over the last 5 games combined.
The win moves Vancouver out of last place (ahead of Kootenay) by one point, now with a record of 5-11-0-0 on the season, while the Kootenay Ice dropped their6th straight game and see their record fall to 4-10-1-0.
The Giants will finish their longest road trip of the season tomorrow night in Kennewick, Washington vs the Tri-City Americans. Face-off will be 5pm with the pre-game show beginning at 5:30 on TEAM 1040.
