Vancouver Giants wrapped up their preseason with an exciting come-from-behind win at Cam Neely Arena in Maple Ridge on Saturday night, Sept. 16, as they edged the Kamloops Blazers 4-3 in a shootout.
Vancouver finishes the preseason with a record of 3-0-1. They scored 23 goals in those four games, while allowing 16 against.
A couple of former Winnipeg ICE forwards provided much of the offence for the G-Men Saturday, with Connor Dale potting a pair of goals and Skyler Bruce tying the game 3-3 midway through the third.
The contest remained deadlocked from that point on, as the game needed overtime first, and then a shootout. Giants forward Adam Titlbach was hero of the shootout, the only player from either side to find the back of the net.
The Giants penalty kill played a big part in the game going the distance, as the team found themselves down two men for much of the overtime period, but managed to kill multiple penalties.
Picking up the win between the pipes was veteran Brett Mirwald, who was making his first preseason start, stopping 29 of 32 shots and going a perfect 3-for-3 in the shootout.
Associate Coach Adam Maglio was pleased.
“I thought our first was really good,” Maglio commented after the game.
“We kind of let things go a little bit in the second, but a real good response from the group. Loved our effort, loved our enthusiasm and passion, especially killing a 5-on-3 late in the game and into OT.”
Maglio ascribed Connor Dale’s two-goal performance to his speed, saying Dale “showed that tonight, he has showed that throughout all the preseason. He’s tenacious., he’s been hard on pucks. We’ve been really happy with his game.”
Giants were missing five players due to NHL rookie camps: Sam Honzek, Jaden Lipinski, Mazden Leslie, Ty Halaburda and Tyler Thorpe
“[There’s] a lot of moving parts in preseason,” Maglio said. “You have a big roster start, and then you lose players to NHL Camp. So it is a work in progress, but this is going to be a big week for us to dial in and get ready.”
Next up, regular season play begins Friday, Sept. 22 the G-Men host the Victoria Royals at the Langley Events Centre at 7 p.m.
Single game tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by clicking here.
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