Some late-game heroics have the Vancouver Giants sitting at 2-1 on their young season. Tuesday night at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops the Giants earned a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over the Victoria Royals. Tristen Nielsen and Eric Florchuk both scored in a one minute, 12 second span late in the third period to erase a 4-3 deficit.
Florchuk (1G, 2A), Nielsen (1G, 1A), Justin Sourdif (3A) and Adam Hall (2G) all had multi-point games for Vancouver while goaltender Drew Sim stopped 23 shots to earn his first career WHL victory. Brayden Tracey and Tarun Fizer each had a goal and an assist in response for Victoria who fell to 0-3.
1st Period:
VAN – Zack Ostapchuk gave the Giants a 1-0 lead at 14:49 when he finished off a two-on-one rush with Eric Florchuk.
VAN – One minute and 20 seconds later, Vancouver took a 2-0 lead shorthanded when Adam Hall wired home a high shot over the left shoulder of Connor Martin. Justin Sourdif earned the lone assist.
VIC – Brandon Cutler put the Royals on the board at 18:57 on a breakaway. Kalem Parker drew the lone helper.
Shots: 12-12
2nd Period:
VIC – Royals captain Tarun Fizer knotted the game at 2-2 on a wrap-around off his own rebound
at 14:49.
VIC – Less than three minutes later, Victoria took their first lead of the night when Anaheim Ducks prospect Brayden Tracey tucked home his first of the season on a deke from the right-wing on a power play.
Shots: 12-10 Victoria
3rd Period:
VAN – Adam Hall buried his second goal of the evening on a power play at 10:03 of the final period. Hall’s third goal of the season came from the left-wing circle off a feed from Connor Horning.
VIC – Keanu Derungs gave the Royals a 4-3 lead on a power play when he parked himself in front of the Giants net and deflected home a feed from Tarun Fizer.
VAN – A few moments later the Giants answered with a power play strike of their own. Off a faceoff victory, Tristen Nielsen pounced on a loose puck and wired a shot by Connor Martin to tie the score.
VAN – One minute and 12 seconds later, Eric Florchuk completed the Giants comeback off the rush when he skated hard to the net and deflected home a feed from Tristen Nielsen past the blocker of Connor Martin. Justin Sourdif drew the second assist on what would end up as the winning goal.
Shots: 11-3 Vancouver
