Samuel Honzek and Jaden Lipinski showed they weren’t just homer picks for the CHL-NHL Top Prospects Game next month at the Langley Events Centre. Lipinski had two goals and an assist and Honzek a goal and two assists as the Vancouver Giants defeated the Victoria Royals 5-3 in a WHL game before an announced 3,663 fans Wednesday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
The Giants’ veteran six-foot-three goaltender Jesper Vikman, who played for Sweden in the world junior championship and was drafted in 2020 by the Las Vegas Golden Knights, was crucial as Victoria outshot Vancouver 34-23.
“We didn’t take Vikman’s eyes away enough,” said Royals head coach Dan Price, about his team’s lack of screen shots.
The Giants won without captain Zack Ostapchuk, who is with sa国际传媒 preparing for the 2023 world junior tournament beginning Boxing Day.
American walk-on revelation Lipinski from Scottsdale opened scoring at 6:20 of the first period. Victoria levelled on the power play at 17:16 when Alex Thacker knocked home a Kalem Parker rebound off goaltender Jesper Vikman’s mask. It was the 16th point of the season for the smooth-moving blueliner Parker, ranked for the fourth-to-sixth rounds of the 2023 NHL draft.
Honzek, the rookie force of nature who played for his homeland Slovakia in the 2022 world junior championship in Edmonton and leaves today to again represent his nation in the 2023 world juniors in the Maritimes, gave the Giants a 2-1 lead at 5:24 of the second period with his 17th goal. The six-foot-three winger has 44 points in 31 games. Lipinksi made it a two-goal advantage at 10:06 of the second frame. Dylan Anderson, on assists from Honzek and Lipinski, made it 4-1 on the power play at 12:56.
That was it for Victoria starter Nicholas Cristiano, who allowed four goals on 15 shots, as Logan Cunningham came into the crease and finished with seven saves on eight shots.
Veteran Royals-killer Ty Thorpe, on the power play with his 16th of the season, made it 5-1 in the third period. Brayden Schuurman got and Matthew Hodson, on the power play, got two back for Victoria.
Both teams got two power-play goals but Vancouver’s came at more opportune junctures of the game, leaving Price to rue his team’s six penalties taken.
“We took too many stick penalties,” he said.
“We will be focusing on discipline and penalty killing [in practice today].”
The Giants moved to 12-14-5 while the Royals dropped to 5-23-3. Victoria is 0-2-1 this season against Vancouver. Wednesday was the first of four meetings between the cross-strait rivals this month, continuing with three consecutive games after Christmas on Dec. 27-28 at the LEC and Dec. 30 at the Memorial Centre.
The Royals host the Tri-City Americans, with 2022 Calgary Flames draft pick Parker Bell of Campbell River, on Friday and Saturday at the Memorial Centre. Friday is the Teddy Bear Toss game.
