The Vancouver Giants tonight will play the first of three games this weekend as the Seattle Thunderbirds roll into town. The Giants should be smarting after dropping a 4-1 decision Wednesday night in Kelowna. The Giants had avoided a regulation loss in the previous 11 games but gave up three third period goals to the Rockets.

The T-Birds currently sit in 6th place in the Western Conference at 17-12-5-1 and are coming off of a 6-3 win over the Portland Winterhawks on New Year's Eve. Seattle is led offensively by Bud Holloway who has 17 goals and 20 assists in 35 games played this season. Jacob DeSerres should get the start in goal for Seattle as normal their normal number one goalie, Riki Helenius, is still away at the World Junior Championship tournament. DeSerres is 9-5-0-1 with a 2.09 GAA this season.

Seattle will also be the opponent in the Giants' second game of the weekend as the two teams, as well as a bus full of rabid Giants fans, makes it way down the I-5 for the Saturday night tilt. The final game this weekend goes Sunday at the Pacific Coliseum when the Kamloops Blazers roll into town. That game is a 5 pm start.

As the holiday season approaches the Vancouver Giants find themselves preparing for a home-and-home set with the rival Chilliwack Bruins. The first game is Friday night in Chilliwack and will televised on Shaw-TV.

The Giants have gone 4-0-1 in their last five games outscoring their opponents 29-9 during that stretch. Vancouver will be without Michal Repik who continues to recover from the head injury sustained two weeks ago. Tyson Sexsmith will be in between the pipes for both games after returning from the Team Canada selection camp in Calgary.

In the last meeting between these two teams Tyson Sexsmith made 18 saves and Jon Blum scored the overtime winner in a 2-1 home ice victory for the Giants.

In the season series to date the Giants have gone 3-0-2 having lost once in a shootout and once in overtime. The Giants currently lead the Global Cup standings with 8 points to the Bruins 4. With two regulation wins this weekend the Giants will clinch the Global Cup and add another banner to the Coliseum rafters.

The Bruins enter the weekend having dropped both games last week, 5-2 to Medicine Hat on Friday and 4-3 in a shootout to Seattle on Saturday. At 17-13-3-1 the Bruins sit third in the B.C. division having been recently passed by the surging Kamloops Blazers. Look for Matt Esposito to get the start in goal both nights for 'Wack.

Previous Meetings

Sept 30 ... Vancouver 2 @ Chilliwack 3 (SO)
Oct 5 ... Chilliwack 5 @ Vancouver 4 (OT)
Oct 14 ...Vancouver 4 @ Chilliwack 0
Nov 4 ... Vancouver 3 @ Chilliwack 1
Nov 16 ... Chilliwack 1 @ Vancouver 2 (OT)

Get the inside scoop on these games in our Vancouver Giants Forum now!

Toss Your Teddy!

Don't forget that Saturday night is the Giants annual Teddy Bear Toss night with all the donated stuffed animals being given to needy Metro Vancouver kids via the Province Empty Stocking Fund.

Tyson Sexsmith is going camping. When the roster for the 2008 Canada’s National Junior Selection Camp was announced earlier this morning the Vancouver Giants netminder found himself as the fourth goaltender invited.

Leland Irving, Jonathon Bernier and Steve Mason, who all played for Team Canada in the Canada/Russia series this summer, were also invited and are expected to be the favorites for the two roster spots available. Sexsmith, at 18, is the youngest of the four goalies invited and his invite may be in preparation for next year when he's expected to be a favorite for a roster spot.

Camp will run from December 10 - 14 in Alberta. During that time the Giants are expected to recall Jamie Tucker from the South Island Thunderbirds of the B.C. Major Midget League. The Giants have only one game during that stretch, Dec. 14 @ Chilliwack. Sexsmith could also miss the Dec. 9 game vs. Kamloops.

Vancouver Giants 3 Prince George Cougars 4 (SO)

After building a 2-0 first period on goals from Mario Bliznak and Evander Kane the Vancouver Giants fell apart and the Prince George Cougars were more than happy to take advantage.

Kane opened the scoring with his seventh goal of the season coming just after a Cougars penalty had expired. The Giants outshot the Cougars 9-5 in the opening period and lead 1-0.

The Giants started the second period on the powerplay but were unable to generate any scoring chances or establish possession in the offensive zone. Bliznak's fifth goal of the year came at the 4:23 mark. From there however it was downhill.

Greg Gardner scored a powerplay goal for Prince George at 9:55 to bring the hometown squad to within one. In the final three minutes turnovers, combined with sloppy defensive zone play, lead to the Giants surrendering the lead. Jesse Dudas scored at 17:14 and only 57 seconds later Dana Tyrell put a slick move on Jon Blum before breaking in on Tyson Sexsmith who was beaten on the breakaway.

Blum would make up for his defensive misstep halfway through the third period when he scored the tying goal on a Giants powerplay with a blast from just above the face-off circle.

The 4-on-4 session solved nothing and the two teams went to a shootout were Alex Poulter and Ty Wishart scored on the Cougars' first two attempts while Casey Pierro-Zabotel and Mike Piluso were unable to beat Tommy Tartaglione. 

For the game the Giants outshot the Cougars 29-08 and finished the night 1-for-4 with the man advantage. The Giants will now wait until Saturday when they host the Everett Silvertips at the Pacific Coliseum.