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VIDEO: Vancouver Giants pull off an late-in-the-game comeback for OT win against Victoria

Samuel Honzek tied the game with just 1.7 seconds left
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Samuel Honzek tied the game with 1.7 seconds left to force overtime against the Royals on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Victoria. (Kevin Light/Special to Langley Advance Times)

Vancouver Giants are back in the win column following an epic comeback and overtime win against Victoria Royals on Saturday, Oct 22.

G-men opened the scoring and built a lead in the second period, but the Royals jumped ahead with a strong start to the third period.

But then, two goals in the last three minutes by the Giants tied it up and Ostapchuk buried the winner in overtime.

Giants’ Samuel Honzek opened the scoring 1:50 into the game with his fourth of the season.

In the second period, Ethan Semeniuk deflected a Mazden Leslie point shot to bring the Vancouver lead to 2-0 at 15:02.

Then Victoria’s Jake Poole netted his first of the game two minutes later, with a shortside snipe from the bottom of the left face-off circle.

Vancouver’s Ty Thorpe one-timed in his fifth of the season, a power play goal, 15:50 into the middle frame.

Three minutes later, Royals’ Teague Patton scored off Jesper Vikman to bring the Royals back within one before the end of the second period.

READ ALSO: Giants defenceman Colton Roberts named to Canada U17 team roster

In the third, Victoria’s Jake Poole tied the game 4:29 into the third period for his second of the game.

Poole completed the hat trick with a power play goal two minutes later to bring the Royals ahead 4-3.

Victoria’s Riley Gannon added to the Giants lead 9:07 into the third on the power play.

Jesper Vikman had 30 saves on 35 shots for Vancouver as Giants pulled off a comeback and overtime win against Victoria on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Victoria. (Kevin Light/Special to Langley Advance Times)
Jesper Vikman had 30 saves on 35 shots for Vancouver as Giants pulled off a comeback and overtime win against Victoria on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Victoria. (Kevin Light/Special to Langley Advance Times)

With the netminder pulled, Vancouver’s Ty Thorpe brought the game within one in a scramble in front of Royals goalie Tyler Palmer with 1:48 left in the game.

Then, Samuel Honzek tied the game with 1.7 seconds left on a rebound, his second goal of the game.

In overtime, Giants Captain Zack Ostapchuk buried a rebound in overtime to complete the comeback for the G-Men.

Final Score: Vancouver 6 – Victoria 5

Jesper Vikman had 30 saves on 35 shots for Vancouver while Tyler Palmer had 23 saves on 29 shots for Victoria.

On Sunday afternoon at the Langley Events Centre, the Giants found the energy they needed to get ahead and stay ahead of the BC Division-leading Kamloops Blazers.

Jaden Lipinski opened the scoring for Vancouver 2:58 into the game, on a power play goal.

Kamloops player Caedan Bankier tied it up fifteen minutes later on a shot off the rush, his eighth goal of the year.

Vancouver moved ahead in the second period, when Ethan Semeniuk redirected a pass from the corner by Carson Haynes to restore the lead for Vancouver 6:31 into the middle frame.

Damian Palmieri added to the Giants lead midway through the game on a rebound in the slot.

Kamloops’ Leafs prospect Fraser Minten capitalized on the only power play of the second period with 4:35 left in the second.

Then Vancouver’s Zack Ostapchuk had a rebound bounce off his skate in the dying moments of the second to bring the score to 4-2 after two.

In the third, Jaden Lipinski wrapped around his second of the night 1:36 into the third to put the G-Men up 5-2.

Matthew Seminoff brought the game back within 2 with 2:00 left in the game off a chaotic scramble in front of the net.

But then, Slovak forward Samuel Honzek blew by Kamloops D Kyle Masters and scored the final goal of the night on a breakaway 0:32 later.

Final Score: Vancouver 6 – Kamloops 3

The wins come after Friday night’s defeat at the hands of the Prince George Cougars, who scored early and didn’t look back as the Giants couldn’t beat Prince George netminder Tyler Brennan until the third period.

Cougars scored five in a row before Zack Ostapchuk got his third point in as many games as he scored off a feed from Ty Halaburda to get the Giants on the board with a shade over eight minutes remaining.

Final Score: Prince George 5 – Vancouver 1

Halaburda was named third star of the game.

READ ALSO: Winnipeg Ice dominate Giants in Langley


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