On a night where the Vancouver Giants pushed late but eventually lost 5-3 to the Prince George Cougars, they still officially clinched a playoff berth after Tri-City lost to the Wenatchee Wild.
The Giants clinched a playoff spot because mathematically the ninth-place Seattle Thunderbirds cannot pass them in the standings, even if they win all of their remaining games. It is the fifth straight season (not including the two COVID seasons with no playoffs) the Giants have qualified for the post-season.
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Giants Associate Coach Adam Maglio thought “it was just little details at the end of the day [like] discipline – we take retaliatory penalties against a team that has one of the top [power plays] in the league and it just came down to a fine line between winning and losing.”
Vancouver’s game on Friday was highlighted by a record-breaking night for forward Cameron Schmidt, who broke the Giants franchise record for most goals in a single season by a 16-year-old rookie, scoring his 25th and 26th of the year to surpass Gilbert Brule, who scored 25 times in 67 games during the 2003-04 season.
Maglio called Schmidt “”electric in that last five minutes.”
“He drives lines a lot of nights. We’re proud of him. I think he’s realized he’s got to take care of the puck on both sides and I think that’s one thing he’s been much, much better at and his game just keeps growing.”
Also scoring for the Giants on Friday was Jaden Lipinski (18th).
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Lipinski got the Giants on the board in the second on an odd-man rush, ripping it home while skating down the left wing.
After two periods, the Giants trailed 3-1.
The Cougars went up 4-1 just before the five-minute mark of the third period after Riley Heidt went cross-crease off the rush to Parascak, who scored his second of the night and 36th of the season.
With the Giants down 4-1 in the third, Schmidt went to work.
First, he made it a 4-2 game with under seven minutes left after he out-muscled Villiam Kmec for a loose puck that was banked off the boards and sitting inside the Cougars zone.
With 2:40 left in the game, Schmidt came through with yet another highlight reel goal, this time holding the zone by preventing a clearing attempt, and then dancing his way through traffic and eventually into the right circle, where he ripped a shot that hit the back bar and came out within the blink of an eye. The referees had to check with the video crew to ensure the puck had indeed gone in, and after a quick chat, they deemed it had gone in, making the score 4-3.
Despite Schmidt’s late-game heroics, Cougars captain Hudson Thornton responded just 32 seconds later to make it 5-3 with 2:08 left in the game, which held up as the final score.
Next, the Giants rematch against the Cougars goes on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Giants next home game is Tuesday, March 12 at 7 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre.