Blazers 6, Giants 0: Vancouver finally runs out of underdog magic

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After beating the top-ranked team in the first round of the WHL playoffs, the Vancouver Giants were knocked out of the WHL playoffs on Sunday night

Vancouver Giants goaltender Jesper Vikman makes a save as Kamloops Blazers forward Connor Levis looks for the puck during the first period of Game 6 of their second round WHL series at the Langley Events Center on Sunday. (Rob Wilton/Submitted)
Vancouver Giants goaltender Jesper Vikman makes a save as Kamloops Blazers forward Connor Levis looks for the puck during the first period of Game 6 of their second round WHL series at the Langley Events Center on Sunday. (Rob Wilton/Submitted) Photo by Rob Wilton /Submitted

The Vancouver Giants finally ran out of underdog magic.

The Kamloops Blazers beat the Giants 6-0 Sunday night at the Langley Events Center to win their best-of-seven WHL Western Conference semifinal in six games.

The Giants grabbed the eighth and final playoff spot in the West on the final night of the regular season. They became the first No. 8 seed to beat the No. 1 in the first round since the WHL went to its current two-conference, 16-team playoff system in 2002 when they used the Everett Silvertips in six games.

Everett (45-13-5-5) had finished 47 points ahead of Vancouver (24-39-5-0) in the regular season. Kamloops (48-17-3-0) was one point behind Everett in league play.

The Blazers now await the winner between the Portland Winterhawks and Seattle Thunderbirds. Portland is up 3-2 going into Game 6 Monday in Seattle.

Vancouver won 5-2 in Kamloops on Friday to extend the series.

Vancouver had a chance to go up early before the announced crowd of 4,310, getting a power play opportunity with Ethan Brandwood being sent to the box with an interference minor at 5:24. Kamloops wound up opening the scoring with Brandwood in the box, as Vancouver’s Fabian Lysell and Adam Hall got crossed up at the blue line. Fraser Minten went off on a breakaway and he beat Vancouver netminder Jesper Vikman with a deke to the backhand.

The Giants managed just two shots through the first 16 minutes of the frame, and they were never able to dig out of that hole.

Luke Toporowski had two goals for Kamloops, while Daylan Kuefler, Logan Stankoven and Caedan Bankier added the others.

Dylan Garand made 24 saves in the Kamloops net. Vikman made 30 stops.

The game marks the end of WHL careers of Giants overages Hall, Alex Cotton and Connor Horning. Vancouver has 10 players in their 19-year-old season on their roster. They only have room for three 20 year olds next season.

draft day

The WHL Draft is Thursday, with first-round coverage streaming on WHL Live. The Medicine Hat Tigers have the No. 1 choice.

The Giants have the No. 7 pick, along with the No. 21 (via a trade with the Edmonton Oil Kings for center Justin Sourdif.) and No. 22 (via a trade with the Winnipeg Ice for defenseman Tanner Brown).

Vancouver Giants forward Adam Hall takes a shot on the Kamloops Blazers' net during the first period of Game 6 of their second round WHL series at the Langley Events Center on Sunday. (Rob Wilton/Submitted)
Vancouver Giants forward Adam Hall takes a shot on the Kamloops Blazers’ net during the first period of Game 6 of their second round WHL series at the Langley Events Center on Sunday. (Rob Wilton/Submitted) Photo by Rob Wilton /Submitted

in and out

Sunday was another busy day in these playoffs for the Giants injury update. Defenseman Cotton, who was listed as questionable by the team after leaving Game 5 Friday with an undisclosed injury, suited up for Vancouver. The same went for winger Colton Langkow (lower body injury), who left Game 1 against the Blazers, and winger Kyle Bochek (illness), who left Game 5 versus Kamloops.

Vancouver lost winger Cole Shepard (undisclosed injury) during the first period. He did not come back to the game. Shepard had only returned to the lineup for Game 4, marking his first game action since March 16.

Judging by the line rushes in the warm-up, the plan was for Shepard to play second-line minutes with Ty Thorpe and Ethan Semeniuk.

Vancouver has used 26 players in the playoffs. Kamloops, by contrast, has used 20.

The Giants had 11 scratches Sunday, including two goaltenders.

throwing shade

Public address announcer Brook Ward got a hearty round of applause out the LEC faithful in the third period when he told the crowd: “And on the out-of-town scoreboard, the (Toronto) Maple Leafs lost last night.”

Ward announcing the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Game 6 4-3 win over Toronto on Thursday prompted applause from the Game 4 crowd at the LEC that night.

Firing up the crowd

The Giants had former fan favorite Garet Hunt reeving up the pre-game siren. The feisty Hunt, 34, played 2004-08 for Vancouver and amassed 542 penalty minutes in 193 regular season games.

Hunt manned the siren earlier in these playoffs. The Giants have also called 2007 Memorial Cup team captain Brett Festerling as well as 2019 WHL championship series team members Alex Kannok Leipert and Tristen Nielsen.

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