Vancouver Giants gave 3,177 fans a thrilling game Friday, Oct. 4, scoring six consecutive goals in just under 26 minutes to dig out of a 4-1 hole and defeat the visiting Kamloops Blazers 8-6.
The G-Men scored once on the power play, once shorthanded, five times at even strength, and once into the empty net.
Newly-named captain Mazden Leslie scored the game-winning-goal and added two assists.
Aaron Obobaifo and Connor Levis each had multi-goal nights, while Ty Halaburda, Kyren Gronick and Jakob Oreskovic rounded out the scoring.
Ryan Lin recorded three assists, and Colton Roberts, Tyler Thorpe and Tyson Zimmer had two assists each.
Head Coach Manny Viveiros liked the players response to falling behind.
"I didn't have to say anything," Viveiros commented.
"They did the right things and said the right things and they executed and they got ourselves back in the game. I thought we played a really good game."
"What cost us tonight are the goals that were similar to the Prince George game. Not to take any credit away from Kamloops, but they were self-inflicted. Turnovers, getting caught out of position. Those type of things 鈥� we can clean those up."
Lost in all the offence on Friday was goaltender Matthew Hutchison, who came in relief midway through the first period after the Giants got into a 3-0 hole. Hutchison made 30 saves on 33 shots for his second win of the season.
Emmitt Finnie and Tommy Lafreniere had a pair of goals each for the visitors, with Nathan Behm and Max Sullivan also scoring once each.
Kamloops stormed out of the gate, going up 3-0 within the first 7:52 thanks to two goals from Lafreniere and one from Finnie.
Halaburda got the Giants on the board with a wrap-around goal just a few minutes after Finnie's 3-0 goal, but the Red Wings draft pick would respond with his second of the game for Kamloops on an odd-man rush at the 12:42 mark of the first period to make it 4-1.
Vancouver scored two important goals before the first period came to a close.
First, Levis launched a one-timer past goaltender Logan Edmonstone and power play with just over five minutes remaining in the frame, and then Leslie fired a shot from the right circle that went in off Gronick to make it 4-3 after 20 minutes.
In the second,Obobaifo slid home a rebound off a Roberts point shot less than two minutes into the second, and then Obobaifo scored again several minutes later after taking a a pass from Zimmer and rifling one past Edmonstone's blocker to give the Giants their first lead of the night at 5-4.
Oreskovic scored from distance after a well-executed give and go with Kolby Gapter to increase the Giants lead to 6-4.
Before the second period ended, Leslie scored shorthanded after Gronick was the first to a loose puck behind the Kamloops net and saw Leslie sneak into the slot for an open look.
Max Sullivan scored for the Blazers to make it 7-5 early in the third, but Levis added an empty-net goal to make seal the deal.
Giants are in Calgary Sunday afternoon to play the Hitmen at Scotiabank Saddledome.
