Vancouver Giants defeat top-ranked WHL Silvertips in major playoff upset
Posted May 3, 2022 7:51 am.
Vancouver’s Western Hockey League team has pulled off a massive upset.
The Vancouver Giants have eliminated the Everett Silvertips in six games in the opening round series of the playoffs. The team finished the job with a 6-3 victory at the Langley Events Centre Monday night.
#BREAKING 8th seed Vancouver Giants beat top seeded Everett Silvertips in 6 games. Largest upset in WHL history. @WHLGiants pic.twitter.com/6ekNL3YLfq
— Robyn Crawford (@robyncrawford_) May 3, 2022
The Giants picked up the win in front of a crowd of more than 3,300. Giants captain Zack Ostapchuk picked up a goal and four assists, while Fabian Lysell ended the night with four assists. Goalie Jesper Vikman made 22 saves.
Everett finished 47 points higher than the Giants in the regular-season standings. This marks the first time in WHL history that an eight-seed has defeated a number one.
Dale Saip, senior vice president for the Giants, previously told CityNews the players have been giving it their all.
“Our expectations for the season were a lot higher than where we finished up in the standings,” he said. “We have some very talented hockey players but it just seems like whatever could go wrong went wrong this year, whether it was timely injuries or COVID or whatever else. It’s nice to see the guys coming together.”
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Saip says the team has been fun to watch, adding the players are living up to the intensity of playoff hockey.
“It certainly bodes well for the games coming forward,” he said over the weekend, prior to the big Monday night win.
The Giants will now move on to face the Kamloops Blazers in the second round, which begins Friday night.
-With files from Michael Williams
