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Tendeck, Ronning lead Giants rally

Third time in four tries Vancouver has defeated Portland this season
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Vancouver Giants goaltender David Tendeck stretches to make the pad save against Seattle’s Nolan Volcan during the first period of Friday’s WHL game at the Langley Events Centre. Tendeck made a career-high 49 saves in his team’s 2-1 overtime victory. Two games later, he stopped another 47 shots in a 4-2 road win over Portland. Gary Ahuja Langley Times

Stop me if you have heard this before: Ty Ronning scored twice and David Tendeck made 40+ saves.

That is what happened last week in a 2-1 Giants overtime victory over Seattle, and on Wednesday night, it happened again in Portland.

Ronning scored goals 50 and 51 while Tendeck stopped 47 of 49 shots as Vancouver was badly outshot 49-19 but left Portland with the two points thanks to a 4-2 win over the host Winterhawks.

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The victory improved Vancouver to 30-18-5-3 and with 68 points while Portland fell to 35-19-1-3.

The Giants went ahead just 90 seconds into the game on Dawson Holt’s 10th of the season but Portland scored twice in the middle frame on goals from Reece Newkirk and Ryan Hughes to lead 2-1 after 40 minutes.

But Ronning pulled Vancouver even at 10:25 of the third and then struck for the winner with less than three minutes to play. The winger capped off a three-point game by setting up Brayden Watts for an empty-net goal in the in final minute.

The Winterhawks sit second in the WHL’s Western Conference but lost to the Giants for the third time in four games this season.

And while Ronning has been getting many of the recent headlines thanks to setting the new Giants’ single-season scoring record, Tendeck continues to turn heads.

His goals against average dropped to 2.91 and his save percentage has risen to .915, which rank third and second, respectively, among WHL goaltenders. In his last six games, Tendeck has posted a .939 save percentage.

The Giants now get set for a busy weekend which sees them host the Edmonton Oil Kings on Feb. 16, travel to Victoria to play the Royals the next night, and then cap off three games in less than 48 hours with a Sunday matinee back at the LEC against the Red Deer Rebels.



sports@langleytimes.com

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