PREVIEW: Richmond Sockeyes at North Van Wolf Pack (Game #38)

Tonight at 7:00pm the Wolf Pack (27-7-2-1) look for their second win against Richmond (20-10-1-0) and twenty-eighth of the season when they host the Sockeyes. This is the fifth of six regular season meetings of the season between these two teams.

Richmond Sockeyes
OVERVIEW

Head Coach: Bayne Koen

Record: 20-10-1-0

Road Record: 8-6-0-0

Last Game: A 5-1 victory in Abbotsford on Thursday night.

Goals For/Goals Against: 124 GF /84 GA (+40)

Power Play: 41/140 (29.29%)

Penalty Kill: 20/123 (83.74%)

Leading Scorers: Garrett Wicks (31GP – 20G – 20A – 40PTS), Lukas Olson (28GP – 10G – 18A – 28PTS), Easton Elmer (24GP – 11G – 11A – 22PTS)

‘Thrum’ Roll Please
Vincent Thrum, a left hand defenceman, has been playing for his hometown team for the last three seasons. In that time Thrum has six goals and twenty-six assists for a total of thirty-two points in seventy-seven games. This season Thrum has four goals and fourteen assists for eighteen points in twenty-nine games, both of Thrum’s multi-point games that the defenceman has had this season are both against the Wolf Pack. Thrum has a goal and four assists in three meetings against North Van.

‘East’ is Best
Easton Elmer’s third season in the PJHL is proving to be a successful one. Elmer has played all three seasons of PJHL hockey with the Richmond Sockeyes, the 2001-born forward from Delta comes into this weekend with 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 24 games. The talented player currently sits third on his team in points and second in scoring. Over the span of his last seven games, Easton Elmer has managed four goals and two assists for six points. Elmer has recorded one goal and two assists for three points in three games against North Van.

NORTH VANCOUVER WOLF PACK
OVERVIEW

Head Coach: Matt Samson

Record:27-7-2-1

Home Record:13-3-2-1

Last Game: A 6-2 win in Port Moody on Tuesday night.

Goals For/Goals Against:151 GF/94 GA (+57)

Power Play: 35/154 (22.73%)

Penalty Kill: 18/141 (87.12%)

Leading Scorers: David Coyle (36GP – 24G – 27A – 51PTS), JJ Pickell (37GP – 27G – 24A – 51PTS), Ryan Hunter (37GP – 12G – 31A – 43PTS)

Welcome to North ‘Van’
Donovan Griffin has had an interesting junior hockey career. The Surrey, BC product started playing in the PJHL during the 2017-2018 season with the Ridge Meadows Flames before playing the next three seasons of PJHL hockey with the Port Moody Panthers. After the 2020-2021 season, Donovan made his way over to the VIJHL where he was named the Captain of the Lake Cowichan Kraken. Griffin had 25 points in 31 games during his tenure in the VIJHL before being traded to the North Vancouver Wolf Pack in exchange for Jobey Pearson and future considerations. Griffin played his first game with the Wolf Pack Tuesday night in a 6-2 victory over Port Moody.

Open the ‘Jar’
Jason Jarman has played in 19 games with the Wolf Pack and has one assist in that span. Jarman is in his first season with the Wolf Pack and first in the PJHL and is enjoying the compete level and physicality that takes place at this level. Jarman, a native of Burnaby, BC, is a right hand forward who is listed at 5’9 and 141lbs. The forwards lone point came against the Richmond Sockeyes in a game on September 9th.

Final Words
Tonight marks the fifth meeting between these two clubs, these two teams are scheduled to meet for a total of six times. The Wolf Pack won the first meeting 4-2 back on September 9 while the Sockeyes beat the Wolf Pack 4-0 on October 2, 6-2 on November 4th, and 3-2 on December 2nd. North Van is 7-7-2-0 against Richmond over the last five seasons and 1-4 against them this season.