Friday 28 February 2014

Recap: VIC 5 - PG 3

Defenseman Travis Brown broke a third period tie, while Brandon Magee added the insurance marker on a two point night, as the visiting Victoria Royals (44-17-1-3, 92pts) beat the Prince George Cougars 5-3 Friday night.

The Royals led 3-1 in the third before the Cougars (26-33-3-5, 60pts) tied it up a on a pair of goals 1:13 apart, before Victoria pulled away late. 

“I think we believe that we’re deep enough that if we keep playing our game and keep playing in the system that Dave (Lowry) creates for us, then things will work.  It’s a trust thing throughout the group and it’s paying off.”
  said Travis Brown on the clubs ability to pull off the win.
Brett Cote opened the scoring with his 4th of the year
The Royals earned their franchise best 44th victory and 92 point with 7 games remaining, while improving to (24-7-0-1) on the road this season.  It caps off a franchise best month of February with a record of (11-1-1-0).

Victoria remains 3rd in the West, 7 back of Portland who won their 21st straight game, while pulling 10 points ahead of idle Seattle.  Prince George remains 2 points out of a playoff spot, chasing Tri City who fell Friday 3-2 at Everett who is 6th.

Netminder Patrik Polivka made 24 saves improving to 9-0 lifetime against Prince George including 4-0 this season. 
Polivka stopped Fiddler on a short handed breakaway

“It was a great win for us, but I think we need to be a bit sharper Saturday, because they came back and tied it…” said Polivka on the win.

Adam Beukeboom allowed 4 goals on 37 shots in the defeat.

The Royals are now 6-1 against the Cougars this season, and will meet for one final time Saturday night.  They’ve outscored the the Cats 27-12 over the 7 game series.

Victoria got goals from 5 different players, including Brett Cote (4th) in the first, Austin Carroll’s team leading 33rd making it 2-0 in the second, and Logan Fisher’s 7th giving the club an early 3-1 lead in the third.
Logan Nelson had an assist in the win
Brandon Magee’s goal and assist gives him 60 points on the season (23g 37a), matching his total offensive output of last season (30g 30a).  Magee now has 6 points over his last 3 games (2g 4a) and continues to lead the club in scoring.  Austin Carroll extends his point streak to 6 games with 8 points (5g 3a).
Austin Carroll extended his point streak to 6 games
The games first star, Todd Fiddler had a pair for Prince George, and now has 44 goals this season, second most in the league, and his 91 points is good for 5th best. 

“Shutting down Fiddler is a tough challenge, he’s deceivingly quick and he’s got a great shot.  He makes big plays at big times, and we saw that tonight.” According to Royals defenseman Brown.

Zach Pochiro had a goal and assist and was named third star.

The Royals were 0 for 2 on the power play, while the Cougars went 0 for 1.

Pregame show Saturday from the CN Centre in Prince George at 6:45 on The Zone @ 91.3 fm.

-Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 5 at Prince George Cougars 3 - Status: Final
Friday, February 28, 2014 - CN Centre - Prince George, BC

Victoria 1 1 3 - 5
Prince George 0 1 2 - 3

1st Period-
1, Victoria, Cote 4 (Magee, Fransoo), 15:33.

Penalties-Pochiro P.g (hooking), 13:30.

2nd Period-
2, Victoria, Carroll 33 (Nelson), 11:55.
3, Prince George, Fiddler 43 (Ruopp, Pochiro), 14:55.

Penalties-Fiddler P.g (high sticking), 12:40; Walker Vic (roughing), 15:45; Pochiro P.g (roughing), 15:45.

3rd Period-
4, Victoria, Fisher 7 (Palmer), 1:46.
5, Prince George, Pochiro 27 (Bourke, Tkatch), 7:08.
6, Prince George, Fiddler 44 (Harkins, Bobos), 8:21.
7, Victoria, Brown 13 (Crunk), 15:09.
8, Victoria, Magee 23 (Blomqvist, Hicketts), 19:53 (EN).

Penalties-Crunk Vic (hooking), 4:08.

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 12-16-10-38.
Prince George 8-12-7-27.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 0 / 2;
Prince George 0 / 1.

Goalies-
Victoria, Polivka 24-11-0-2 (27 shots-24 saves).
Prince George, Beukeboom 5-7-0-0 (37 shots-33 saves).

A-1,521
Referees-Steve Papp (17), Chris Schlenker (90).
Linesmen-Tom Henetiuk (140), Nathan Van Oosten (115).

Thursday 27 February 2014

Preview: Victoria at Prince George, Feb 28th, 2014

The Victoria Royals (43-17-1-3, 90pts) visit the Prince George Cougars (26-32-3-5, 60pts) for a pair of games Friday and Saturday, in their final two meetings of the season.

Pregame show on The Zone @ 91.3 fm both nights at 6:45.

The Royals are 5-1 against the Cougars this season, winning the last 5 encounters.

Most recently by 8-1 and 5-2 scores on the Island December 27th and 28th respectively.  Overall Victoria has outscored Prince George 22-9, including two shut outs.

With 8 games remaining, Victoria is 3rd in the West, 7 back of Portland and 8 ahead of Seattle.

Prince George is 9th, 2 points back of Tri City for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West.  The Americans have three games in hand.

The Royals are coming off an Eastern road swing winning 4 of 5 games, and are now ranked 9th in the CHL Top 10.   Victoria now has 90 points, after earning road victories over Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Brandon and Saskatoon, with the only loss on the trip coming in Regina.

They set the franchise record for wins in a month with 10 (10-1-1-0), after a 6-3 victory over the Blades last Saturday. 

The Cougars fell on the road against the Rockets 9-5 Tuesday, in their 3rd consecutive meeting against the #1 team in the CHL.  Prince George went 1-2 in that stretch against Kelowna, with a 2-1 win and 4-2 loss, both on home ice. 

The Cougars are .500 at the CN Centre (12-12-2-5), have scored 10 more goals overall than the Royals, but given up 117 more.  Prince George has taken the 7th most PIM’s on average per game, roughly 4.5 more minutes than Victoria.

Prince George has two players in the top 15 in scoring.  Todd Fiddler is 5th with 89 points, including the 3rd most goals with 42.  Fiddler is on a 16 game point streak, amassing 30 points in that span.  Colorado Avalanche 3rd round pick, Troy Bourke is 12th in scoring with 72 points.

Victoria has 4 players with 50 or more points.  Forward Brandon Magee leads the way with 58 points, followed by Austin Carroll’s 53 including a team leading 32 goals.  Axel Blomqvist has 51 points and defenseman Tyler Brown has 50, good for 11th best among reargaurds.

The Royals have given up the 2nd fewest goals against on average per game, their power play has now improved to 10th best, and on the road have 23 victories (23-7-0-1), the the 3rd most in the WHL.  Victoria had their 9 game road win streak snapped 2 games ago in Regina.

The Royals have also set franchise records this season with 43 wins, and 90 points.  The club has a plus 52 goal differential, and is on the positive side of the scale for the first time in franchise history.

Victoria’s next home game is March 7th and 8th – both against Kamloops.

-Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals vs Prince George Cougars: Head To Head Stats
Summary

   
Description
Result
Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season Victoria 5-1-0-0Prince George 1-5-0-0
Head to Head Record 2012-13 Regular Season Victoria 6-2-0-0Prince George 2-4-0-2
Last 5 Years record between teams Victoria 27-9-0-2Prince George 11-23-0-4
Victoria vs. Prince George Last 5 Years record at Victoria Victoria 14-5-0-1Prince George 6-12-0-2
Victoria vs. Prince George Last 5 Years record at Prince George Victoria 13-4-0-1Prince George 5-11-0-2
Previous Meetings This Season Prince George 2 @ Victoria 5 (Dec 28 2013) Final
Prince George 1 @ Victoria 8 (Dec 27 2013) Final
Prince George 4 @ Victoria 5 (Oct 16 2013) Final
Prince George 0 @ Victoria 3 (Oct 14 2013) Final
Victoria 1 @ Prince George 0 (Oct 2 2013) Final
Victoria 0 @ Prince George 2 (Oct 1 2013) Final

How the 2 teams match up
     
 
Prince George
Victoria
Team Record 26-32-3-5 -- 60 points 43-17-1-3 -- 90 points
Division Ranking 4th B.C. 2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking 9th Western 3rd Western
League Ranking 18th 5th
Past 10 Games 3-6-1-0 8-1-1-0
Streak 0-1-0-0 1-0-0-0
Last Game 9-5 L @ Kelowna (Feb 25 2014) Final 6-3 W @ Saskatoon (Feb 22 2014) Final
Home Record 12-12-2-5 20-10-1-2
Away Record 14-20-1-0 23-7-0-1
GF 223  213 
GA 278  161 
PP (Overall) (55/302) 18.2 (58/274) 21.2
PP (Home) (23/142) 16.2 (31/148) 20.9
PP (Away) (32/160) 20.0 (27/126) 21.4
PK (Overall) (74/296) 75.0 (48/261) 81.6
PK (Home) (30/127) 76.4 (27/138) 80.4
PK (Away) (44/169) 74.0 (21/123) 82.9
Leading Rookie Harkins (10-21-31) Soy (12-13-25)
Most PIM McNulty - 113 Carroll - 101
Team PIM/GM 16.3/Game 14.0/Game
Leading Scorers Fiddler (42-47-89) Magee (22-36-58)
  Bourke (26-52-78) Carroll (32-21-53)
  Pochiro (26-34-60) Blomqvist (21-30-51)
  Wilson (26-33-59) Brown (12-38-50)
  Tkatch (16-29-45) Nelson (22-27-49)
Last 5 Games 9-5 L @ Kelowna (Feb 25 2014) Final 6-3 W @ Saskatoon (Feb 22 2014) Final
  2-1 W vs Kelowna (Feb 22 2014) Final 3-2 L @ Regina (Feb 21 2014) Final
  4-2 L vs Kelowna (Feb 21 2014) Final 5-3 W @ Brandon (Feb 19 2014) Final
  5-1 L @ Portland (Feb 18 2014) Final 4-3 W @ Moose Jaw (Feb 17 2014) Final SO
  6-4 W @ Seattle (Feb 16 2014) Final 5-4 W @ Prince Albert (Feb 15 2014) Final
Leading After 1st 13-3-0-2 24-1-1-1
Leading After 2nd 17-2-0-1 29-0-1-1
Tied After 1st 7-13-2-1 13-3-0-0
Tied After 2nd 6-3-0-2 9-0-0-1
Trailing After 1st 6-16-1-2 6-13-0-2
Trailing After 2nd 3-27-3-2 5-17-0-1
Out Shooting Opponents 14-8-2-3 17-6-1-2
Out Shot by Opponents 12-23-1-2 23-11-0-1
1-Goal Games 10-5-3-5 19-6-1-3
2-Goal Games 7-6-0-0 11-5-0-0
3-Goal Games 3-10-0-0 6-3-0-0

Saturday 22 February 2014

Recap: VIC 6 - SASK 3

The Victoria Royals wrapped up a 5 game in 8 night Eastern Division road trip with a 6-3 win over the 11th place Saskatoon Blades Saturday, picking up 8 of a possible 10 points.

Victoria earned wins over Prince Albert, Moose Jaw, Brandon and Saskatoon, with the only loss coming Friday night in Regina out scoring the opposition 22-16.

“Selfishly we’re disappointed after the game last night…” said Head Coach Dave Lowry on the loss in Regina on the road trip, “…We ended it tonight playing on a positive, so overall you’re pleased, but we want to win every game.”

The club earned a franchise best 43rd win, 90th point and 23rd road victory.

Saturday, Brandon Magee had 3 assists and Logan Nelson 2 goals as the Royals doubled the Blades 6-3.  Victoria held period leads of 3-1 and 5-2.

The Royals jumped on the Blades early with two quick goals.  Logan Nelson converted on a 2 on 1 with Austin Carroll just :32 seconds in.   Taylor Crunk notched his 7th on a turnover just :31 seconds later.
Nelson notches his first of two goals
“The game was won in the first 10 minutes…we were able to rebound after losing last night and it says a lot about the character in the room.” Said Lowry

After Ryan Graham cut the lead in half, Brett Cote scored a buzzer beater, set up by Brandon Magee, taking a 3-1 lead to the second period.
Cote scores on Moodie
In the middle frame the Blades again cut the lead to one with a Brett Stovin power play marker, however the Royals got one on the man advantage as well courtesy of Alex Blomqvists 21st, followed by a Ben Walker goal taking a 5-2 lead to the third.

Victoria out shot Saskatoon 14-5 in the final frame as the teams exchanged goals, Nelson added his second of the game, and Nikita Scherbak rounded out the scoring for Saskatoon.

The Royals doubled the Blades 40-20 in shots as Patrik Polivka earned his 23rd win with 17 saves, while Troy Trombley came in relief for Alex Moodie to start the third in the loss.

“We’re preparing to get ready for the playoffs here, and we really didn’t want to get into a run and gun period…” said Lowry on finishing strong against the Blades, “We wanted to play it like a playoff game for us.”

The line of Steven Hodges (1a), Austin Carroll (2a) and Logan Nelson (2g) combined for 5 points and 14 over their last 3 games since being put together.

Brandon Magee’s unit with Ben Walker (1g 1a) and Axel Blomqvist (1a) earned 6 points.

Victoria was 1 for 4 on the power play, as Saskatoon went 1 for 3.

The Royals travelled home following the game, but will be on the road again next Friday and Saturday against the Cougars in Prince George.  Victoria’s next home game is March 7th and 8th - against Kamloops.

-Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 6 at Saskatoon Blades 3 - Status: Final
Saturday, February 22, 2014 - Credit Union Centre - Saskatoon, SK

Victoria 3 2 1 - 6
Saskatoon 1 1 1 - 3

1st Period-
1, Victoria, Nelson 21 (Carroll, Fransoo), 0:32.
2, Victoria, Crunk 7   1:03.
3, Saskatoon, Graham 10 (Hebig, Sanvido), 18:04.
4, Victoria, Cote 3 (Magee, Walker), 19:59.

Penalties-Nemecek Sas (interference), 8:24.

2nd Period-
5, Saskatoon, Stovin 14 (Scherbak, Johnston), 6:36 (PP).
6, Victoria, Blomqvist 21 (Magee, Fransoo), 8:47 (PP).
7, Victoria, Walker 24 (Magee), 13:17.

Penalties-Hodges Vic (kneeing), 4:50; Busenius Sas (hooking), 7:00; Gagnon Vic (interference), 13:54; Oleksyn Vic (delay of game), 17:28.

3rd Period-
8, Victoria, Nelson 22 (Carroll, Hodges), 9:12.
9, Saskatoon, Scherbak 27   10:42.

Penalties-Busenius Sas (hooking), 0:23; Hnidy Sas (hooking), 15:50.

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 18-8-14-40.
Saskatoon 9-6-5-20.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 1 / 4; Saskatoon 1 / 3.

Goalies-
Victoria, Polivka 23-11-0-2 (20 shots-17 saves).
Saskatoon,
Moodie 7-18-1-1 (26 shots-21 saves);
Trombley 9-22-1-2 (14 shots-13 saves).

A-5,278
Referees-Steve Papp (17), Colin Watt (72).
Linesmen-Jason Roy (94), Tarrington Wyonzek (137).

Preview: Victoria at Saskatoon, Saturday Feb.22.2014

The Victoria Royals wrap up a 5 game Eastern Division road trip against the 11th place Saskatoon Blades Saturday night.

Pregame show on The Zone @ 91.3 fm at 4:45 PST.

It’s the lone meeting of the season between the clubs, with the Royals winning 5-2 on home ice last year led by a pair of goals by Jamie Crooks.  The year prior, Victoria fell 9-6 in Saskatoon.

Friday night, Victoria had their franchise tying 7 game win streak snapped with a 3-2 loss in Regina.

Austin Carroll had a goal and assist, but the host Regina Pats scored three, second period goals in a span of 7:25, then hung on for the win.

The Royals peppered the Pats netminder Daniel Wapple with 16 third period shots, and 33 overall earning him first star honours.  Coleman Vollrath kicked out 24 of 27 in the defeat.

Brandon Magee's 22nd tallied the other goal for Victoria handing the club their first regulation loss in 15 games.

The Royals face the Blades who were eliminated from the playoff race for the first time since 2008 after a 4-2 loss to Regina Wednesday.

This will be the 2nd straight season that a Memorial Cup host missed the playoffs the following season (Shawinigan).

Saskatoon has 8 wins in 29 home games this year (8-20-1-0), while Victoria has 22 road wins in 30 as they had their 9 game road win streak snapped in Regina.

The Blades have just 2 wins in their past 10 (2-7-1-0), while the Royals have 8 (8-1-1-0) earning them the number 10 spot in the CHL Top 10 for a second week in a row.

On their Eastern Division road swing, Victoria is 3-1, with wins in Prince Albert, Moose Jaw and Brandon.

Victoria is led in scoring by Brandon Magee’s 55 points.  Austin Carroll leads the club in goals with 32.

Saskatoon features the leagues leading rookie point scorer, Russian forward Nikita Scherbak (26g 43a) 69pts.  He also has the most power play points by a freshman with 27.  Scherbak is ranked 24th by Central Scouting in their mid term rankings for the NHL entry draft.

It’s Wendel Clark bobblehead night in Saskatoon, arguably the most famous member of the Blades alumni group.

Clark's #22 is one of only 5 numbers retired by the Saskatoon Blades franchise.  The product of Kelvington, Saskatchewan spent two seasons with the Blades before he was selected 1st overall in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.  During his two seasons as a member of the Blades, Clark scored 55 goals and added 100 assists for 155 points in 136 games.  Clark was also known for playing with an edge, picking up 478 penalty minutes in the two years.

Clark would go on to a long NHL career with 6 different NHL teams over 15 years, playing in 793 games.  He would score 330 NHL regular season goals with 564 points and 1690 minutes in penalties.  He would rack up another 69 points and 201 PIMs in 95 NHL playoff games.

Saturday’s contest in Saskatoon wraps up 5 games in 8 days, an 11 day round trip.

-Marlon Martens
Victoria Royals vs Saskatoon Blades: Head To Head Stats
 
Description
Result
Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season Victoria 0-0-0-0Saskatoon 0-0-0-0
Head to Head Record 2012-13 Regular Season Victoria 1-0-0-0Saskatoon 0-1-0-0
Last 5 Years record between teams Victoria 2-2-0-0Saskatoon 2-1-0-1
Victoria vs. Saskatoon Last 5 Years record at Victoria Victoria 1-1-0-0Saskatoon 1-1-0-0
Victoria vs. Saskatoon Last 5 Years record at Saskatoon Victoria 1-1-0-0Saskatoon 1-0-0-1
   
How the 2 teams match up
     
 
Saskatoon
Victoria
Team Record 16-40-2-3 -- 37 points 42-17-1-3 -- 88 points
Division Ranking 6th East 2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking 11th Eastern 3rd Western
League Ranking 20th 6th
Past 10 Games 2-7-1-0 8-1-1-0
Streak 0-1-0-0 0-1-0-0
Last Game 4-2 L vs Regina (Feb 19 2014) Final 3-2 L @ Regina (Feb 21 2014) Final
Home Record 8-20-1-0 20-10-1-2
Away Record 8-20-1-3 22-7-0-1
GF 177  207 
GA 256  158 
PP (Overall) (53/241) 22.0 (57/270) 21.1
PP (Home) (22/121) 18.2 (31/148) 20.9
PP (Away) (31/120) 25.8 (26/122) 21.3
PK (Overall) (72/282) 74.5 (47/258) 81.8
PK (Home) (29/125) 76.8 (27/138) 80.4
PK (Away) (43/157) 72.6 (20/120) 83.3
Leading Rookie Scherbak (26-43-69) Soy (12-13-25)
Most PIM Nikkel - 79 Carroll - 101
Team PIM/GM 13.3/Game 14.1/Game
Leading Scorers Scherbak (26-43-69) Magee (22-33-55)
  Sanvido (15-20-35) Carroll (32-19-51)
  Stovin (13-16-29) Blomqvist (20-30-50)
  Zajac (9-20-29) Brown (12-38-50)
  Busenius (9-19-28) Nelson (20-27-47)
Last 5 Games 4-2 L vs Regina (Feb 19 2014) Final 3-2 L @ Regina (Feb 21 2014) Final
  4-1 W @ Red Deer (Feb 15 2014) Final 5-3 W @ Brandon (Feb 19 2014) Final
  6-5 L @ Calgary (Feb 14 2014) Final OT 4-3 W @ Moose Jaw (Feb 17 2014) Final SO
  7-3 L @ Regina (Feb 8 2014) Final 5-4 W @ Prince Albert (Feb 15 2014) Final
  5-2 L vs Medicine Hat (Feb 7 2014) Final 3-2 W vs Tri-City (Feb 12 2014) Final OT
Leading After 1st 9-4-0-1 23-1-1-1
Leading After 2nd 9-2-1-0 28-0-1-1
Tied After 1st 3-10-1-1 13-3-0-0
Tied After 2nd 5-1-0-2 9-0-0-1
Trailing After 1st 4-26-1-1 6-13-0-2
Trailing After 2nd 2-37-1-1 5-17-0-1
Out Shooting Opponents 4-4-0-0 16-6-1-2
Out Shot by Opponents 11-34-1-2 23-11-0-1
1-Goal Games 5-10-2-3 19-6-1-3
2-Goal Games 5-10-0-0 11-5-0-0
3-Goal Games 5-8-0-0 5-3-0-0

Friday 21 February 2014

Recap: VIC 2 - REG 3

Austin Carroll had a goal and assist, but the host Regina Pats scored three second period goals in a 3-2 win over the Victoria Royals (42-17-1-3, 88pts) Friday night, snapping the clubs 7 game win streak.

”They’re definitely a good team, we just didn’t quite have our game together for a full 60 minutes and that’s what killed us.” Royals Defenseman Ryan Gagnon

The Pats scored all three goals in a span of 7:25 in the first half of the second period, taking a 3-0 lead to the final frame.
Austin Carroll celebrates his 32nd goal
Nelson hit Zgraggen
Brandon Magee’s 22nd on the power play followed by Austin Carroll’s 32nd got the club to within one in the third, but ultimately fell short dropping their first game on the Eastern Division road swing (3-1).

The Royals peppered the Pats netminder Daniel Wapple with 16 third period shots, and 33 overall earning him first star honours.  Coleman Vollrath kicked out 24 of 27 in the defeat.

It was Victoria’s first regulation loss in 15 games, and also snapped their 9 game road win streak.  Regina now has points in 7 straight and continue to lead the Eastern Divison.

Magee had 1 goal
The Royals had two 5 on 3 man advantages, one in the first and the other to start the second, but were unable to strike, going 1 for 6 on the night.  The Pats were 1 for 4.

Russian defenseman Dmitry Sinitsyn and forward Chandler Stephenson had a goal and assist each for Regina.

Victoria faces Saskatoon Saturday to wrap up 5 games in 8 days, an 11 day round trip.

-Marlon Martens


Victoria Royals 2 at Regina Pats 3 - Status: Final
Friday, February 21, 2014 - Brandt Centre - Regina, SK

Victoria 0 0 2 - 2
Regina 0 3 0 - 3

1st Period-
No Scoring.

Penalties-Stephenson Reg (roughing), 9:03; Christoffer Reg (delay of game), 9:33; Kanzig Vic (hooking), 15:56; Williams Reg (slashing), 18:56; Burroughs Reg (holding), 19:47.

2nd Period-
1, Regina, Stephenson 28 (Burroughs, Hansen), 2:06.
2, Regina, Williams 8 (Sinitsyn, Stevenson), 5:00 (PP).
3, Regina, Sinitsyn 5 (Stephenson, Klimchuk), 9:31.

Penalties-Walker Vic (hooking), 3:26; Stephenson Reg (cross checking), 13:52; Hodges Vic (roughing), 14:49; Blomqvist Vic (roughing, roughing), 20:00; Kanzig Vic (roughing), 20:00; Klimchuk Reg (roughing), 20:00; Stevenson Reg (roughing), 20:00.

3rd Period-
4, Victoria, Magee 22 (Carroll, Hicketts), 4:55 (PP).
5, Victoria, Carroll 32 (Hodges), 14:14.

Penalties-Burroughs Reg (holding), 3:49.

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 9-8-16-33.
Regina 10-9-8-27.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 1 / 6;
Regina 1 / 4.

Goalies-
Victoria, Vollrath 20-6-1-1 (27 shots-24 saves).
Regina, Wapple 22-12-1-1 (33 shots-31 saves).

A-3,782
Referees-Brett Montsion (54), Kyle Scrivens (77).
Linesmen-Troy Murray (34), Tarrington Wyonzek (137).


Thursday 20 February 2014

Preview: Victoria at Regina, Friday Feb.21.2014

Riding a 7 game win streak, the Victoria Royals (42-16-1-3, 88pts) look to set the franchise record for consecutive victories as they visit the Eastern Division leading Regina Pats Friday night.

Pregame show at 4:45 PST on The Zone @ 91.3 fm

Last season, Victoria fell 3-2 to Regina as Calgary Flames first round pick, Morgan Klimchuk scored with 25 seconds left.  Andrew Reider had a hat trick in a 7-3 Pats win back in 2012 in Regina.

The Royals have points in 14 straight games (12-0-1-1) and 9 consecutive wins on the road after a 5-3 victory over the Wheat Kings Wednesday.  Steven Hodges had a goal and two assists, while Victoria took 49 shots, scoring 4 first period goals.

Victoria remains 3rd in the West, 3 back of Portland and 9 up on Seattle. 

The Royals are 3-0 on their Eastern Division road swing including victories over the Warriors and Raiders. 

Victoria is 16 over .500 on the road collecting 22 wins and were recognized this week as the 10th ranked club in the CHL Top 10 for a second week in a row. The clubs record since December 12th is (24-3-1-2).

Regina has points in 6 straight games (5-0-0-1) and lead the East Division by 4 points over Swift Current.

The Pats rode a Morgan Klimchuk hat trick in a 4-2 win over the Blades Wednesday night in Saskatoon outshooting their opposition 44-28.  Netminder Dawson MacAuley earned the victory in his first start since Jan. 25, Daniel Wapple had started the previous eight contests.

Regina completed a sweep of the eight-game season series, outscoring Saskatoon by a combined mark of 40-19.

The Pats are 9 over .500 at the Brandt Centre, have scored the 7th most goals on average per game while taking the 4th most penalty minutes on average per game.

Two former Royals defenseman play for the Pats, Jesse Zgraggen and Isaac Schacher.

The Royals will face the Blades Saturday, who were eliminated from the playoff race for the first time since 2008.

This will be the 2nd straight season that a Memorial Cup host missed the playoffs the following season (Shawinigan).

Victoria faces Saskatoon Saturday to wrap up 5 games in 8 days, an 11 day round trip.

-Marlon Martens
Victoria Royals vs Regina Pats: Head To Head Stats
Summary

   
Description
Result
Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season Victoria 0-0-0-0Regina 0-0-0-0
Head to Head Record 2012-13 Regular Season Victoria 0-1-0-0Regina 1-0-0-0
Last 5 Years record between teams Victoria 0-3-0-1Regina 4-0-0-0
Victoria vs. Regina Last 5 Years record at Victoria Victoria 0-1-0-1Regina 2-0-0-0
Victoria vs. Regina Last 5 Years record at Regina Victoria 0-2-0-0Regina 2-0-0-0


How the 2 teams match up
     
 
Regina
Victoria
Team Record 32-22-3-3 -- 70 points 42-16-1-3 -- 88 points
Division Ranking 1st East 2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking 2nd Eastern 3rd Western
League Ranking 4th 5th
Past 10 Games 7-2-0-1 9-0-1-0
Streak 5-0-0-1 12-0-1-1
Last Game 4-2 W @ Saskatoon (Feb 19 2014) Final 5-3 W @ Brandon (Feb 19 2014) Final
Home Record 17-8-2-2 20-10-1-2
Away Record 15-14-1-1 22-6-0-1
GF 207  205 
GA 208  155 
PP (Overall) (52/270) 19.3 (56/264) 21.2
PP (Home) (29/142) 20.4 (31/148) 20.9
PP (Away) (23/128) 18.0 (25/116) 21.6
PK (Overall) (72/268) 73.1 (46/254) 81.9
PK (Home) (28/122) 77.0 (27/138) 80.4
PK (Away) (44/146) 69.9 (19/116) 83.6
Leading Rookie Sinitsyn (4-29-33) Soy (12-13-25)
Most PIM Christoffer - 99 Carroll - 101
Team PIM/GM 17.3/Game 14.1/Game
Leading Scorers Stephenson (27-43-70) Magee (21-33-54)
  Leier (31-35-66) Blomqvist (20-30-50)
  Stevenson (28-31-59) Brown (12-38-50)
  Klimchuk (23-34-57) Carroll (31-18-49)
  Burroughs (6-30-36) Nelson (20-27-47)
Last 5 Games 4-2 W @ Saskatoon (Feb 19 2014) Final 5-3 W @ Brandon (Feb 19 2014) Final
  4-0 W vs Brandon (Feb 17 2014) Final 4-3 W @ Moose Jaw (Feb 17 2014) Final SO
  4-3 L vs Swift Current (Feb 15 2014) Final SO 5-4 W @ Prince Albert (Feb 15 2014) Final
  5-4 W @ Prince Albert (Feb 14 2014) Final SO 3-2 W vs Tri-City (Feb 12 2014) Final OT
  3-2 W vs Kootenay (Feb 12 2014) Final 3-2 W @ Vancouver (Feb 10 2014) Final
Leading After 1st 17-1-2-2 23-1-1-1
Leading After 2nd 22-1-1-2 28-0-1-1
Tied After 1st 11-5-1-0 13-2-0-0
Tied After 2nd 8-2-1-1 9-0-0-1
Trailing After 1st 4-16-0-1 6-13-0-2
Trailing After 2nd 2-19-1-0 5-16-0-1
Out Shooting Opponents 22-9-0-2 16-5-1-2
Out Shot by Opponents 8-12-3-1 23-11-0-1
1-Goal Games 13-2-3-3 19-5-1-3
2-Goal Games 6-4-0-0 11-5-0-0
3-Goal Games 3-6-0-0 5-3-0-0

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Recap: VIC 5 - BRN 3

Austin Carroll notched his 31st in a 5-3 Royals win, Credit: Quigley
Steven Hodges had a goal and two assists, as the visiting Victoria Royals (42-16-1-3, 88pts) scored four times in the first period enroute to a 5-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings Wednesday night.

Nelson (1g 1a)
“I thought we were great in the first period,” said Head Coach Dave Lowry,

“We really came out and executed the way we wanted to play, we had great pace, took pucks to the net and did everything we talked about how we had to play coming in.”

The Royals are 3-0 on their Eastern Division road swing after victories over Moose Jaw and Prince Albert, and have tied the franchise record for consecutive wins with 7.

It was Victoria’s 22nd road victory, with 9 consecutive off the Island, while collecting points in 14 straight games (12-0-1-1).  The clubs record since December 12th is (24-3-1-2).
Nelson buries his 20th, Credit: Quigley
Hodges line with Austin Carroll (1g) and Logan Nelson (1g 1a) combined for 6 points while Victoria heavily outshot Brandon 49-26.

“Going down the stretch you need your best players to be your best players, and tonight that line was really good for us…they could have had a lot more points…” according to Lowry.

The Royals built up period leads of 4-1 and 5-2 against a Wheat King squad that was missing 5 regulars and were winless in 6.

New York Islanders first round selection, defenseman Ryan Pulock opened the scoring, but just 16 seconds later, Nelson’s goal sparked the Royals to 4 unanswered.

The clubs exchanged second period goals and the Wheaties got a single power play marker in the final frame but ultimately fell.

Victoria also got goals from Tyler Soy (12th) and Keegan Kanzig (3rd), while Brett Cote was the 2nd star with 2 assists playing in front of friends and family in his home province of Manitoba.
Soy adds his 12th of the year to make it 2-1 in the first.  Credit: Quigley
Captain Jordan Fransoo was a +3 against his former squad.

Patrik Polivka made 23 saves for his 22nd win of the year, as Curtis Honey kicked out 44 of 49 in a losing cause.
Polivka earned his 22nd win of the year.
The Royals were 0 for 2 on the power play, while the Wheat Kings went 1 for 3.

Earlier in the day, Victoria was recognized as the 10th ranked club in the CHL Top 10 for a second week in a row.

Victoria faces Regina Friday and Saskatoon Saturday to wrap up 5 games in 8 days, an 11 day round trip.

-Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 5 at Brandon Wheat Kings 3 - Status: Final
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 - Westman Place - Brandon, MB

Victoria 4 1 0 - 5
Brandon 1 1 1 - 3

1st Period-
1, Brandon, Pulock 18 (Coulter, Pilon), 4:42.
2, Victoria, Nelson 20 (Cote, Hodges), 4:58.
3, Victoria, Soy 12 (Walker), 8:50.
4, Victoria, Hodges 19 (Nelson, Cote), 14:04.
5, Victoria, Carroll 31 (Hodges), 17:01.

Penalties-Bukarts Bdn (interference), 6:10; Carroll Vic (roughing), 19:47; Pilon Bdn (roughing), 19:47.

2nd Period-
6, Brandon, Coulter 8 (Lindgren, Roy), 9:00.
7, Victoria, Kanzig 3 (Blomqvist, Skapski), 11:26.

Penalties-No Penalties

3rd Period-
8, Brandon, Bukarts 22 (Pilon, Pulock), 17:15 (PP).

Penalties-Kanzig Vic (hooking), 1:05; Brown Vic (hooking), 9:33; Bukarts Bdn (interference), 10:12; Kanzig Vic (interference), 17:00.

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 21-14-14-49.
Brandon 6-10-10-26.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 0 / 2;
Brandon 1 / 3.

Goalies-
Victoria, Polivka 22-11-0-2 (26 shots-23 saves).
Brandon, Honey 10-14-2-0 (49 shots-44 saves).

A-2,702
Referees-Adam Byblow (23), Jon Stephenson (38).
Linesmen-Kelsey Mahoney (138), Andrew Stammers (136).

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Preview: Victoria at Brandon, Wed Feb.19.2014

Jordan Fransoo and Jack Palmer face their former squad as the Victoria Royals (41-16-1-3, 86pts) visit the Brandon Wheat Kings (28-24-6-2, 64pts) in their only meeting of the season Wednesday night.

Pregame show at 4:45 PST on The Zone @ 91.3fm.

“We’ll be a team with a little more desperation in our game...” said Royals Head Coach Dave Lowry who's club is ranked 10th in the CHL Top 10.

“…We’re seeing teams that are ready, seeing teams playing their best hockey, and no longer can we sneak in under the radar and start a game.  Everybody is prepared for us now, and that is a credit to our guys for their success that we’ve had so far this year.”

Last season, the Royals edged the visiting Wheat Kings 4-3 in overtime as Alex Gogolev provided the heroics.  Victoria’s last visit to Brandon was successful as well back on January 14, 2012, as Ben Walker scored the shoot out winner in a 4-3 victory.

Victoria is 3rd in the West, riding a 6 game win streak collecting points in 13 straight games (11-0-1-1) after a 4-3 shoot out victory in Moose Jaw Monday.
Hicketts shot eludes Sawchenko, Credit: Quigley

Jack Walker scored the shoot out winner, Travis Brown (2a) and Joe Hicketts (1g 1a) had 2 point games, while Patrik Polivka made 31 saves for his 21st win.

The Royals also got goals from Austin Carroll, and Axel Blomqvist, as the club came from behind for their first win in Moose Jaw since the franchise relocated.

Victoria is 2-0 on the Eastern swing, and have won 8 consecutive on the road, a franchise best improving to (21-7-0-1) record off the Island.

The club continues to set franchise records, including 41 wins and 86 points.

Brandon is 7th in the Eastern Conference - 4 up on eighth place Red Deer.  The Wheat Kings’ winless streak hit 6 games (0-4-1-1) after a 4-0 loss to the Regina Pats Monday.

Carroll scores at MJ, Credit: Quigley
Brandon went 0-for-5 with the man advantage, leaving the Wheat Kings 1-for-25 in the last 6 games – a stretch that has seen Brandon score just 7 times overall.

Brandon’s power-play has been one of the best in the WHL through the 2013-2014 season, and enter Wednesday’s game ranked 4th in the WHL.  The penalty-kill is ranked 17th but are an impressive 25-for-30 (83.3%) over the Wheaties last 9 games.

It’s the first game of a four-game home stand for Brandon, with the Wheat Kings also set to host Calgary on Friday, Moose Jaw on Saturday and Lethbridge next Wednesday.

Brandon still has 8 of 12 remaining games on home ice where they are an impressive 9 games over .500 (17-8-2-1).

The Wheat Kings boast the 5th most offensive club in the league, with 7 players at 43 or more points.

However, Brandon remains without 5 regulars including their top 2 scorers, Jayce Hawryluk (lower body), who leads the way with 50.  John Quenneville (upper body) is 2nd with 47.  Rihards Bukarts (upper body) with 43 points is also out while defenseman Rene Hunter (upper body) was scratched following warmup Monday.  Defenseman Colton Waltz will sit due to suspension.

Defenseman Ryan Pulock (15th overall NYI) is 12th among defencemen in scoring with 46 points.  Pulock is second among blueliners with 17 goals including a league-high ten power-play goals.

After Brandon Wednesday, Victoria faces Regina Friday and Saskatoon Saturday to wrap up 5 games in 8 days, an 11 day round trip.

-Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals vs Brandon Wheat Kings: Head To Head Stats
Summary

Description
Result
Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season Victoria 0-0-0-0Brandon 0-0-0-0
Head to Head Record 2012-13 Regular Season Victoria 1-0-0-0Brandon 0-0-1-0
Last 5 Years record between teams Victoria 3-1-0-0Brandon 1-1-1-1
Victoria vs. Brandon Last 5 Years record at Victoria Victoria 2-0-0-0Brandon 0-1-1-0
Victoria vs. Brandon Last 5 Years record at Brandon Victoria 1-1-0-0Brandon 1-0-0-1
How the 2 teams match up
Brandon
Victoria
Team Record 28-24-6-2 -- 64 points 41-16-1-3 -- 86 points
Division Ranking 3rd East 2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking 7th Eastern 3rd Western
League Ranking 14th 5th
Past 10 Games 2-6-1-1 8-0-1-1
Streak 0-4-1-1 11-0-1-1
Last Game 4-0 L @ Regina (Feb 17 2014) Final 4-3 W @ Moose Jaw (Feb 17 2014) Final SO
Home Record 17-8-2-1 20-10-1-2
Away Record 11-16-4-1 21-6-0-1
GF 216  200 
GA 219  152 
PP (Overall) (62/259) 23.9 (56/262) 21.4
PP (Home) (36/125) 28.8 (31/148) 20.9
PP (Away) (26/134) 19.4 (25/114) 21.9
PK (Overall) (51/208) 75.5 (45/251) 82.1
PK (Home) (18/87) 79.3 (27/138) 80.4
PK (Away) (33/121) 72.7 (18/113) 84.1
Leading Rookie Quenneville (16-29-45) Soy (11-13-24)
Most PIM Nejezchleb - 67 Carroll - 99
Team PIM/GM 12.3/Game 14.2/Game
Leading Scorers Hawryluk (17-33-50) Magee (21-33-54)
Quenneville (22-25-47) Brown (12-38-50)
Pulock (17-30-47) Blomqvist (20-29-49)
Nejezchleb (29-17-46) Carroll (30-18-48)
Quenneville (16-29-45) Walker (23-22-45)
Last 5 Games 4-0 L @ Regina (Feb 17 2014) Final 4-3 W @ Moose Jaw (Feb 17 2014) Final SO
5-2 L vs Kootenay (Feb 15 2014) Final 5-4 W @ Prince Albert (Feb 15 2014) Final
3-2 L vs Kootenay (Feb 14 2014) Final SO 3-2 W vs Tri-City (Feb 12 2014) Final OT
3-2 L @ Lethbridge (Feb 12 2014) Final OT 3-2 W @ Vancouver (Feb 10 2014) Final
6-1 L @ Medicine Hat (Feb 11 2014) Final 6-4 W @ Kelowna (Feb 8 2014) Final
Leading After 1st 15-3-2-0 22-1-1-1
Leading After 2nd 19-0-4-1 27-0-1-1
Tied After 1st 8-7-2-1 13-2-0-0
Tied After 2nd 5-2-1-0 9-0-0-1
Trailing After 1st 5-14-2-1 6-13-0-2
Trailing After 2nd 4-22-1-1 5-16-0-1
Out Shooting Opponents 17-8-2-1 15-5-1-2
Out Shot by Opponents 10-15-4-1 23-11-0-1
1-Goal Games 10-3-6-2 19-5-1-3
2-Goal Games 3-7-0-0 10-5-0-0
3-Goal Games 10-8-0-0 5-3-0-0

Monday 17 February 2014

Recap: VIC 4 - MJ 3 Shoot Out

Jack Walker scored the shoot out winner 4-3 in Moose Jaw
Jack Walker scored the shoot out winner and Patrik Polivka made 31 saves as the visiting Victoria Royals (41-16-1-3, 86pts) came from behind to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 4-3 Monday afternoon.

The Royals win!
“Early on in the third we started pushing pucks in behind their defense, we started taking pucks to the net and started creating some chances and we end up finding a way to win a hockey game.” – Head Coach Dave Lowry

Defenseman Travis Brown was the games first star with a pair of assists in his first and only visit against his former club.

“It was a little weird, but it felt good getting the two points…I was honoured to be back in Moose Jaw and play in front of those fans again, and it felt really good.”
Said Brown

Axel Blomqvist scores on the power play
Trailing 2-1 heading into the third, Victoria scored twice on goals by Austin Carroll (30th) and Axel Blomqvist (21st) on the power play to take their first lead.  

Moose Jaw’s Jake Rodewald forced overtime with 4 minutes left, and then needed the skills competition to settle the contest.

Patrik Polivka stopped both Brayden Point and Torrin White, while the Royals Logan Nelson and Walker both found the net on 16 year old Zach Sawchenko.

“Usually Jack (Walker) is a guy who’s pretty comfortable, so that’s why we went with him.” Said Lowry on choosing Jack to shoot second, as he improves to 4 for 6 in the skills competition, and now has 3 shoot out winners.

“Big win here, a lot of fun scoring that shoot out winner and now just focus on the next game ahead.” Said Walker on the victory.
Polivka stopped both Warriors in the shoot out
Polivka earned his 21st win, while Sawchenko made 29 saves in the loss.

“He made a lot of really good 2nd and 3rd saves and (Polivka) battled hard, it’s his first game in a while.” According Lowry,

“He went in and did exactly what we expect - give us an opportunity to win.”


Royals defenseman Joe Hicketts had a goal and assist, as his first period marker was sandwiched between goals by Warriors Tanner Eberle and Jesse Forsberg.

Hicketts hit the top corner with a shot from the point for his 6th of the year in just his 25th game.

Warriors forward Brayden Point who won a Gold Medal with Hicketts at the U18 this past summer, had 3 assists as the 17 year old continues to lead his club in scoring with 66 points.  His linemate Torrin White had 2 helpers.

Victoria was 1 for 5 on the power play, and Moose Jaw 0 for 3.
Time Out
It was the Royals first victory over the Warriors since moving to the Island, the last win was in 2007.  The team earned their 5th victory of the year when trailing after 40 minutes (5-16-0-1).

The club continues to set franchise records, including 41 wins and 86 points, collecting points in 13 straight games (11-0-1-1), consecutive road wins with 8, and total road victories with 21 (21-6-0-1). 

Victoria now has won 6 in a row and are 2-0 on their 5 game eastern road swing after a 5-4 win in Prince Albert Saturday, where Jack Walker also scored the game winner.

They now face the Brandon Wheat Kings Wednesday night, at Regina Friday and Saskatoon Saturday.

-Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 4 (SO) at Moose Jaw Warriors 3 - Status: Final SO
Monday, February 17, 2014 - Mosaic Place - Moose Jaw, SK

Victoria 1 0 2 0 - 4
Moose Jaw 2 0 1 0 - 3

1st Period-
1, Moose Jaw, Eberle 15 (Point, White), 3:01.
2, Victoria, Hicketts 6 (Brown, Crunk), 11:18.
3, Moose Jaw, Forsberg 5 (Point, White), 19:10.

Penalties-Eberle M.j (roughing), 0:37; Skapski Vic (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 4:02; Rodewald M.j (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 4:02; Fisher Vic (cross checking), 7:37; Reddekopp Vic (hooking), 14:23.

2nd Period-
 No Scoring.

Penalties-Cooke M.j (slashing), 5:15; Sleptsov M.j (delay of game), 10:15; Skapski Vic (high sticking), 12:40; Hicketts Vic (embellishment), 15:21; Uhrich M.j (holding), 15:21.

3rd Period-
4, Victoria, Carroll 30 (Hicketts, Brown), 3:03.
5, Victoria, Blomqvist 21 (Nelson, Walker), 8:23 (PP).
6, Moose Jaw, Rodewald 20 (Point, Forsberg), 15:58.

Penalties-Brown M.j (inter. on goaltender), 8:21.

OT Period-
No Scoring.

Penalties-Forsberg M.j (hooking), 1:08.

Shootout –
Victoria 2 (Nelson G, Walker G),
Moose Jaw 0 (Point NG, White NG).

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 9-12-6-5-1-33.
Moose Jaw 12-7-8-7-0-34.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 1 / 5;
Moose Jaw 0 / 3.

Goalies-
Victoria, Polivka 21-11-0-2 (34 shots-31 saves).
Moose Jaw, Sawchenko 6-8-0-1 (32 shots-29 saves).

A-3,677
Referees-Cole Hamm (51), Chris Schlenker (90).
Linesmen-Shane Smith (123), Dawson Switzer (97).

Sunday 16 February 2014

Preview: Victoria at Moose Jaw, Mon, Feb 17.2014

The Victoria Royals (40-16-1-3, 84pts) visit the Moose Jaw Warriors (15-34-3-5, 38 pts) Monday at noon in their only meeting of the season.

Pregame show at 11:45 am PST on The Zone @ 91.3 fm

The club continues to set franchise records, including wins with 40, points in 12 consecutive games (10-0-1-1), points (84), and road victories with 20 (20-6-0-1).  Victoria has won 5 in a row, and 7 consecutive on the road.

Most recently a 5-4 come from behind victory or the Raiders in Prince Albert Saturday.

Jack Walker scored the eventual game winner and Brandon Magee had 3 assists as his line with Axel Blomqvist (2a) and Steven Hodges (1g) combined for 6 points.  Defenseman Joe Hicketts had two assists and his defensive partner Travis Brown had a goal and assist.  Coleman Vollrath earned his 20th win with 22 saves.

It’s the only meeting of the season, as last year Moose Jaw won 4-3 in a shoot out in Victoria, and the Royals fell 2-0 to the Warriors the year prior.

Moose Jaw suffered a 6-1 loss to Medicine Hat Saturday in Alberta, but won in Lethbridge 4-2 Friday.

The Tribe are 10 games under .500 at home this season (9-19-0-3).

Moose Jaw sits 10th in the East, 22 points out of a playoff spot.

The Warriors have taken the 2nd most penalty minutes on average per game in the league. 

Moose Jaw is led in scoring by top prospect Brayden Point with 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points.  He won Gold at the U-18 this past summer with Royals Joe Hicketts.

Monday’s matinee will be the first and only time this season that Travis Brown will square off against his former team.  Brown was selected by the Warriors in the 4th round, 76th overall, in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft.  He played three and half seasons for the tribe; he played in 182 games, he had 25 goals, and 109 points.  Brown led the Warriors defence in scoring in his rookie season, 2011-2012, and was part of the team that went to the 2012 Eastern Conference Final.

After Victoria plays Monday in Moose Jaw, they’ll travel to Brandon for a Wednesday game, then Regina and Saskatoon before travelling back to the Island.  Then they’ll play a pair in Prince George before their next home date March 7th and 8th against Kamloops. 

- Marlon Martens
Victoria Royals vs Moose Jaw Warriors: Head To Head Stats
Summary

Description
Result
Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season Victoria 0-0-0-0Moose Jaw 0-0-0-0
Head to Head Record 2012-13 Regular Season Victoria 0-0-0-1Moose Jaw 1-0-0-0
Last 5 Years record between teams Victoria 0-3-0-1Moose Jaw 4-0-0-0
Victoria vs. Moose Jaw Last 5 Years record at Victoria Victoria 0-1-0-1Moose Jaw 2-0-0-0
Victoria vs. Moose Jaw Last 5 Years record at Moose Jaw Victoria 0-2-0-0Moose Jaw 2-0-0-0



How the 2 teams match up
Moose Jaw
Victoria
Team Record 15-34-3-5 -- 38 points 40-16-1-3 -- 84 points
Division Ranking 5th East 2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking 10th Eastern 3rd Western
League Ranking 19th 5th
Past 10 Games 2-8-0-0 8-0-1-1
Streak 0-1-0-0 10-0-1-1
Last Game 6-1 L @ Medicine Hat (Feb 15 2014) Final 5-4 W @ Prince Albert (Feb 15 2014) Final
Home Record 6-15-3-2 20-10-1-2
Away Record 9-19-0-3 20-6-0-1
GF 148  196 
GA 221  149 
PP (Overall) (52/269) 19.3 (55/257) 21.4
PP (Home) (29/130) 22.3 (31/148) 20.9
PP (Away) (23/139) 16.5 (24/109) 22.0
PK (Overall) (56/248) 77.4 (45/248) 81.9
PK (Home) (22/112) 80.4 (27/138) 80.4
PK (Away) (34/136) 75.0 (18/110) 83.6
Leading Rookie Sleptsov (2-16-18) Soy (11-13-24)
Most PIM Eberle - 117 Carroll - 99
Team PIM/GM 17.8/Game 14.3/Game
Leading Scorers Point (26-37-63) Magee (20-33-53)
Fioretti (14-28-42) Blomqvist (20-29-49)
Rodewald (19-16-35) Brown (12-36-48)
Eberle (14-19-33) Carroll (29-18-47)
White (16-12-28) Nelson (19-26-45)
Last 5 Games 6-1 L @ Medicine Hat (Feb 15 2014) Final 5-4 W @ Prince Albert (Feb 15 2014) Final
4-2 W @ Lethbridge (Feb 14 2014) Final 3-2 W vs Tri-City (Feb 12 2014) Final OT
3-1 L vs Kootenay (Feb 11 2014) Final 3-2 W @ Vancouver (Feb 10 2014) Final
6-3 L vs Swift Current (Feb 8 2014) Final 6-4 W @ Kelowna (Feb 8 2014) Final
7-1 W @ Prince Albert (Feb 7 2014) Final 3-1 W @ Kamloops (Feb 7 2014) Final
Leading After 1st 9-5-1-0 22-1-1-1
Leading After 2nd 12-0-1-2 27-0-1-1
Tied After 1st 4-11-2-3 13-2-0-0
Tied After 2nd 2-4-2-0 9-0-0-1
Trailing After 1st 2-18-0-2 5-13-0-2
Trailing After 2nd 1-30-0-3 4-16-0-1
Out Shooting Opponents 8-11-2-1 15-5-1-2
Out Shot by Opponents 5-20-1-4 22-11-0-1
1-Goal Games 9-6-3-5 18-5-1-3
2-Goal Games 2-10-0-0 10-5-0-0
3-Goal Games 2-10-0-0 5-3-0-0

Saturday 15 February 2014

Recap: VIC 5 - PA 4

Travis Brown tied the game in the third at 4 enroute to a 5-4 win in Prince Albert.  Credit Larry Quigley
Jack Walker scored the eventual game winner and Brandon Magee had 3 assists as the visiting Victoria Royals (40-16-1-3, 84pts) edged the Prince Albert Raiders 5-4 Saturday night.

It was a back and forth encouter, tied at 1 after 20 minutes and tied at 3 after 40.  Former Royal Dakota Conroy put the Raiders ahead in the third, but Travis Brown tied it up on the power play and Joe Hicketts point shot was redirected by Jack Walker for the eventual winner. 
Steven Hodges tied the game at 2
“It just exemplifies how we play, we’ve got a group that really believes in each other and when we did squander and give up that one (go ahead) goal, our guys just buckled down and stayed with it, we got a timely power play goal, we had a huge (penalty) kill…” – Head Coach Dave Lowry

Victoria had to kill off a late Prince Albert power play, which has been among the leagues best over their last 4 games going 2 for 4 on the night.

“…When you see guys blocking shots when the games on the line, it just shows you that everyone really is enjoying winning hockey games.” Said Lowry
Brandon Magee had 3 assists
The club continues to set franchise records in wins with 40, points in 12 consecutive games (10-0-1-1), points (84), and road victories with 20 (20-6-0-1).  Victoria has won 5 in a row, and 7 straight on the road.

Coleman Vollrath earned his 20th win stopping 22 of 26 shots, while Cole Cheveldave allowed 5 goals on 35 Royals attempts.
Royals Blomqvist and Carroll shake hands after a come from behind 5-4 win against Raiders
The young line of Jack Walker, Tyler Soy and Jack Palmer dominated several of their shifts and chipped in with the game winner.

“That’s great to see, and that’s why we win hockey games...we’re not a hockey team that relies on one or two guys to lead the offense.”
According to Lowry,

“When your fourth line and your young guys score goals, that’s critical.  That shows you two things.  We have confidence in our group, that it doesn’t matter what time of the game our young guys are going to play, and that they can do a really efficient job for us as well.”

Victoria was 1 for 3 on the power play, scoring with the man advantage in 8 of their last 9 games.

Magee was the games first star with 3 assists, as his line with Axel Blomqvist (2a) and Steven Hodges (1g) combined for 6 points.  Defenseman Joe Hicketts had two assists and his defensive partner Travis Brown had a goal and assist.

Austin Carroll scored his team leading 29th in the first converting on a feed from Logan Nelson who earned his 150th career point.    Carroll’s goal evened the score at 1-1, after Winnipeg Jets first rounder Josh Morrisey opened the scoring on the power play, his 21st.

Sawyer Lange converted with the man advantage in the second to retake the lead before Steven Hodges notched his 18th of the year after being set up Blomqvist from behind the net.  Ben Walker scored his 50th career WHL goal to give the Royals their first lead in the middle frame, but Calder Brooks tied it up at 3 heading into the third.
Crunk fought Braid: Credit Quigley

Victoria then outshot P.A. 15-7 in the final frame.

“We’ve been in this position before (tied heading to the third), we’re comfortable in our conditioning.  We know that when the game is on the line in the third period, we have another gear.”  Said Lowry

Top prospect forward Leon Draisaitl extended his point streak to 5 games with 3 helpers and was named the 2nd star, while linemate Collin Valcourt was 3rd, also with 3 assists.

Victoria plays Monday at noon pacific in Moose Jaw, then off to Brandon, Regina and Saskatoon before travelling back to the Island.  Then they’ll play a pair in Prince George before their next home date March 7th and 8th against Kamloops. 

- Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 5 at Prince Albert Raiders 4 - Status: Final
Saturday, February 15, 2014 - Art Hauser Centre - Prince Albert, SK

Victoria 1 2 2 - 5
Prince Albert 1 2 1 - 4

1st Period-
1, Prince Albert, Morrissey 21 (Draisaitl, Valcourt), 6:56 (PP).
2, Victoria, Carroll 29 (Nelson, Brown), 17:52.

Penalties-Walker Vic (hooking), 5:05; Walker Vic (tripping), 11:25.

2nd Period-
3, Prince Albert, Lange 7 (Draisaitl, Valcourt), 10:40 (PP).
4, Victoria, Hodges 18 (Magee, Blomqvist), 12:02.
5, Victoria, Walker 23 (Blomqvist, Magee), 13:59.
6, Prince Albert, Brooks 12 (Hart, Gardiner), 15:05.

Penalties-Crunk Vic (major-fighting), 0:08; Braid P.a (major-fighting), 0:08; Brown Vic (cross checking), 10:11; Hart P.a (elbowing), 18:23.

3rd Period-
7, Prince Albert, Conroy 22 (Draisaitl, Valcourt), 5:21.
8, Victoria, Brown 12 (Magee, Hicketts), 9:49 (PP).
9, Victoria, Walker 5 (Palmer, Soy), 14:54.

Penalties-Morrissey P.a (tripping), 9:02; Craig P.a (high sticking), 10:55; Cote Vic (charging), 17:26.

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 11-9-15-35.
Prince Albert 9-10-7-26.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 1 / 3;
Prince Albert 2 / 4.

Goalies-
Victoria, Vollrath 20-5-1-1 (26 shots-22 saves).
Prince Albert, Cheveldave 21-21-2-1 (35 shots-30 saves).

A-2,454
Referees-Jonathan Spurgeon (7), Chad Williams (60).
Linesmen-Javan Bexson (130), Troy Semenchuk (65).