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The Royals will be looking for their first win of the season, and revenge, after dropping a 6-3 to decision to the Blazers last Friday, followed up with a 3-1 loss to the Giants.
Kamloops is 1-1 after falling 6-1 in Kelowna last Saturday.
It’s the beginning of 3 games in 3 nights for Victoria, beginning with the pair at home to Kamloops and wrapping up on the road in Vancouver Sunday at 5 pm.
Last season season the Royals won 7 of 8 games against the Blazers.
Last Friday, in Kamloops, the Blazers jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead and never looked back as Josh Connolly and Cole Ully had a goal and two assits each. Matt Revel notched a pair of goals and rookie Jake Kryski had a goal and an assist.
Jack Palmer scored a pair for Victoria, while Travis Brown connected on the power play. Coleman Vollrath started, but split the duties with Evan Smith. 20 year old netminder Bolton Pouliout earned the win for the Blazers.
Victoria welcomes back forward Austin Carroll from the Flames bringing a team leading 34 goals last season, 19yr forward Axel Blomqvist, from the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets Main Camp and defenseman Joe Hicketts, who signed a 3 year entry level contract with the Detroit Red Wings earlier this week after going undrafted.
Brandon Magee was also returned from the Calgary Flames. Magee however won't be available yet, as he's serving a 12 game suspension stemming from the playoff series versus Portland.
Only 6’6 250 lb defenseman Keegan Kanzig is still away at NHL camp with the Flames.
The Royals assigned 18 year old forward Braden Oleksyn to Junior ‘A’.
17 year old Victoria forward Tyler Soy and defenseman Chaz Reddekopp made the NHL Central Scouting 'Ones to Watch' list, with a 'C' Rating indicating a 4th-6th round candidate in the upcoming 2015 entry draft.
Blazers defenseman Ryan Rehill was returned Wednesday from New Jersey’s main camp. Cole Ully attended Dallas Stars camp along with Colin Shirley. Forward Matt Revel was returned from the Canucks after a free agent try out.
Kamloops is still without 19 year forward Chase Souto, out indefinitely with an upper body injury. Souto had 31 points in 47 games last season.
The Blazers acquired 20-year-old forward Mike Winther from the Calgary Hitmen in exchange for a 4th round pick in 2015 and a 6th round pick in 2017. A former 1st round Bantam pick has 70 goals and 142 career points in 231 games with Prince Albert and Calgary.
Winther was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round of the 2012 NHL Draft. He did not sign an NHL contract, so is now a free agent.
Kamloops also announced this week that they hired Mike Needham as the team’s new Assistant Coach. Needham has spent the past three seasons as the Head Coach of the Okanagan Hockey Academy Bantam Prep team. His playing career included three seasons with the Kamloops Blazers from 1987-1990. He played 6 seasons of pro hockey which included 86 NHL games. Needham also won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992.
Friday night Victoria looks to get their first win of the season and exact revenge in their home opener against Kamloops.
-Marlon Martens
Victoria Royals vs Kamloops Blazers: Head To Head Stats
Summary
Description
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Result
| |
| Head to Head Record 2014-15 Regular Season | Victoria 0-1-0-0 | Kamloops 1-0-0-0 |
| Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season | Victoria 7-1-0-0 | Kamloops 1-7-0-0 |
| Last 5 Years record between teams | Victoria 17-15-1-0 | Kamloops 16-14-1-2 |
| Victoria vs. Kamloops Last 5 Years record at Victoria | Victoria 11-4-1-0 | Kamloops 5-9-0-2 |
| Victoria vs. Kamloops Last 5 Years record at Kamloops | Victoria 6-11-0-0 | Kamloops 11-5-1-0 |
| Previous Meetings This Season | Victoria 3 @ Kamloops 6 (Sep 19 2014) Final |
How the 2 teams match up
Kamloops
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Victoria
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| Team Record | 1-1-0-0 -- 2 points | 0-2-0-0 -- 0 points |
| Division Ranking | 3rd B.C. | 5th B.C. |
| Conference Ranking | 5th Western | 10th Western |
| League Ranking | 10th | 22nd |
| Past 10 Games | 1-1-0-0 | 0-2-0-0 |
| Streak | 0-1-0-0 | 0-2-0-0 |
| Last Game | 6-1 L @ Kelowna (Sep 20 2014) Final | 3-1 L @ Vancouver (Sep 20 2014) Final |
| Home Record | 1-0-0-0 | 0-0-0-0 |
| Away Record | 0-1-0-0 | 0-2-0-0 |
| GF | 7 | 4 |
| GA | 9 | 9 |
| PP (Overall) | (1/10) 10.0 | (2/12) 16.7 |
| PP (Home) | (1/4) 25.0 | (0/0) |
| PP (Away) | (0/6) 0.0 | (2/12) 16.7 |
| PK (Overall) | (3/13) 76.9 | (1/9) 88.9 |
| PK (Home) | (1/6) 83.3 | (0/0) |
| PK (Away) | (2/7) 71.4 | (1/9) 88.9 |
| Leading Rookie | Kryski (1-1-2) | (0-0-0) |
| Most PIM | Maier - 8 | Gagnon - 9 |
| Team PIM/GM | 18.5/Game | 18.5/Game |
| Leading Scorers | Revel (2-1-3) | Brown (2-1-3) |
| Connolly (1-2-3) | Palmer (2-0-2) | |
| Ully (1-2-3) | Fushimi (0-2-2) | |
| Kryski (1-1-2) | Skapski (0-2-2) | |
| Needham (1-1-2) | Jarratt (0-1-1) | |
| Last 5 Games | 6-1 L @ Kelowna (Sep 20 2014) Final | 3-1 L @ Vancouver (Sep 20 2014) Final |
| 6-3 W vs Victoria (Sep 19 2014) Final | 6-3 L @ Kamloops (Sep 19 2014) Final |
