Saturday 17 December 2011

VIC 4 - LETH 5 OT

Soudek:  Credit CanesCast
The Victoria Royals clawed back from a three nothing deficit to earn a point, in a 5-4 overtime loss in Lethbridge Friday night.  Brady Ramsay scored the overtime winner 1:22 into the extra frame.

The Royals trailed 2-0 after 20 on goals by Brody Sutter and Philip Tot.  Jared Rathjen started the second as Keith Hamiton made 10 saves in 20 minutes of work. 

Graham Hood would put Lethbridge up 3-0 in the 2nd before Jesse Pauls scored his first of the season on the power play to get the Royals on board.  Trailing 3-1 after 40, Victoria would go on a tear, scoring 3 straight in the third. 

Ben Walker started it off 55 seconds in, Pauls his second and Jamie Crooks’ 17th to take their first lead of the game.  It was short lived as Daniel Johnston tied the game 14 seconds later.  Victoria dominated the third period outshooting Lethbridge 18-4, and 44-28 through overtime but failed to pick up the extra point.

The following is taken from the Times Colonist:
“We did not play well at the start. We were great at the end when the ice seemed tilted and we outshot them badly [44-28 on the game], but Lethbridge got some timely goals,” said Victoria GM and head coach Marc Habscheid.
“But we can’t always rely on that [rallies]. We have to bring it every night from the start and be ready.”
“We need some saves and whoever is going to stop the puck is going to play,” said Habscheid, adding Rathjen will start tonight in Medicine Hat against the Tigers.
“We need a higher save percentage.”

Rathjen makes 13 saves - still looking for his first WHL win, while Damien Ketlo and his club win their 3rd in a row.

Jesse Pauls had 3 points on the night and was named the games 3rd star while Robin Soudek returned to the line up after serving a 4 game suspension and picked up 2 assists.  Steven Hodges 2 helpers extends his point streak to 4 games.  Kevin Sundher’s assist extends his point streak to 6 games, collecting 9 points in that span. 

The club reaches the mid-way mark of the season with a record of 13-19-2-2, and wrap up a 4 game road trip in Medicine Hat Saturday, picking up 2 points thus far.

The Royals power play went 1 for 6, and stopped 1 of 2 Hurricane chances.