Patrik Bartosak made 42 saves to help backstop the visiting Red Deer Rebels to a 2-1 victory over the Victoria Royals (9-8-0-1, 19pts) Friday night.
Dominik Volek had a goal and an assist while Hayden Fleury scored the eventual game winner on the power play in the second period.
Red Deer (7-8-0-1, 15pts) scored singles in the first and second, while Ben Walker notched his 5th of the year in the third. The Royals pulled their netminder late but ultimately fell short.
Victoria outshot Red Deer 19-6 in the middle frame, and 43-18 overall.
Patrik Polivka made 16 saves and falls to .500 on the year (7-7). Bartosak earns his 6th win and first star honours. Both netminders made short handed breakaway saves, Walker was stopped in the first, and Polivka denied Vukie Mpofu in the second.
The Rebels snap a winless in 5 game drought, while the Royals are now winless in their last 3 (0-2-0-1), scoring just a single goal in each of those games. They fell to the Rockets last weekend 4-1 and 2-1 in a shoot out, as the Royals kicked off a 5 game homestand.
Victoria went 0 for 4 on the power play, while their 2nd best penalty killing allowed a single goal on 5 Rebel man advantages.
Royals 19 year old forward Steven Hodges (3rd round FLA ’12) made his regular season debut and was impressive, blocking shots, throwing hits, winning the majority of his faceoffs and generating scoring opportunities with linemates Logan Nelson and Austin Carroll.
Victoria was without defenseman Joe Hicketts out indefinitely with upper body surgery.
Defenseman Kolton Dixon made his return to the Island after being acquired by Red Deer for a conditional draft pick in September, and took 2 roughing minors.
Victoria will look for the split in the back half of the two game set Saturday night.
Red Deer Rebels 2 at Victoria Royals 1 - Status: Final
Friday, November 1, 2013 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena - Victoria, BC
Red Deer 1 1 0 - 2
Victoria 0 0 1 - 1
1st Period-
1, Red Deer, Volek 5 (Johnson, Dieno), 14:11.
Penalties-Fransoo Vic (boarding), 0:43; Nelson Vic (hooking), 18:10.
2nd Period-
2, Red Deer, Fleury 3 (Bleackley, Volek), 16:54 (PP).
Penalties-Carroll Vic (tripping), 1:05; Carroll Vic (slashing), 7:41; Mpofu R.d (interference), 8:26; Dixon R.d (roughing), 10:08; Hodges Vic (charging), 14:58; Fafard R.d (high sticking), 17:19.
3rd Period-
3, Victoria, Walker 5 (Kanzig, Gagnon), 6:04.
Penalties-Dixon R.d (roughing), 7:06.
Shots on Goal-
Red Deer 8-6-4-18.
Victoria 12-19-12-43.
Power Play Opportunities-
Red Deer 1 / 5;
Victoria 0 / 4.
Goalies-
Red Deer, Bartosak 6-6-0-1 (43 shots-42 saves).
Victoria, Polivka 7-7-0-0 (18 shots-16 saves).
A-3,787
Referees-Mike Langin (67), Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Riley Friesen (76), Kirk Van Helvoirt (107).
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