Tuesday 31 December 2013

Preview: Victoria at Everett, Tues. Dec 31, 2013

It’s the beginning of a home and home as the 3rd place Victoria Royals (25-13-0-2, 52pts) visit the 4th place Everett Silvertips (23-11-4-0, 50pts) in a New Years Eve matchup.

Pregame show at 5:45 on The Zone @ 91.3 FM.

It’s the first meeting of the season, as last year the Royals took the series 3-1.  Royals forward Mitch Skapski will face his former club for the first time.

Both clubs are 12 games over .500, have scored almost the identical amount of goals, while being equally as stingy defensively.

Victoria is riding a 4 game win streak, and has points in 6 straight (5-0-0-1), while Everett won their last outing, including 2 of their last 3 but only have 3 wins in their past 10.

Both clubs are missing players due to tournaments.  At the U-17’s are Royals Tyler Soy and Chaz Reddekopp, Kevin Davis and Noah Juulsen for the Silvertips.  Sharks draft pick defenseman Mirco Mueller is at the World Juniors for Team Switzerland.

Victoria is without the injured Joe Hicketts and Logan Nelson, while Everett played their last 2 games without the services of Joshua Winquist who’s 3rd in league scoring (59pts) and without 28 point man Manraj Hayer (upper).

Brayden Low’s first career overtime game-winning goal gave the Everett Silvertips a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds earning a split in the second game of a home-and-home set between the rivals Saturday night at the ShoWare Center.

Victoria is coming off a weekend sweep of the visiting Prince George Cougars by 8-1 and 5-2 scores.  The line of Brandon Magee, Steven Hodges and Axel Blomqvist totalled 19 points as Victoria outscored Prince George 13-3.  Coleman Vollrath earned both victories.

The Royals scored a total of 13 goals over the weekend set, as the line of Magee, Hodges and Blomqvist combined for a total of 19 points.  Magee now has 12 points (4g 8a) in his last 4 games and riding an 8 game point streak (17pts).   Blomqvist is riding a 6 game point streak with 11pts (6g 5a) in that span, while Hodges has 13pts (5g 8a) over his last 7 games.

With just two points separating these clubs, it makes for a big Conference matchup New Years Eve and Day as the rematch is set for 3pm in Victoria on January 1st.

- Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals vs Everett Silvertips: Head To Head Stats
Summary

   
Description
Result
Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season Victoria 0-0-0-0Everett 0-0-0-0
Head to Head Record 2012-13 Regular Season Victoria 3-1-0-0Everett 1-2-1-0
Last 5 Years record between teams Victoria 5-9-1-1Everett 11-3-2-0
Victoria vs. Everett Last 5 Years record at Victoria Victoria 3-4-0-1Everett 5-3-0-0
Victoria vs. Everett Last 5 Years record at Everett Victoria 2-5-1-0Everett 6-0-2-0
 
How the 2 teams match up
     
 
Everett
Victoria
Team Record 23-11-4-0 -- 50 points 25-13-0-2 -- 52 points
Division Ranking 2nd U.S. 2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking 4th Western 3rd Western
League Ranking 6th 5th
Past 10 Games 3-7-0-0 7-2-0-1
Streak 1-0-0-0 5-0-0-1
Last Game 4-3 W @ Seattle (Dec 28 2013) Final OT 5-2 W vs Prince George (Dec 28 2013) Final
Home Record 10-7-2-0 13-8-0-1
Away Record 13-4-2-0 12-5-0-1
GF 121  124 
GA 102  97 
PP (Overall) (38/168) 22.6 (35/172) 20.3
PP (Home) (23/86) 26.7 (20/98) 20.4
PP (Away) (15/82) 18.3 (15/74) 20.3
PK (Overall) (27/117) 76.9 (27/173) 84.4
PK (Home) (9/56) 83.9 (17/101) 83.2
PK (Away) (18/61) 70.5 (10/72) 86.1
Leading Rookie Nikolishin (10-21-31) Soy (9-8-17)
Most PIM Betker - 47 Carroll - 76
Team PIM/GM 10.3/Game 15.3/Game
Leading Scorers Winquist (26-33-59) Magee (14-22-36)
  Pufahl (11-20-31) Nelson (12-20-32)
  Nikolishin (10-21-31) Carroll (20-11-31)
  Hayer (11-17-28) Blomqvist (15-16-31)
  Sandhu (13-14-27) Walker (16-11-27)
Last 5 Games 4-3 W @ Seattle (Dec 28 2013) Final OT 5-2 W vs Prince George (Dec 28 2013) Final
  3-2 L vs Seattle (Dec 27 2013) Final 8-1 W vs Prince George (Dec 27 2013) Final
  4-2 W @ Portland (Dec 17 2013) Final 5-3 W @ Edmonton (Dec 17 2013) Final
  2-0 L vs Spokane (Dec 15 2013) Final 6-1 W @ Lethbridge (Dec 15 2013) Final
  6-3 L vs Vancouver (Dec 14 2013) Final 4-3 L @ Medicine Hat (Dec 14 2013) Final SO
Leading After 1st 11-1-1-0 16-1-0-0
Leading After 2nd 18-0-0-0 19-0-0-0
Tied After 1st 9-4-1-0 7-1-0-0
Tied After 2nd 3-3-3-0 3-0-0-1
Trailing After 1st 3-6-2-0 2-11-0-2
Trailing After 2nd 2-8-1-0 3-13-0-1
Out Shooting Opponents 17-8-3-0 7-5-0-1
Out Shot by Opponents 6-3-1-0 15-8-0-1
1-Goal Games 12-1-4-0 9-4-0-2
2-Goal Games 5-5-0-0 6-3-0-0
3-Goal Games 2-5-0-0 5-3-0-0

Saturday 28 December 2013

PG 2 - VIC 5

Brandon Magee had 3 points and Coleman Vollrath made 33 saves as the Victoria Royals (25-13-0-2, 52pts) beat the visiting Prince George Cougars 5-2 Saturday night.

The Royals sweep the Cougars in the two game set after an 8-1 victory the night before and hold a 5-1 season series advantage.

Victoria is now riding a 4 game win streak, and have points in 6 straight games (5-0-0-1).  They remain in sole possession of 3rd place in the West and will meet the 4th place Everett Silvertips New Years Eve.

Victoria held period leads of 4-0 and 5-1 Saturday. 

Vollrath made 33 saves, looks to stop Fiddler
Ben Walker and Jack Palmer scored 1:21 apart in the first after killing off a pair of Prince George power plays.  Brandon Magee (1g 2a) continued his hot play by adding his 14th of the season and Axel Blomqvist (1g 1a) chipped in his 15th with less than a minute to go in the first for the 4-0 lead.

The clubs exchanged goals in the second as Klarc Wilson scored for the Cougars, and Austin Carroll (1g 1a) replied with his team leading 20th goal of the season.

Todd Fiddler scored the lone goal of the third for Prince George who dropped their 2nd in a row.  Jordan Tkatch assisted on both of his club's goals.

Magee took a high stick
Brett Cote and Steven Hodges eached added a pair of assists, while Carroll and Blomqvist had a goal and assist each.

Coleman Vollrath earned back to back wins making 36 and 33 saves respectively earning his 8th and 9th wins of the season.  Ty Edmonds allowed 5 goals on 29 shots.

Victoria went 1 for 6 on the power play, while Prince George was 1 for 7 on the man advantage.

The Royals scored a total of 13 goals over the weekend set, as the line of Magee, Hodges and Blomqvist have a combined total of 19 points.

Magee now has 12 points (4g 8a) in his last 4 games.   Blomqvist is riding a 6 game point streak with 11pts (6g 5a) in that span, while Hodges has 13pts (5g 8a) over his last 7 games.
Magee has managed this month is seven goals and 10 assists in eight games as he takes over the team lead in points with 36. - See more at: http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/royals-magee-has-another-banner-night-1.773096#sthash.4N2zRn51.dpuf
Magee has managed this month is seven goals and 10 assists in eight games as he takes over the team lead in points with 36. - See more at: http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/royals-magee-has-another-banner-night-1.773096#sthash.4N2zRn51.dpuf

Victoria was without the injured Joe Hicketts and Logan Nelson along with U-17 participants Tyler Soy and Chaz Reddekopp.

- Marlon Martens

Prince George Cougars 2 at Victoria Royals 5 - Status: Final
Saturday, December 28, 2013 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena - Victoria, BC

Prince George 0 1 1 - 2
Victoria 4 1 0 - 5

1st Period-
1, Victoria, Walker 16 (Magee, Blomqvist), 6:01.
2, Victoria, Palmer 4 (Carroll, Cote), 7:22.
3, Victoria, Magee 14 (Cote), 14:57.
4, Victoria, Blomqvist 15 (Hodges), 19:09.

Penalties-Crunk Vic (holding), 0:19; Skapski Vic (high sticking), 7:42; Forsberg P.g (closing hand on puck), 12:52; Macklin P.g (roughing), 18:49; Palmer Vic (roughing), 18:49; McNulty P.g (roughing), 19:09.

2nd Period-
5, Prince George, Wilson 11 (Tkatch, Bourke), 2:41.
6, Victoria, Carroll 20 (Magee, Hodges), 13:03 (PP).

Penalties-Lishchynsky P.g (high sticking, high sticking), 11:14; Pochiro P.g (charging), 11:48; Tkatch P.g (cross checking), 12:47; Blomqvist Vic (slashing), 12:47; Pochiro P.g (slashing, major-fighting), 15:50; Crunk Vic (major-fighting), 15:50; Palmer Vic (cross checking), 16:40.

3rd Period-
7, Prince George, Fiddler 16 (Pochiro, Tkatch), 6:58 (PP).

Penalties-Schacher Vic (tripping), 2:52; Walker Vic (roughing), 5:54; Cote Vic (delay of game), 6:02; Fisher Vic (hooking), 11:11.

Shots on Goal-
Prince George 10-14-11-35.
Victoria 11-12-6-29.

Power Play Opportunities-
Prince George 1 / 7;
Victoria 1 / 6.

Goalies-
Prince George, Edmonds 11-12-1-2 (29 shots-24 saves).
Victoria, Vollrath 9-4-0-1 (35 shots-33 saves).

A-5,103
Referees-Jeff Ingram (82), Mike Langin (67).
Linesmen-Tim Digby (75), Jacob Hill (122).

Friday 27 December 2013

Recap: PG 1 - VIC 8

Jack Walker had 3 points in the Royals 8-1 win over the Cougars
Steven Hodges tied a franchise record with 5 points, and Axel Blomqvist the hat trick as the Victoria Royals (24-13-0-2, 50pts) kicked off the second half of the season with a bang, defeating the visiting Prince George Cougars 8-1 Friday.
Blomqvist helped off the ice

The Royals take a 4-1 season series lead, and will meet the Cougars (14-19-2-3, 33pts) Saturday night in the back half of the two game set.

Victoria takes sole possesion of 3rd place in the West, while riding a 3 game win streak and picking up points in 5 straight (4-0-0-1).

The Royals tied the franchise record for largest margin of victory set by the Bruins in ‘09-10 in a 9-2 win over the Hurricanes.  It was the clubs largest offensive outburst since relocating to the Island.

Victoria scored 3 goals in a span of 6:07 in the first to take control of the game, lead 7-0 after 40 and went up 8-0 early in the third.

The line of Blomqvist (3g), Hodges (1g 4a) and Brandon Magee (1g 3a) combined for 12 points while sweeping the three stars. 

Kohlhauser fights Gonek
Jack Walker made his return to the line up after missing 21 games due to illness and scored a goal and two assists as did linemate Jack Palmer.  Ben Walker also chipped in with a pair of helpers.  Austin Carroll rounded out the scoring with his team leading 19th.

Victoria also saw the return of Logan Nelson from injury and Captain Jordan Fransoo after missing 14 games.  The club was without the services of U-17 participants Tyler Soy and Chaz Reddekopp.

The Royals scored all eight goals while at even strength, as their power play went 0/3.  The Cougars went 1 for 3 with the man advantage.

Coleman Vollrath made 36 saves for his 8th victory while Ty Edmonds allowed 8 goals on 36 shots.

Victoria improves to (12-8-0-1) at home while Prince George dips to (8-12) on the road and remain 4 points out of a playoff spot.

Prince George Cougars 1 at Victoria Royals 8 - Status: Final
Friday, December 27, 2013 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena - Victoria, BC

Prince George 0 0 1 - 1
Victoria 3 4 1 - 8

1st Period-
1, Victoria, Blomqvist 12 (Magee, Hodges), 2:14.
2, Victoria, Blomqvist 13 (Hodges, Magee), 5:34.
3, Victoria, Magee 13 (Hodges, Walker), 8:21.

Penalties-Wilson P.g (checking from behind), 10:12; Fushimi Vic (hooking), 12:32.

2nd Period-
4, Victoria, Blomqvist 14 (Magee, Walker), 5:46.
5, Victoria, Palmer 3 (Fisher), 7:21.
6, Victoria, Walker 1 (Palmer, Hodges), 13:02.
7, Victoria, Carroll 19 (Walker, Fushimi), 17:54.

Penalties-McNulty P.g (interference), 9:38; Gonek P.g (major-fighting), 13:47; Kohlhauser Vic (major-fighting), 13:47; McDonald P.g (boarding), 19:30.

3rd Period-
8, Victoria, Hodges 6 (Palmer, Walker), 3:48.
9, Prince George, Tkatch 10 (Pochiro, Bourke), 7:20 (PP).

Penalties-Fransoo Vic (holding), 6:10; Walker Vic (hooking), 12:26.

Shots on Goal-
Prince George 7-12-18-37.
Victoria 10-18-8-36.

Power Play Opportunities-
Prince George 1 / 3; Victoria 0 / 3.

Goalies-
Prince George, Edmonds 11-11-1-2 (36 shots-28 saves).
Victoria, Vollrath 8-4-0-1 (37 shots-36 saves).

A-5,317
Referees-Mike Campbell (89), Reagan Vetter (39).
Linesmen-Tim Digby (75), Jacob Hill (122).

Thursday 26 December 2013

Preview: Prince George at Victoria, Friday Dec. 27th 2013

The Victoria Royals (23-13-0-2, 48pts) return from their Christmas break to entertain the Prince George Cougars (14-18-2-3, 33pts) for a pair of back to back games beginning Friday night.

Pregame show on The Zone @ 91.3 fm at 6:45 or online at www.thezone.fm/listen

It’s the 5th meeting of the season, with the Royals holding a 3-1 series advantage winning the last 3 encounters.  Most recently sweeping the Cougars on the Island by 3-0 and 5-4 scores October 14th and 16th.

The Royals posted a franchise record 48 points (23-13-0-2) ahead of Christmas this season.

Victoria is 10 games over .500 and tied with Everett for 3rd in the West.  Prince George is 9th in the West, 4 points back of Tri City for the 8th and final playoff spot.

The Royals are riding a 2 game win streak, and have points in their last 4 (3-1-0-1) after a 5 game road trip picking up 7 of a possible 10 points.  Most recently a 5-3 victory against the Oil Kings on Dec 17th.

The Cougars won their last game 3-1 against the Giants in Vancouver on December 15th.

Both clubs will be without 16 year olds participating at the U-17 tournament in Nova Scotia from Dec. 29th – Jan. 4th.

Victoria sends Tyler Soy, Chaz Reddekopp, Assistant Coach Enio Sacilotto and Athletic Therapist Khore Elliot.  Prince George will be without the services of Brad Morrison, Jansen Harkins and Tate Olsen.

Over the break, Royals defenseman Keegan Kanzig signed a 3 year entry level contract with the Calgary Flames who drafted him in the 3rd round this past year.
Victoria Royals vs Prince George Cougars: Head To Head Stats
Summary

Description
Result
Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season Victoria 3-1-0-0Prince George 1-3-0-0
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 25-9-0-2Prince George 11-21-0-4
Victoria vs. Prince George Last 5 Years record at Victoria Victoria 12-5-0-1Prince George 6-10-0-2
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 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 14-18-2-3 -- 33 points 23-13-0-2 -- 48 points
Division Ranking 4th B.C. 2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking 9th Western 4th Western
League Ranking 18th 6th
Past 10 Games 5-4-1-0 6-3-0-1
Streak 1-0-0-0 3-0-0-1
Last Game 3-1 W @ Vancouver (Dec 15 2013) Final 5-3 W @ Edmonton (Dec 17 2013) Final
Home Record 6-7-2-3 11-8-0-1
Away Record 8-11-0-0 12-5-0-1
GF 110  111 
GA 140  94 
PP (Overall) (23/164) 14.0 (34/163) 20.9
PP (Home) (8/74) 10.8 (19/89) 21.3
PP (Away) (15/90) 16.7 (15/74) 20.3
PK (Overall) (40/173) 76.9 (25/163) 84.7
PK (Home) (11/72) 84.7 (15/91) 83.5
PK (Away) (29/101) 71.3 (10/72) 86.1
Leading Rookie Harkins (5-5-10) Soy (9-8-17)
Most PIM McNulty - 65 Carroll - 76
Team PIM/GM 16.6/Game 15.2/Game
Leading Scorers Fiddler (15-22-37) Nelson (12-20-32)
Bourke (13-21-34) Magee (12-17-29)
Witala (18-13-31) Carroll (18-10-28)
Forsberg (6-20-26) Blomqvist (11-15-26)
Wilson (10-15-25) Walker (15-9-24)
Last 5 Games 3-1 W @ Vancouver (Dec 15 2013) Final 5-3 W @ Edmonton (Dec 17 2013) Final
6-3 L @ Spokane (Dec 14 2013) Final 6-1 W @ Lethbridge (Dec 15 2013) Final
5-1 W @ Tri-City (Dec 13 2013) Final 4-3 L @ Medicine Hat (Dec 14 2013) Final SO
3-1 L vs Kootenay (Dec 10 2013) Final 4-3 W @ Swift Current (Dec 12 2013) Final OT
5-2 W vs Tri-City (Dec 7 2013) Final 3-2 L @ Vancouver (Dec 10 2013) Final
Leading After 1st 8-2-0-1 14-1-0-0
Leading After 2nd 9-1-0-0 17-0-0-0
Tied After 1st 3-7-2-0 7-1-0-0
Tied After 2nd 3-2-0-2 3-0-0-1
Trailing After 1st 3-9-0-2 2-11-0-2
Trailing After 2nd 2-15-2-1 3-13-0-1
Out Shooting Opponents 7-5-2-2 7-5-0-1
Out Shot by Opponents 7-12-0-1 13-8-0-1
1-Goal Games 6-4-2-3 9-4-0-2
2-Goal Games 4-2-0-0 6-3-0-0
3-Goal Games 2-7-0-0 4-3-0-0

Saturday 21 December 2013

KANZIG SIGNS WITH CALGARY FLAMES



ROYALS’ KANZIG SIGNS WITH CALGARY FLAMES
Victoria defenceman agrees to three-year entry level NHL contract.

For Immediate Release
Thursday, December 19, 2013

Victoria, BC – The Victoria Royals would like to congratulate defenceman Keegan Kanzig who today signed a three-year entry level contract with the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Calgary Flames.

Kanzig was selected by Calgary with the club’s third round, 67th overall, pick in the 2013 NHL Draft to become the highest drafted player in Royals’ team history. This season, the 6-5, 242 lb blueliner has appeared in 30 games for Victoria and recorded four points (2g-2a) to go along with a team-high plus-17 rating and 57 penalty minutes.

“It’s a huge honour to sign with such a great organization,” Kanzig said. “It’s one step closer to my goal of playing for the Flames and it gives me even more motivation to continue to work hard, improve and help my team win.”

In his three-year WHL career, Kanzig has appeared in 163 games and has registered 13 points (2g-11a) along with 282 penalty minutes. Kanzig has also appeared in 10 games in the WHL Playoffs where he has scored one goal and posted 18 minutes in penalties. Kanzig represented Team Pacific at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Championships.

The Athabasca, AB native was selected by the Chilliwack Bruins in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft in the first round, seventh overall. Before Kanzig joined the Royals, he played one season with the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers Midget AAA team where he skated in 31 games and posted 12 points (4g-8a) and 82 penalty minutes.

Give the gift of hockey this holiday season by purchasing a Royals Holiday Combo or an Island Savings Kids Club membership! The Holiday Combo, available for $60, includes four anytime ticket vouchers and a gift. Kids Club memberships, for fans 12 years and younger, are available for only $20 and include four child tickets, a t-shirt, newsletters from Marty the Marmot and much more!  

-30-

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Recap: VIC 5 - EDM 3

Brandon Magee had 3 points, and Patrik Polivka made 37 saves to help lead the visiting Victoria Royals (23-13-0-2, 48pts)  past the Edmonton Oil Kings 5-3 Tuesday.

The Royals snap the Oil Kings 9 game win streak while winning their 2nd in a row, and pick up points in 4 straight (3-0-0-1). 
Polivka made 37 saves
Victoria remains tied for 3rd with Everett in the West.

After trailing 1-0 early and 10-1 in shots, Matthew Dykstra scored his first WHL goal with a shot off the back glass which hit Tristan Jarry in the leg and bounced into the net.  Axel Blomqvist and Ben Walker scored :28 seconds apart to take a 3-1 lead after the first.
Magee had 1 goal and 2 assists

Jack Palmer scored his first as a Royal in the first minute of the second.  Victoria fell into some penalty trouble, and Edmonton scored with :01 second left on the man advantage to cut the lead in half after 2.

Victoria product, defenseman Dysin Mayo brought the Oil Kings to within one in the third before Brandon Magee added the insurance marker with an empty net goal.

Victoria evened the season series at 1, avenging a 5-0 loss on the Island earlier this season.  The Royals picked up their first win at Rexall since the franchise moved from Chilliwack.

The club is now on their Christmas break.

Victoria wraps up their 5 game road trip picking up 7 of a possible 10 points (3-1-0-1).  After a loss in Vancouver, they picked up wins in Swift Current, Lethbridge and Edmonton and a single in a shoot out loss at Medicine Hat.

Three Royals scored their first WHL goals on the trip.  Chaz Reddekopp, Ryan Gagnon and Matthew Dykstra.

Victoria is on pace for a 91 point season with 48 after 38 games.  Last season they set the franchise record in wins (35) and points (77).

The Royals who are (12-5-0-1) on road this season and play next at home December 27th and 28th against Prince George.

-Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 5 at Edmonton Oil Kings 3 - Status: Final
Tuesday, December 17, 2013 - Rexall Place - Edmonton, AB

Victoria 3 1 1 - 5
Edmonton 1 1 1 - 3

1st Period-
1, Edmonton, Moroz 21 (Walter, Koch), 4:30.
2, Victoria, Dykstra 1 (Kanzig, Magee), 11:37.
3, Victoria, Blomqvist 11 (Magee), 16:36.
4, Victoria, Walker 15 (Kohlhauser), 17:04.

Penalties-
No Penalties

2nd Period-
5, Victoria, Palmer 2 (Fisher, Crunk), 0:49.
6, Edmonton, Bauer 5 (Corbett, Petryk), 18:20 (PP).

Penalties-Fisher Vic (tripping), 7:39; Soy Vic (checking from behind), 14:21; Polivka Vic (slashing), 15:03; Cote Vic (delay of game), 15:30; Magee Vic (interference), 18:54; Bauer Edm (hooking), 19:14.

3rd Period-
7, Edmonton, Mayo 4 (Corbett, Bertolucci), 8:13.
8, Victoria, Magee 12   19:08 (EN).

Penalties-Irving Edm (hooking), 3:14; Walker Vic (tripping), 14:59; Baddock Edm (checking from behind), 19:23.

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 11-8-8-27.
Edmonton 12-12-16-40.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 0 / 2;
Edmonton 1 / 5.

Goalies-
Victoria, Polivka 16-9-0-1 (40 shots-37 saves).
Edmonton, Jarry 22-8-0-1 (26 shots-22 saves).

A-4,778
Referees-Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Greg Chornohus (127), Scott Fulmer (32).

Preview: Victoria at Edmonton, Tues, Dec 17th 2013

The Victoria Royals (22-13-0-2, 46pts) wrap up their 5 game road trip against the Edmonton Oil Kings (23-9-0-1, 47pts) Tuesday night. 

Pregame show at 5:45 on The Zone @ 91.3 fm.

Victoria looks to even the season series, after a 5-0 loss on the Island November 6th.

The Royals are coming off a 6-1 win against the Hurricanes on Sunday and have points in 3 straight on the trip (2-1-0-1). The Royals got goals from six different players. 

Ryan Gagnon scored his first WHL goal which stood as the winner, as he along with Brandon Magee and Steven Hodges had a goal and assist each.  Coleman Vollrath made 30 saves for the win.  Brett Cote and Chaz Reddekopp picked up 2 assists each while Ben Walker, Austin Carroll and Mitch Skapski rounded out the scoring.

After falling 3-2 in Vancouver Tuesday, the club won 4-3 in overtime in Swift Current Thursday, and picked up a single in a 4-3 shoot out loss Saturday in Medicine Hat.

Victoria has earned 5 of a possible 8 points, 4 games into the road trip.  They pull in to a tie for 3rd with Everett, while Seattle and Spokane are tied, 2 points back.

The Oil Kings have won 9 in a row, sitting atop of the Eastern Conference.  Their last loss came at home to Prince George 8-3 on November 22nd.  During the win streak, they’ve outscored their opposition 38-18.

Edmonton is without 5 players off to World Junior selection Camps and 112 points. Mads Eller attending on behalf of Denmark, Edgars Kulda for Latvia, Curtis Lazar and Griffin Reinhart for Canada, Henrik Samuelsson for USA.

Netminder Tristan Jarry has won his last 11 starts, including all 9 on their current win streak. 

- Marlon Martens
Victoria Royals vs Edmonton Oil Kings: Head To Head Stats
Summary

   
Description
Result
Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season Victoria 0-1-0-0Edmonton 1-0-0-0
Head to Head Record 2012-13 Regular Season Victoria 0-2-0-0Edmonton 2-0-0-0
Last 5 Years record between teams Victoria 3-5-1-0Edmonton 6-2-1-0
Victoria vs. Edmonton Last 5 Years record at Victoria Victoria 1-2-1-0Edmonton 3-0-1-0
Victoria vs. Edmonton Last 5 Years record at Edmonton Victoria 2-3-0-0Edmonton 3-2-0-0
Previous Meetings This Season Edmonton 5 @ Victoria 0 (Nov 6 2013) Final



How the 2 teams match up
     
 
Edmonton
Victoria
Team Record 23-9-0-1 -- 47 points 22-13-0-2 -- 46 points
Division Ranking 1st Central 2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking 1st Eastern 4th Western
League Ranking 3rd 7th
Past 10 Games 9-1-0-0 6-3-0-1
Streak 9-0-0-0 2-0-0-1
Last Game 4-0 W vs Saskatoon (Dec 15 2013) Final 6-1 W @ Lethbridge (Dec 15 2013) Final
Home Record 10-5-0-1 11-8-0-1
Away Record 13-4-0-0 11-5-0-1
GF 126  106 
GA 81  91 
PP (Overall) (25/145) 17.2 (34/161) 21.1
PP (Home) (19/73) 26.0 (19/89) 21.3
PP (Away) (6/72) 8.3 (15/72) 20.8
PK (Overall) (23/156) 85.3 (24/158) 84.8
PK (Home) (10/71) 85.9 (15/91) 83.5
PK (Away) (13/85) 84.7 (9/67) 86.6
Leading Rookie Irving (7-19-26) Soy (9-8-17)
Most PIM Moroz - 87 Carroll - 76
Team PIM/GM 16.8/Game 15.3/Game
Leading Scorers Samuelsson (14-24-38) Nelson (12-20-32)
  Lazar (21-16-37) Carroll (18-10-28)
  Moroz (20-13-33) Magee (11-15-26)
  Corbett (10-17-27) Blomqvist (10-15-25)
  Irving (7-19-26) Walker (14-9-23)
Last 5 Games 4-0 W vs Saskatoon (Dec 15 2013) Final 6-1 W @ Lethbridge (Dec 15 2013) Final
  7-3 W vs Lethbridge (Dec 13 2013) Final 4-3 L @ Medicine Hat (Dec 14 2013) Final SO
  7-5 W @ Prince Albert (Dec 11 2013) Final 4-3 W @ Swift Current (Dec 12 2013) Final OT
  3-1 W @ Saskatoon (Dec 10 2013) Final 3-2 L @ Vancouver (Dec 10 2013) Final
  2-1 W vs Medicine Hat (Dec 8 2013) Final 7-4 L vs Vancouver (Dec 7 2013) Final
Leading After 1st 14-1-0-0 13-1-0-0
Leading After 2nd 18-2-0-0 16-0-0-0
Tied After 1st 7-3-0-0 7-1-0-0
Tied After 2nd 3-1-0-1 3-0-0-1
Trailing After 1st 2-5-0-1 2-11-0-2
Trailing After 2nd 2-6-0-0 3-13-0-1
Out Shooting Opponents 18-6-0-1 7-5-0-1
Out Shot by Opponents 4-3-0-0 12-8-0-1
1-Goal Games 6-2-0-1 9-4-0-2
2-Goal Games 5-5-0-0 5-3-0-0
3-Goal Games 2-0-0-0 4-3-0-0

Sunday 15 December 2013

Recap: VIC 6 - LETH 1

The Victoria Royals (21-13-0-2, 44pts) got goals from 6 different players in a 6-1 win over the Hurricanes in Lethbridge Sunday afternoon.

Ben Walker celebrates a goal
“I liked the way started the game, and stayed with what we wanted to do for 60 minutes.”  - Head Coach Dave Lowry

Victoria takes sole possession of 4th in the West, two points up on idle Seattle.

The Royals got a goal and assist each from Steven Hodges, Brandon Magee and Ryan Gagnon who scored his first WHL goal and was named first star.  Brett Cote and Chaz Reddekopp had a pair of assists each while Ben Walker, Austin Carroll and Mitch Skapski rounded out the scoring.


Vollrath was #2 star with 30 saves
Coleman Vollrath earned the win with 30 saves, as their penalty kill stopped 6 of 7 while scoring once on four chances.

Victoria held period leads of 2-0 and 5-1, and finished strong according to Lowry, with the only goal in the third.

“I was really impressed in the third period where we locked it down, we did give up a few chances, and they did get a few opportunities on the power play, but for the most part I liked the game in it’s entirety.”
Ryan Gagnon was the #1 star
The Royals sweep the season set 3-0 after a pair of wins on Island in October.

Axel Blomqvist faced his former club for the first time after being dealt to the Royals and picked up an assist.

Victoria has picked up 5 of a possible 8 points so far on their 5 game road trip with points in 3 straight (2-1-0-1).   

After falling 3-2 in Vancouver Tuesday, the club won 4-3 in overtime in Swift Current Thursday, and picked up a single in a 4-3 shoot out loss Saturday in Medicine Hat.

The trek wraps up in Edmonton on Tuesday.

- Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 6 at Lethbridge Hurricanes 1 - Status: Final
Sunday, December 15, 2013 - Enmax Centre - Lethbridge, AB

Victoria 2 3 1 - 6
Lethbridge 0 1 0 - 1

1st Period-
1, Victoria, Magee 11 (Hodges, Cote), 17:35 (PP).
2, Victoria, Gagnon 1 (Soy), 18:45.

Penalties-Magee Vic (roughing), 4:12; Blomqvist Vic (high sticking), 7:53; Crunk Vic (major-fighting), 15:15; Derko Let (major-fighting), 15:15; Bell Let (tripping), 17:12; Skapski Vic (slashing), 19:24.

2nd Period-
3, Victoria, Carroll 18 (Gagnon), 3:18.
4, Lethbridge, Wong 14 (Derko, Hackman), 7:20 (PP).
5, Victoria, Walker 14 (Cote, Reddekopp), 12:26.
6, Victoria, Hodges 5 (Magee, Blomqvist), 17:30.

Penalties-Derko Let (interference), 0:57; Walker Vic (tripping), 6:14.

3rd Period-
7, Victoria, Skapski 2 (Crunk, Reddekopp), 3:53.

Penalties-Magee Vic (slashing), 10:02; Walker Vic (slashing), 14:00; Bell Let (hooking), 17:19; Skapski Vic (tripping), 18:24.

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 9-15-6-30.
Lethbridge 11-9-11-31.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 1 / 3;
Lethbridge 1 / 7.

Goalies-
Victoria, Vollrath 7-4-0-1 (31 shots-30 saves).
Lethbridge, Sacher 2-4-0-1 (22 shots-17 saves); Boes 2-21-2-2 (8 shots-7 saves).

A-2,363
Referees-Clayton Hall (42), Nathan Wieler (18).
Linesmen-Aidan Henderson (78), Jared Mackey (52).

Preview: Victoria at Lethbridge Matinee Sunday Dec 15, 2013

Axel Blomqvist will face his former club for the first time as the Victoria Royals (21-13-0-2, 44pts) visit the Lethbridge Hurricanes (5-26-2-3, 15pts) for a matinee game Sunday.

Pregame show on The Zone @ 91.3fm at 12:45

It’s the third and final meeting of the season with Victoria winning both previous encounters on the Island by 4-0 and 4-3 scores October 11th and 12th.

Lethbridge is winless in three (0-2-0-1) after a 3-2 shoot out loss in Red Deer last night.  They fell 7-3 the night before in Edmonton.  The Hurricanes are playing their 3rd game in 2 ½ days, and 5th game in 6 days.

Lethbridge is in the 12th and final spot in the East, 21 points out of a playoff spot.  They have two wins in their past 10 (2-7-0-1). 

Victoria moved into a tie for 4th in the West with Seattle, after a 4-3 shoot out loss in Medicine Hat last night.  Austin Carroll scored a pair of third period goals to erase a 3-1 deficit, while Patrik Polivka made 36 saves and Chaz Reddekopp scored his first WHL goal while adding an assist.

The club hit the half way point of the season, with an 8 game over .500 record and 44 points (21-13-0-2), on pace to exceed their 35 win, 77 point record from last season.

Victoria remains even on their 5 game road trip with a 1-1-0-1 record after a 4-3 overtime victory in Swift Current Thursday and 3-2 loss at Vancouver Tuesday.

Brandon Magee is eligible to return after serving the final of a two game suspension, as the Royals were without 5 regulars Saturday night.  Injured players include Logan Nelson (upper 7-10 days), defensemen Jordan Fransoo (upper, 2 weeks), Joe Hicketts (upper, indefinite) and forward Jack Walker (illness, day to day).

Victoria’s 10 day road trip and 5 games in 8 nights wraps up Tuesday at Edmonton.

-Marlon Martens
Victoria Royals vs Lethbridge Hurricanes: Head To Head Stats
Summary

   
Description
Result
Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season Victoria 2-0-0-0Lethbridge 0-2-0-0
Head to Head Record 2012-13 Regular Season Victoria 0-2-0-0Lethbridge 2-0-0-0
Last 5 Years record between teams Victoria 7-2-1-0Lethbridge 3-7-0-0
Victoria vs. Lethbridge Last 5 Years record at Victoria Victoria 5-1-0-0Lethbridge 1-5-0-0
Victoria vs. Lethbridge Last 5 Years record at Lethbridge Victoria 2-1-1-0Lethbridge 2-2-0-0
Previous Meetings This Season Lethbridge 3 @ Victoria 4 (Oct 12 2013) Final
Lethbridge 0 @ Victoria 4 (Oct 11 2013) Final



How the 2 teams match up
     
 
Lethbridge
Victoria
Team Record 5-26-2-3 -- 15 points 21-13-0-2 -- 44 points
Division Ranking 6th Central 2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking 12th Eastern 5th Western
League Ranking 22nd 8th
Past 10 Games 2-7-0-1 6-3-0-1
Streak 0-2-0-1 1-0-0-1
Last Game 3-2 L @ Red Deer (Dec 14 2013) Final SO 4-3 L @ Medicine Hat (Dec 14 2013) Final SO
Home Record 3-14-2-1 11-8-0-1
Away Record 2-12-0-2 10-5-0-1
GF 90  100 
GA 164  90 
PP (Overall) (34/167) 20.4 (33/158) 20.9
PP (Home) (20/94) 21.3 (19/89) 21.3
PP (Away) (14/73) 19.2 (14/69) 20.3
PK (Overall) (51/175) 70.9 (23/151) 84.8
PK (Home) (23/87) 73.6 (15/91) 83.5
PK (Away) (28/88) 68.2 (8/60) 86.7
Leading Rookie Estephan (5-6-11) Soy (9-7-16)
Most PIM Ramsay - 88 Carroll - 76
Team PIM/GM 19.7/Game 15.2/Game
Leading Scorers Wong (13-12-25) Nelson (12-20-32)
  Ramsay (8-14-22) Carroll (17-10-27)
  Maxwell (8-13-21) Blomqvist (10-14-24)
  Sheen (7-12-19) Magee (10-14-24)
  Duke (6-10-16) Walker (13-9-22)
Last 5 Games 3-2 L @ Red Deer (Dec 14 2013) Final SO 4-3 L @ Medicine Hat (Dec 14 2013) Final SO
  7-3 L @ Edmonton (Dec 13 2013) Final 4-3 W @ Swift Current (Dec 12 2013) Final OT
  5-3 L vs Calgary (Dec 11 2013) Final 3-2 L @ Vancouver (Dec 10 2013) Final
  6-0 W vs Red Deer (Dec 10 2013) Final 7-4 L vs Vancouver (Dec 7 2013) Final
  5-2 L @ Calgary (Dec 7 2013) Final 4-2 W vs Vancouver (Dec 6 2013) Final
Leading After 1st 3-3-1-1 12-1-0-0
Leading After 2nd 4-2-1-0 15-0-0-0
Tied After 1st 2-5-0-2 7-1-0-0
Tied After 2nd 0-3-1-2 3-0-0-1
Trailing After 1st 0-18-1-0 2-11-0-2
Trailing After 2nd 1-21-0-1 3-13-0-1
Out Shooting Opponents 0-2-0-1 7-5-0-1
Out Shot by Opponents 5-23-2-2 11-8-0-1
1-Goal Games 0-6-2-3 9-4-0-2
2-Goal Games 3-3-0-0 5-3-0-0
3-Goal Games 1-6-0-0 4-3-0-0

Saturday 14 December 2013

Recap: VIC 3 - MH 4 SOL

Austin Carroll scored a pair of third period goals to help the Victoria Royals (21-13-0-2, 44pts) earn a point in a 4-3 shoot out loss in Medicine Hat Saturday.

Blomqvist is denied by Wapple
Trailing 3-1 in the third, Carroll scored his team leading 16th and 17th goals to force overtime which solved nothing.

“I got a couple nice feeds from Blomqvist and Skapski, and the puck just happened to bounce in…” 

-Austin Carroll on his 2 goals to tie the game. 
Polivka stops Valk's one timer

“We worked hard the rest of the game to get that goal to put us on top, but it didn’t work and we got a point…we’ve got to take some positives from this game.”

In the shoot out, Daniel Wapple denied both Ben Walker and Axel Blomqvist, while Curtis Valk and Miles Koules scored, and Tommy Vannelli was stopped by Patrik Polivka.

“I liked our resiliency, we got behind the 8-ball and our guys stayed with what we wanted to do.  We got pucks to the net, pushed the game to overtime, unfortunately lost in the shoot out tonight.” – Royals Head Coach Dave Lowry
Polivka stopped Valk on a shorthanded breakaway
Victoria remains even on their 5 game road trip with a 1-1-0-1 record after a 4-3 overtime victory in Swift Current Thursday and 3-2 loss at Vancouver Tuesday.

Lowry calls a Time Out
With the point, the Royals move into a tie for 4th in the West, after a Thunderbird loss against the Winterhawks Saturday.

“We don’t have a great record when we don’t score the first goal, but I really liked the way we came and competed right to the end.”  Said Lowry

The club hit the half way point of the season, with an 8 game over .500 record and 44 points (21-13-0-2), on pace to exceed their 35 win, 77 point record from last season.

Royals 16 year old defenseman Chaz Reddekopp scored his first WHL goal while adding an assist. 

“It was awesome, it was a good feeling to get the boys back in it there – just lucky it went in.”  said Reddekopp on his first goal.

“He’s going to be a real good player in this league for a long time.  It was nice to see him finally get rewarded…” said Lowry on Reddekopp

Tyler Cox had a goal and assist for the Tigers, while Curtis Valk and Tyler Lewington added singles.

Patrik Polivka kept Victoria in the game making 36 saves, while Daniel Wapple kicked out 34 shots.

Victoria was 0/3 on the power play, while Medicine Hat went 1 for 4.

In the first, Patrik Polivka made an outstanding save on Steven Owre, who also hit the post in the period.  Daniel Wapple stopped Steven Hodges on a breakaway.

The Tigers jumped to a 2-0 lead late with goals 1:36 apart.  Trevor Cox found the top corner for his 9th of the year, while Curtis Valk added his 14th with just 1:10 to go in the first. 

Reddekopp notched his first to cut the lead in half early in the second, but Lewington’s power play marker restored the 2 goal lead heading into the third.

Playing in just his second game with the Royals, Brendan Oleksyn fought Blake Penner early in the third period which seemed to spark his teammates.

“I think that was probably one of the big keys, he emotionally got invested and was a difference maker.  I like the fact that he took it upon himself but I also liked the fact that our guys really went after it after that, and found a way to get a lift.”  Said Lowry on Oleskyn tilt.

Medicine Hat was without World Junior participants Hunter Shinkaruk, netminder Marek Langhamer of the Czech Republic and forward Markus Eisenchmid of Germany.

Victoria was without 5 regulars in the line up. Brandon Magee served the the final of a two game suspension.  Logan Nelson (upper 7-10 days) along with defensemen Jordan Fransoo (upper, 2 weeks), Joe Hicketts (upper, indefinite) and forward Jack Walker (illness, day to day).

The Royals are now 1-2 in shoot outs and have a record of 3-13-0-1 when trailing after 40 minutes.

Victoria’s 10 day road trip continues Sunday afternoon with a 1pm puck drop in Lethbridge, and wrap up 5 games in 8 nights Tuesday at Edmonton.

-Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 3 at Medicine Hat Tigers 4 (SO) - Status: End of Game SO
Saturday, December 14, 2013 - Medicine Hat Arena

Victoria 0 1 2 0 - 3
Medicine Hat 2 1 0 0 - 4

1st Period-
1, Medicine Hat, Cox 9 (Sanford), 17:14.
2, Medicine Hat, Valk 14 (Doty, Vannelli), 18:50.

Penalties-served by Vic (too many men), 11:51.

2nd Period-
3, Victoria, Reddekopp 1   3:20.
4, Medicine Hat, Lewington 5 (Cox, Stanton), 8:00 (PP).

Penalties-Koules M.h (tripping), 1:15; Schacher Vic (elbowing), 6:06; Allan M.h (boarding), 9:29; Carroll Vic (roughing), 16:01; Lewington M.h (roughing), 16:01; Stanton M.h (hooking), 16:38; Carroll Vic (slashing), 19:19.

3rd Period-
5, Victoria, Carroll 16 (Blomqvist), 8:02.
6, Victoria, Carroll 17 (Skapski, Reddekopp), 9:35.

Penalties-Oleksyn Vic (major-fighting), 3:17; Penner M.h (major-fighting), 3:17; Skapski Vic (inter. on goaltender), 5:40.

OT Period-
No Scoring.

Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout –
Victoria 0 (Walker NG, Blomqvist NG),
Medicine Hat 2 (Valk G, Vannelli NG, Koules G).

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 9-12-11-5-0-37.
Medicine Hat 14-15-6-4-1-40.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 0 / 3;
Medicine Hat 1 / 4.

Goalies-
Victoria, Polivka 15-9-0-1 (39 shots-36 saves).
Medicine Hat, Wapple 11-6-1-0 (37 shots-34 saves).

A-4,006
Referees-Chris Schlenker (90), Chad Williams (60).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Matthew Sanders (70).