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| Joe Hicketts scored the overtime winner in a 3-2 victory Saturday for the Royals. |
The Giants erased a 2-0 second period lead of the Royals, but in the extra frame Hicketts skated in from before the centerline, went in behind the net and came out in front to bury the puck on the back hand top corner for the victory, in front of a sell out crowd on Pink in the Rink night.
Victoria takes 3 of a possible 4 points against Vancouver in the two game Island set after falling 5-4 in a shoot out the night before. It wraps up three straight against the Giants with the Royals winning last Saturday in Vancouver 3-1.
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| Nelson scores on Rathjen |
Cain Franson who scored the shoot out winner the night before knocked in his 20th of the year with the man advantage to cut the lead in half heading to the third.
Giants Ty Ronning evened the score in the final frame converting on a pass from Thomas Foster, forcing overtime. Hicketts notched his 5th of the year and 3rd point on the weekend with the overtime winner in his return to the line up after missing 34 games with injury.
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| Vollrath gloves a shot, earns 14th victory |
Victoria went 1 for 7 on the power play, including a :38 second 5 on 3 when the game was tied at 2. The Giants scored once on two chances, improving to 9 for 13 over their last 4 outings.
With their 34th victory, the Royals are just one win away from tying the franchise record for wins in a season. They hold a 4-3-0-1 record against Vancouver and will wrap up the 10 game season series with a pair on the road Feb. 10th and Mar. 12th.
Following
the game, a select number of Royals players had their Pink in the Rink jerseys
auctioned off in support of the BC Cancer Foundation. The seven jerseys
auctioned raised nearly $6,500 for the cause. In total, the Royals’ third
annual Pink in the Rink netted more than $30,000 for the BC Cancer Foundation!
-Marlon Martens
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| Nelson celebrates his opening goal in the 2nd period. |
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| Ben Walker was helped off the ice and did not return |
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| Hicketts with the Hit of the Night |
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| Time out: Royals |
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| Victoria celebrates the overtime winner infront of a sell out crowd 7,006 |
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| Hicketts scores on the back hand in overtime |
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| National Anthem with a sea of pink in Victoria |
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| Marty The Marmot was raring to go for Pink in the Rink Night |
Vancouver Giants 2 at Victoria Royals 3 (OT) - Status: Final OT
Saturday, February 1, 2014 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena - Victoria, BC
Vancouver 0 1 1 0 - 2
Victoria 0 2 0 1 - 3
1st Period-
No Scoring.
Penalties-Morrison Van (slashing), 5:53; Franson Van (high sticking), 9:19; Atwal Van (roughing), 20:00; Cote Vic (roughing), 20:00.
2nd Period-
1, Victoria, Nelson 16 (Carroll), 5:40 (PP).
2, Victoria, Walker 20 (Nelson, Brown), 12:08.
3, Vancouver, Franson 20 (Kulak, Popoff), 15:10 (PP).
Penalties-Dosanjh Van (checking from behind), 4:34; Lofthouse Van (high sticking), 7:11; Brown Vic (interference), 14:28; Foster Van (major-fighting), 16:53; Skapski Vic (major-fighting), 16:53; Atwal Van (roughing, major-fighting), 19:01; Fisher Vic (major-fighting), 19:01; Sward Van (roughing), 20:00; Magee Vic (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 20:00.
3rd Period-
4, Vancouver, Ronning 6 (Foster, Geertsen), 6:22.
Penalties-Kanzig Vic (hooking), 3:44; Hamilton Van (interference), 7:36; Kulak Van (high sticking), 8:58.
OT Period-
5, Victoria, Hicketts 5 0:36.
Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-
Vancouver 4-12-9-0-25.
Victoria 9-13-13-1-36.
Power Play Opportunities-
Vancouver 1 / 2;
Victoria 1 / 7.
Goalies-
Vancouver, Rathjen 11-4-3-1 (36 shots-33 saves).
Victoria, Vollrath 14-5-0-1 (25 shots-23 saves).
A-7,006
Referees-Ryan Benbow (62), Steve Papp (17).
Linesmen-Riley Friesen (76), Justin Hull (49).
