Round 2 Preview: Victoria vs Portland

The visting Victoria Royals face the Portland Winterhawks in Round 2 of the Western Conference Semi Finals beginning Friday and Saturday.

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

The 3rd seed Royals come into the round having swept the Chiefs, while the 2nd seed Winterhawks also won their series against the Giants in 4 straight, earning 9 days off between rounds.

It’s the first time the franchises have met in a playoff series.

Victoria finished 10th, in the final CHL Top 10 rankings after reaching 7th, while Portland finished 3rd.

2013-14 regular-season record:
Portland: (54-13-2-3) 113 pts
Victoria: (48-20-1-3) 100 pts

SERIES SCHEDULE:

(4 in 5 nights to start)

Friday, April 4th - Victoria @ Portland 7:00 p.m. Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Saturday, April 5th – Victoria @ Portland 7:00 p.m. Moda Center
Monday, April 7th – Portland @ Victoria 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday, April 8th – Portland @ Victoria 7:05 p.m.
Thursday, April 10th – Victoria @ Portland 7:00 p.m. (if necessary) Moda Center
Saturday, April 12th – Portland @ Victoria 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Monday, April 14th – Victoria @ Portland 7:00 p.m. (if necessary) VMC

SEASON SERIES:

Victoria won the season series with a 3-1 record, winning once in regulation, once in overtime and once in a shoot out.  They earned regulation and overtime victories in Portland both by 3-2 scores.  On the Island they won 3-2 in a shoot out while falling 2-1 in regulation.

Brandon Magee scored the overtime goal in Portland, while Jack Walker notched the shoot out winner.

All four games were decided by a goal, and the Royals held the Winterhawks to just 2 goals each game.

Netminder Coleman Vollrath played all 4 games in the season series posting a 3-1 record, with a 1.96 GAA and 0.949 SAV %.

Goaltender Brendan Burke appeared in two games versus the Royals this season, posting a 1-0-1 record, a 1.99 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.

Defenseman Travis Brown’s first two games with Victoria were against Portland on Jan 10th and 11th.  Matthew Dumba had not yet suited up for his team.

Victoria forward Logan Nelson only played in two games in the season series, and Portland has yet to face Joe Hicketts due to injury.

The Royals outscored the Winterhawks, 10-8, while being outshot 157-120 (-37).

Victoria’s power play operated at 25% (4/16) scoring once in each game, while Portland was 17.6% (3/17) efficient with the man advantage.

Head to Head Top Scorers:

Portland:
Brendan Leipsic            3gp (2g-3a) 5pts
Derrick Pouliot              3gp (0g-5a) 5pts

Victoria:
Austin Carroll                4gp (2g-2a) 4pts
Brandon Magee             4gp (2g-2a) 4pts

OVERALL REGULAR SEASON:

Portland scored 100 more goals during the regular season than Victoria (338-238), however the Royals allowed 26 fewer (181-207)

        Portland    Victoria
Home Record     29-6-1-0     22-11-1-2
Away Record     25-7-1-3     26-9-0-1
GF         338          238
GA         207          181
PP (Overall)     (92/334) 27.5     (61/297) 20.5
PK (Overall)     (60/332) 81.9     (53/284) 81.3

FIRST ROUND SERIES, VICTORIA:

The Victoria Royals swept the Spokane Chiefs to win the franchise’s first playoff series last Thursday night.

Victoria won the first two games in overtime by 2-1 and 4-3 scores, then in Spokane by 6-1 and 4-2 margins.

Netminder Patrik Polivka won all 4 games, with a 1.68 gaa, and 0.938 sav %.  Both Portland and Victoria allowed the fewest goals against on average per game in the opening round at 1.75.

The Royals were lead in scoring by Brandon Magee’s 7 points (1g 6a).  Logan Nelson and Austin Carroll each contributed 3 goals and 2 assists for 5 points a piece.

7 players recorded at least four points.

Victoria power play was 3/18 (16.7%), while their penalty killing was tops in the first round stopping 14 of 15 chances (93.3%)

FIRST ROUND SERIES, PORTLAND:

The Winterhawks completed a sweep of their first round series against the Giants with a 6-1 Wednesday in Vancouver.  They previously earned victories of 6-3, 3-0 and 4-3, outscoring their opposition 19-7.

By sweeping the Giants, the Hawks have now won 11 straight games including the regular season, and 32 of their last 33 games overall.

Brendan Leipsic led the Portland in scoring with 9pts (5g 4a), Oliver Bjorkstrand was second with 8pts (4g 4a).  Taylor Leir and Derrick Pouliot had 6 points each, while Nic Petan and Mathew Dumba had 4 a piece.

Netminder Brendan Burke went the distance in the series with a 1.75 gaa and 0.924 sav %, including 1 shut out.

One Hawk also made history in the win, as defenseman Derrick Pouliot registered his 47th career playoff point, tying Glen Wesley for the franchise record for postseason scoring among blueliners.

Portland’s power play was 5th best at 6/27 (22.2%), while their penalty killing was 2nd to Victoria’s, stopping 13 of 14 chances (92.9%)

PORTLAND REGULAR SEASON:

Last season Portland won the WHL title in 6 games over Edmonton, but fell in the Memorial Cup to the Halifax Mooseheads in the Championship game.

This year, the Winterhawks won the U.S. Division for a second straight year, and third in the last 4 seasons.  They also reached the 50 win plateau for a 2nd straight season.

Portland finished the regular season 2nd in the West, with 113 points, 2nd most in the WHL, just 5 back of Kelowna.  It was the 4th straight season the Winterhawks hit the 100 point mark.

Portland rode a 7 game win streak into the post season, going 9-1 in the last 10.  They won 28 of their last 29 which included a 21 game win streak, surpassing their previous franchise record of 15 in a row.

At home the Winterhawks only lost 6 games in regulation, with a 23 over .500 record (29-6-1-0), while on the road were 22 over .500 record (25-7-1-3).

Portland scored the most goals in the league since 1998, with 338 averaging 4.69 per game - 28 more than the nearest competitor Kelowna. The Winterhawks also took the most shots for per game on average with 39.

The line up boasts 7 players with 20 or more goals and 6 players with 70 or more points.

4 players made the Top 20 in scoring.  Nic Petan scored the 2nd most points with 113, and the leagues most assists with 78.  Oliver Bjorkstrand was 3rd in scoring with 109 points including 50 goals. Brendan Leipsic was 12th with 91 points, while Chase Deleo was 19th with 81 points

They surrendered the 7th fewest goals per game, as netminder Brendan Burke had the 11th best gaa (2.75), and 3rd most wins with 34.

The Winterhawks owned the number 1 power play (27.5%) and 4th best penalty kill (81.9%).  Portland was the 5th most penalized team.

9 Winterhawks are drafted or signed by NHL clubs.  Brendan Burke (6th rd PHX ’13), Anton Cederholm (5th rd VAN ‘ 13), Garrett Haar (7th WASH ’11), Nic Petan (2nd rd WPG ’13 – signed), Taylor Leir (4th rd PHI ’12), Mathew Dumba (1st rd MINN ’12 – signed), Oliver Bjorkstrand (3rd CBJ ’13 – signed), Brendan Leipsic (3rd NSH ’12), Derrick Pouliot (1st rd PITT ’12).

Defenseman Mathew Dumba has 24 points in 26 game since making debut with the Winterhawks in mid-January (8g 16a) and a plus +31.  Dumba played 13 games for the Minnesota Wild, and had his rights acquired from Red Deer in December for F Presten Kopeck and conditional picks.

Four Winterhawks are listed on the NHL’s Central Scouting Mid-Term rankings of North American Skaters, for the 2014 NHL Draft.  Chase De Leo #26, Alex Schoenborn #57, Keegan Iverson #64 , and Dominic Turgeon at #130.

VICTORIA REGULAR SEASON:

The Royals concluded their best regular-season performance in franchise history, having smashed Club records for wins (48) and points (100) in a season.  Brandon Magee led the team in points with 67, and Austin Carroll in goals with 34.

Victoria’s offense boasts a balanced attack, with six players who hit the 20-goal mark and nine players who posted at least 30 points.

The Royals were the second best defensive team in the league, with netminder Patrik Polivka earning 28 wins, and the 5th best goals against average (2.56).  His tandem Coleman Vollrath lead the league in save percentage (0.928), held the 3rd best GAA (2.29) while earning 20 wins.

Other franchise records include, points in 14 consecutive games, road wins with 26 including 9 victories in a row, home wins with 21, scoring the most goals (238), giving up the fewest (181), having a positive goal differential for the first time (+57), cracking the CHL Top 10, now ranked 10th after reaching 7th last week.

The Royals power play is 13th, penalty kill 7th.

- Marlon Martens

Season Series & Head To Head Stats:

Description	Result
Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season	Victoria 3-1-0-0	Portland 1-1-1-1
Head to Head Record 2012-13 Regular Season	Victoria 0-4-0-0	Portland 4-0-0-0
Last 5 Years record between teams	Victoria 9-10-1-0	Portland 11-7-1-1
Victoria vs. Portland Last 5 Years record at Victoria	Victoria 6-3-1-0	Portland 4-5-0-1
Victoria vs. Portland Last 5 Years record at Portland	Victoria 3-7-0-0	Portland 7-2-1-0
Previous Meetings This Season	Portland 2 @ Victoria 1 (Jan 11 2014) Final Portland 2 @ Victoria 3 (Jan 10 2014) Final SO Victoria 3 @ Portland 2 (Jan 4 2014) Final Victoria 3 @ Portland 2 (Nov 9 2013) Final OT

How the 2 teams match up

	Portland	Victoria
Team Record	54-13-2-3 -- 113 points	48-20-1-3 -- 100 points
Division Ranking	1st U.S.	2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking	2nd Western	3rd Western
League Ranking	2nd	6th
Past 10 Games	9-1-0-0	6-4-0-0
Streak	7-0-0-0	0-3-0-0
Last Game	5-4 W vs Everett (Mar 16 2014) Final SO	3-2 L @ Everett (Mar 15 2014) Final
Home Record	29-6-1-0	22-11-1-2
Away Record	25-7-1-3	26-9-0-1
GF	338	238
GA	207	181
PP (Overall)	(92/334) 27.5	(61/297) 20.5
PP (Home)	(51/184) 27.7	(33/153) 21.6
PP (Away)	(41/150) 27.3	(28/144) 19.4
PK (Overall)	(60/332) 81.9	(53/284) 81.3
PK (Home)	(31/167) 81.4	(29/146) 80.1
PK (Away)	(29/165) 82.4	(24/138) 82.6
Leading Rookie	Haar (7-38-45)	Soy (15-15-30)
Most PIM	Schoenborn - 121	Carroll - 114
Team PIM/GM	16.6/Game	13.9/Game
Leading Scorers	Petan (35-78-113)	Magee (25-42-67)
	Bjorkstrand (50-59-109)	Carroll (34-23-57)
	Leipsic (39-52-91)	Blomqvist (24-32-56)
	De Leo (39-42-81)	Walker (24-30-54)
	Leier (37-42-79)	Nelson (23-31-54)
Last 5 Games	5-4 W vs Everett (Mar 16 2014) Final SO	3-2 L @ Everett (Mar 15 2014) Final
	7-0 W vs Seattle (Mar 15 2014) Final	5-3 L vs Everett (Mar 14 2014) Final
	5-2 W @ Seattle (Mar 14 2014) Final	3-2 L @ Vancouver (Mar 12 2014) Final
	3-2 W vs Tri-City (Mar 11 2014) Final OT	3-2 W @ Kelowna (Mar 11 2014) Final
	4-1 W vs Vancouver (Mar 8 2014) Final	3-2 W vs Kamloops (Mar 8 2014) Final
Leading After 1st	32-2-0-0	27-2-1-1
Leading After 2nd	44-1-0-1	33-0-1-1
Tied After 1st	17-4-1-2	14-4-0-0
Tied After 2nd	6-1-0-0	9-0-0-1
Trailing After 1st	5-7-1-1	7-14-0-2
Trailing After 2nd	4-11-2-2	6-20-0-1
Out Shooting Opponents	45-5-1-2	20-7-1-2
Out Shot by Opponents	6-8-1-1	24-13-0-1
1-Goal Games	11-4-2-3	22-8-1-3
2-Goal Games	9-1-0-0	12-6-0-0
3-Goal Games	17-3-0-0	6-3-0-0

Victoria Royals

#	Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-
21	Austin Carroll	4	2	2	4	8	0
18	Brandon Magee	4	2	2	4	0	2
21	Axel Blomqvist (total)	4	2	1	3	0	0
	LET	1	1	0	1	0	0
	VIC	3	1	1	2	0	0
11	Steven Hodges	4	2	1	3	6	1
4	Jordan Fransoo	3	1	1	2	5	-1
10	Ben Walker	4	1	1	2	2	-1
6	Travis Brown	2	0	1	1	0	1
27	Brett Cote	4	0	1	1	2	0
16	Jack Palmer (total)	5	0	1	1	0	-2
	BDN	1	0	0	0	0	-1
	VIC	4	0	1	1	0	-1
29	Chaz Reddekopp	2	0	1	1	2	0
6	X Isaac Schacher	2	0	1	1	0	2
22	Taylor Crunk	4	0	0	0	2	0
26	X Matt Dykstra	1	0	0	0	0	0
20	Logan Fisher	4	0	0	0	2	0
25	Brandon Fushimi	4	0	0	0	2	-2
3	Ryan Gagnon	4	0	0	0	2	-1
28	X Luke Harrison	1	0	0	0	0	0
5	Keegan Kanzig	3	0	0	0	0	-1
7	Jake Kohlhauser	3	0	0	0	4	0
19	Logan Nelson	2	0	0	0	0	0
8	Mitch Skapski	4	0	0	0	0	0
17	Tyler Soy	3	0	0	0	2	0
35	Coleman Vollrath	4	0	0	0	0	0
14	Jack Walker	3	0	0	0	0	0
12	X Landon Welykholowa	1	0	0	0	0	0

#	Player	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	MIN	GA	GAA	SV%
35	Coleman Vollrath	4	3	1	0	0	245:31	8	1.96	0.949

Portland Winterhawks

#	Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-
28	Brendan Leipsic	3	2	3	5	2	2
51	Derrick Pouliot	3	0	5	5	4	0
19	Nicolas Petan	3	1	2	3	6	2
27	Oliver Bjorkstrand	4	2	0	2	2	1
20	Taylor Leier	3	1	0	1	2	1
23	Dominic Turgeon	4	1	0	1	0	0
42	Layne Viveiros	3	1	0	1	2	0
11	Adam De Champlain	3	0	1	1	2	1
9	Chase De Leo	4	0	1	1	2	0
4	Josh Hanson	4	0	1	1	2	3
13	Keegan Iverson	4	0	1	1	0	-1
41	X Steven Alldridge	1	0	0	0	0	0
7	Paul Bittner	4	0	0	0	11	0
30	Corbin Boes (total)	3	0	0	0	0	0
	LET	2	0	0	0	0	0
	POR	1	0	0	0	0	0
1	Brendan Burke	2	0	0	0	2	0
2	Anton Cederholm	4	0	0	0	0	1
18	Garrett Haar	3	0	0	0	0	-2
12	X Presten Kopeck	1	0	0	0	0	0
6	X Shaun MacPherson	3	0	0	0	0	-1
3	Ethan Price	4	0	0	0	2	-1
17	Adam Rossignol	4	0	0	0	0	-2
33	X Jarrod Schamerhorn	1	0	0	0	0	0
22	Alex Schoenborn	4	0	0	0	0	-1
44	Keoni Texeira	4	0	0	0	0	-1
39	X Colton Veloso	1	0	0	0	0	0

#	Player	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	MIN	GA	GAA	SV%
1	Brendan Burke	2	1	0	1	0	120:31	4	1.99	0.933
30	Corbin Boes (total)	3	0	1	0	1	146:41	7	2.86	0.922
	POR	1	0	0	0	1	64:58	2	1.85	0.939
	LET	2	0	1	0	0	81:43	5	3.67	0.912
33	X Jarrod Schamerhorn	1	0	1	0	0	59:00	3	3.05	0.885

Royals To Face Winterhawks

ROYALS TO FACE WINTERHAWKS IN SECOND ROUND OF WHL PLAYOFFS

Mar 29, 2014 - 02:56 GMT

Series begins next Friday in Portland; Victoria hosts Game 3 on April 7^th!

For Immediate Release

Friday, March 28, 2014

Victoria, BC – The Victoria Royals will meet the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference Semi-Final for a best-of-seven series beginning on Friday, April 4^th in Portland. Victoria will host Game 3 and Game 4 of the series on Monday, April 7^th and Tuesday, April 8^th, respectively. The Royals would also host Game 6 on Saturday, April 12^th if necessary.

Single game tickets for Round B against the Portland Winterhawks are on sale now at the Select Your Tickets box office and start at just $14.50! Tickets are available at www.victoriaroyals.com, by phone at 250-220-7777 or in-person at the Select Your Tickets box office. Fans can also save big on walk-up pricing by coming as a group of 10+ or purchasing a seat for the entire 2014 playoff run with a Royals Playoff Package. Get full details by calling 250-220-7889

Fans who purchased single game tickets to Game 5 of Round A versus Spokane are reminded that their tickets can be exchanged for tickets to either Game 1 or Game 2 of Round B versus Portland at the box office. Tickets must be exchanged by Friday, April 4^th if fans want to retain their Round A discount. 

Playoff package holders are reminded that they will need to use tickets labeled “Round B Home Game 1” for Victoria’s first home game against Portland on Monday, April 7^th.

The Royals are coming off their first WHL Playoffs series win in franchise history after a 4-0 sweep of Spokane. Victoria concluded the 2013-14 WHL regular season as the third-seed in the Western Conference and the 10^th-seed in the BMO Canadian Hockey League rankings. Portland finished the regular season as the second-seed in the Western Conference and the third-seed in the BMO CHL rankings and will have home ice advantage this series.

Series Schedule:

Friday, April 4^th - Victoria @ Portland 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 5^th – Victoria @ Portland 7:00 p.m.

Monday, April 7^th – Portland @ Victoria 7:05 p.m.

Tuesday, April 8^th – Portland @ Victoria 7:05 p.m.

Thursday, April 10^th – Victoria @ Portland 7:00 p.m. (if necessary)

Saturday, April 12^th – Portland @ Victoria 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)

Monday, April 14^th – Victoria @ Portland 7:00 p.m. (if necessary)

  

Money Mart Mad Monday will also return for Round 2! Mad Monday tickets are available for just $7 in-person only at the Select Your Tickets box office beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, April 7^th. Quantities are limited and orders are restricted to four tickets per person.

Playoff packages and Royals 2014-15 season tickets are on sale now! Guarantee the BEST seats at the BEST prices with the BEST benefits for all 36 home games by visiting www.victoriaroyals.com or calling 250-220-7889.

Recap Game 4: VIC 4 - SPK 2

The visiting Victoria Royals swept the Spokane Chiefs, to win the franchise’s first playoff series after a 4-2 victory Thursday night.

“I think it’s a great accomplishment, I really liked the way our team played and I’m happy for our (players), they’ve competed hard…It’s nice to see them rewarded.” – Head Coach Dave Lowry

Victoria won the first two games in overtime by 2-1 and 4-3 scores at home, then in Spokane by 6-1 and 4-2 margins.

Austin Carroll scores the game winner

“We got out of a couple games in our building, found a way to win, and when we came in here for game 3 we  were outstanding, and tonight we played a really good road game…”

The Royals shut down the leagues regular season leading scorer Mitch Holmberg and teammate Mike Aviani, among the keys to winning the series according to Lowry,

“Goaltending was good, I thought our penalty kill was outstanding, the job that Crunk did on Holmberg and Fisher on Aviani that they ended up breaking them up.  We had guys that counted on to score, but we also had guys that were really responsible against their top players.”

Thursday night four Royals had two point nights, and Patrik Polivka made 32 saves in the 4-2 series clinching victory.

Team Photo post win

“It’s really exciting, all guys were really into this, to get into the second round.” Said Steven Hodges who fell to the Chiefs in 5 games in 2011.

“Spokane really played a hard game against us, they came out guns a blazin’ every game and really made us battle for this.  We’re just happy with the win and we’re excited with whomever we face in the next round.”

Austin Carroll broke a 2-2 third period tie at the midway point, before Logan Nelson added some insurance with under 5 minutes to go.

Logan Nelson's 4-2 goal

Neither team could score on the power play, with Victoria going 0 for 4, and shutting down all 3 Spokane man advantages, including a 5 on 3 at the start of the third.

Polivka was brilliant, weathering an early storm when the Royals were outshot 8-1 in the first half of the first.  He stoned Holmberg on the power play, and did not allow the 62 goal man a single goal in the four games, ending with a single assist.  Aviani had 2 helpers total.

Polivka won 4 straight

“It’s awesome, we didn’t expect the sweep, no one did…it feels great.” Said Polivka

“It’s something special for the first time (franchise series win), but I think we want to go farther…”

Eric Williams suffered the defeat as the Chiefs outshot the Royals for the first time in the series 34-21.

Jordan Fransoo opened the scoring with a point drive in the first, rookie defenseman Tyson Helgeson scored his first to tie in the final minute, but Ben Walker responded just :20 seconds later to put Victoria back on top 2-1.

Ben Walker celebrates

There was no scoring in the second frame.  Connor Chartier tipped a shot past Polivka to pull even in the third before the Royals pulled away.

Logan Nelson, Jordan Fransoo and Austin Carroll had a goal and assist each, while Steven Hodges chipped in with a pair of assists. 

The club returns home to await their second round opponent, yet to be determined as the teams reseed in round two.

Polivka was dominant

Nelson knocks Bobyk over the boards

Hodges had 2 assists

Ben Walker shot attempt

Blomqvist sends Chartier flying

Chiefs tie the game in the third

Nelson fires a sho

Nelson would score to make it 4-2

Chiefs salute crowd

Nelson celebrates

-Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 4 at Spokane Chiefs 2 - Status: End of Game
Thursday, March 27, 2014 - Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena

Victoria 2 0 2 - 4
Spokane 1 0 1 - 2

1st Period-
1, Victoria, Fransoo 2 (Cote, Hodges), 14:48.
2, Spokane, Helgesen 1 (Whittingham, Messier), 19:02.
3, Victoria, Walker 3 (Magee, Fransoo), 19:22.

Penalties-Kanzig Vic (hooking), 3:09; Helewka Spo (charging), 10:16; Holmberg Spo (cross checking), 12:28.

2nd Period-
No Scoring.Penalties-Wedman Spo (checking from behind), 5:32; Proft Spo (slashing), 17:11; Walker Vic (slashing), 18:40.

3rd Period-
4, Spokane, Chartier 1 (Helgesen, Aviani), 3:32.
5, Victoria, Carroll 3 (Gagnon, Nelson), 10:06.
6, Victoria, Nelson 3 (Hodges, Carroll), 15:41.

Penalties-Fisher Vic (hooking), 0:15.

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 9-7-5-21.
Spokane 11-7-16-34.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 0 / 4;
Spokane 0 / 3.

Goalies-
Victoria, Polivka 4-0-0-0 (34 shots-32 saves).
Spokane, Williams 0-2-2-0 (21 shots-17 saves).

A-3,711
Referees-Derek Zalaski (8), Brett Iverson (24).
Linesmen-Jeremi Del Campo (44), Jason Michelbook (112).

Preview Game 4: Victoria at Spokane, Thurs. March 24 2014

Tonight the visiting Victoria Royals look to win the franchise’s first playoff series, with a 3-0 series lead against the Spokane Chiefs.

Pregame show at 6:45 Thursday night from Spokane on The Zone @ 91.3 fm.

Last night the Royals stormed out to a 4 goal first period, striking early, just 11 seconds in.

“You get that goal first shift, and that allowed us to settle in and play how we really wanted to play…” said Lowry

Victoria’s power play came through for them scoring 3 goals on 6 chances, and they again stymied the dynamic duo of Mitch Holmberg and Mike Avaini, keeping them to a single point.

Austin Carroll had 3 points on his 20th birthday, and was named first star.

“I turned 20 (yesterday) and you always hope to have a good game on your birthday and it turned out that way, so I’m really happy.” said Carroll.

The Royals were a disciplined bunch, and shut down the only two Chief man advantages.

“The awareness on the bench was outstanding, to come in here and not have last change and get the match ups that we wanted tonight – credit to our guys.” Said Lowry on shutting down the dynamic duo.

Victoria outshot Spokane for a third game in a row 24-21, with Patrik Polivka earning his 3rd straight playoff win.  Polivka is sporting the best goals against average in the post season at 1.58.  Eric Williams was replaced mid way throught the third by Garrett Hughson.

Nelson was the 2nd star with a goal and an assist along with defenseman Travis Brown.  Brandon Magee was the 3rd star and leads the team in scoring with 6 points after a 3 assist night. 

Victoria set many post season franchise records, including most goals in a period with 4, largest winning margin with 5, most goals for with 6, allowing the fewest shots against in a period with 3 in the first and winning the most games in a playoff series with 3.

In the the three game, the Royals have outshot the Chiefs by a margin of 23, and outscored them 12-5.

Victoria’s penalty killers have stopped 11 of 12 Spokane power plays so far, while the Royals power play has gone 3 for 14.

With a stranglehold lead, Victoria can close out the series tonight in Spokane.

“They’re not going away…they have a lot of pride, they’re going to play right to the end…the fourth one is the toughest one to win – and we have to make sure we’re prepared to start the game.” said Lowry on a chance to sweep the Chiefs.

Victoria won their only game in the regular season series in Spokane by a 4-1 score, on the back of Coleman Vollrath’s 41 saves.

On the road the Royals won a franchise best 26 games (26-9-0-1), including a 9 game road win streak.  The club was 17 over .500 off the Island.

Spokane has won 21 at home, with an 8 over .500 record (21-13-1-1).

Series Schedule:

Thursday, March 27th Victoria @ Spokane 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 29th Spokane @ Victoria 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Monday, March 31st Victoria @ Spokane 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Wednesday, April 2nd Spokane @ Victoria 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)

VICTORIA REGULAR SEASON:

The Royals concluded their best regular-season performance in franchise history, having smashed Club records for wins (48) and points (100) in a season.  Brandon Magee led the team in points with 67, and Austin Carroll in goals with 34.

Victoria’s offense boasts a balanced attack, with six players who hit the 20-goal mark and nine players who posted at least 30 points.

The Royals were the second best defensive team in the league, with netminder Patrik Polivka earning 28 wins, and the 5th best goals against average (2.56).  His tandem Coleman Vollrath lead the league in save percentage (0.928), held the 3rd best GAA (2.29) while earning 20 wins.

Other franchise records include, points in 14 consecutive games, road wins with 26 including 9 victories in a row, home wins with 21, scoring the most goals (238), giving up the fewest (181), having a positive goal differential for the first time (+57), cracking the CHL Top 10, now ranked 10th after reaching 7th last week.

SPOKANE REGULAR SEASON:

The Chiefs finished with 40 or more wins for the sixth time over the last seven seasons.

20 year old forward Mitch Holmberg captured the Bob Clarke trophy for leading the WHL in scoring, with 118 points (62g, 56a). He also led the league in goals with 62. He’s just the second WHL player since the 2000-01 season to reach the 60-goal mark, Layne Ulmer (63 in ’01 with Swift Current) and Emerson Etem (61 in ’12).

Holmberg is the first Spokane player to finish on top since Ray Whitney, who put up 185 points in 1990-91. Holmberg finished tied for second with six shorthanded goals.  He also shared the League lead with 10 game-winning goals this season. Having opened the season with a 17-game point streak, Holmberg only twice went more than two games without registering a point this season.  He recorded 37 multiple-point games, and 19 multiple-goal games, including 6 hat tricks.

The offensive dominance of veterans Mitch Holmberg and Mike Aviani has been a huge reason for the Chiefs’ success this season, with the pair combining for 31.3% of the points (199/636), while scoring 40% (100/244) of the clubs goals.

Holmberg and Aviani are #1 and 2 in power play goals with 23 and 22 respectively in the league.  The duo combined for 66% of their teams power play markers.

Defenseman Reid Gow is 5th in defenseman scoring, with 62 points, 2nd among rearguards in assists with 56, and 3rd in power play assists with 29.

Veteran goaltender Eric Williams has 24 games of playoff experience to draw upon and earned the 4th most wins during the regular season with 33.

HEAD TO HEAD:

This season Victoria went 1-3 against Spokane, with two of those losses coming back in September by 6-2 and 6-1 scores.  The Royals won their only game on the road 4-1 back on October 19th on the strength of Coleman Vollrath’s 41 saves.  Most recently they fell at home 5-3 on January 19th.

In the series, the Chiefs outscored the Royals 18-10, while outshooting them 157-113.

Throughout the 4 games, Spokane’s power play operated at 35.5% (6/17) with 5 of the 6 goals coming back in September, while Victoria was at 26.3% (5/19).

Chiefs forwards Mitch Holmberg and Mike Aviani combined for 10 goals and 22 points during their encounters.  Royals forward Brandon Fushimi led the way with 3 goals (3pts), while Logan Fisher (1g 2a) and Brett Cote (3a) also had 3 points in four meetings.

Spokane netminder Eric Williams was 2-0, while back up Garret Hughson was (1-1).  Victoria’s Coleman Vollrath was 1-0, while Patrik Polivka went 0-3.

It’s the second time the Royals franchise has squared off against the Chiefs, with Spokane winning in 5 back in 2011 during Steven Hodges and Brandon Magee’s rookie campaign.

OVERALL:

The Royals had 8 more wins overall.  The Chiefs scored 6 more goals tha Victoria, but gave up 32 more.  Spokane allows the 4th fewest shots against, the Royals the 8th fewest.

Victoria is 11 over .500 at home (22-11-1-2), while Spokane is 6 over on the road (19-13-2-2).

The Royals power play is 13th, penalty kill 7th.  The Chiefs are 8th most efficient with the man advantage, and 14th while shorthanded but have scored the 3rd most short handed goals with 15.

- Marlon Martens

Previous Meetings

Victoria 6 @ Spokane 1 (Mar 26 2014) Final Spokane 3 @ Victoria 4 (Mar 23 2014) Final OT Spokane 1 @ Victoria 2 (Mar 22 2014) Final OT

How the 2 teams match up

	Spokane	Victoria
Team Record	0-3-0-0 -- 0 points	3-0-0-0 -- 6 points
Division Ranking	5th U.S.	1st B.C.
Conference Ranking	9th Western	2nd Western
League Ranking	20th	4th
Past 10 Games	0-1-2-0	3-0-0-0
Streak	0-1-2-0	3-0-0-0
Last Game	6-1 L vs Victoria (Mar 26 2014) Final	6-1 W @ Spokane (Mar 26 2014) Final
Home Record	0-1-0-0	2-0-0-0
Away Record	0-2-0-0	1-0-0-0
GF	5	12
GA	12	5
PP (Overall)	(1/12) 8.3	(3/14) 21.4
PP (Home)	(0/2) 0.0	(0/8) 0.0
PP (Away)	(1/10) 10.0	(3/6) 50.0
PK (Overall)	(3/14) 78.6	(1/12) 91.7
PK (Home)	(3/6) 50.0	(1/10) 90.0
PK (Away)	(0/8) 100.0	(0/2) 100.0
Leading Rookie	Zwerger (1-0-1)	Soy (1-0-1)
Most PIM	Gow - 11	Crunk - 8
Team PIM/GM	14.3/Game	13.0/Game
Leading Scorers	Fram (0-3-3)	Magee (1-5-6)
	Stewart (2-0-2)	Brown (2-2-4)
	Gow (1-1-2)	Nelson (2-1-3)
	Whittingham (1-0-1)	Carroll (2-1-3)
	Zwerger (1-0-1)	Walker (2-1-3)
Last 5 Games	6-1 L vs Victoria (Mar 26 2014) Final	6-1 W @ Spokane (Mar 26 2014) Final
	4-3 L @ Victoria (Mar 23 2014) Final OT	4-3 W vs Spokane (Mar 23 2014) Final OT
	2-1 L @ Victoria (Mar 22 2014) Final OT	2-1 W vs Spokane (Mar 22 2014) Final OT
Leading After 1st	0-0-0-0	3-0-0-0
Leading After 2nd	0-0-0-0	3-0-0-0
Tied After 1st	0-0-0-0	0-0-0-0
Tied After 2nd	0-0-0-0	0-0-0-0
Trailing After 1st	0-1-2-0	0-0-0-0
Trailing After 2nd	0-1-2-0	0-0-0-0
Out Shooting Opponents	0-0-0-0	3-0-0-0
Out Shot by Opponents	0-1-2-0	0-0-0-0
1-Goal Games	0-0-2-0	2-0-0-0
2-Goal Games	0-0-0-0	0-0-0-0
3-Goal Games	0-0-0-0	0-0-0-0

Victoria Royals

#	Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-
18	Brandon Magee	3	1	5	6	6	2
6	Travis Brown	3	2	2	4	0	0
21	Austin Carroll	3	2	1	3	2	2
19	Logan Nelson	2	2	1	3	0	2
10	Ben Walker	3	2	1	3	5	1
27	Brett Cote	3	0	3	3	2	2
11	Steven Hodges	3	0	2	2	0	3
20	Logan Fisher	3	1	0	1	2	1
4	Jordan Fransoo	3	1	0	1	4	2
17	Tyler Soy	3	1	0	1	0	0
23	Axel Blomqvist	3	0	1	1	4	2
25	Brandon Fushimi	3	0	1	1	2	0
3	Ryan Gagnon	3	0	1	1	2	3
5	Keegan Kanzig	3	0	1	1	0	3
16	Jack Palmer	3	0	1	1	0	1
22	Taylor Crunk	3	0	0	0	8	0
2	Joe Hicketts	3	0	0	0	0	0
33	Patrik Polivka	3	0	0	0	0	0
8	Mitch Skapski	1	0	0	0	0	0
14	Jack Walker	3	0	0	0	2	1

#	Player	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	MIN	GA	GAA	SV%
33	Patrik Polivka	3	3	0	0	0	190:28	5	1.58	0.937

Spokane Chiefs

#	Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-
2	Jason Fram	3	0	3	3	0	-5
11	Liam Stewart	3	2	0	2	2	1
18	Reid Gow	3	1	1	2	11	-5
25	Riley Whittingham	3	1	0	1	2	-2
22	Dominic Zwerger	3	1	0	1	4	-1
16	Mike Aviani	3	0	1	1	6	-3
19	Jacob Cardiff	3	0	1	1	0	-1
17	Mitch Holmberg	3	0	1	1	2	-1
24	Cole Wedman	3	0	1	1	2	1
32	Colton Bobyk	2	0	0	0	4	0
27	Connor Chartier	3	0	0	0	2	0
26	Hudson Elynuik	3	0	0	0	0	-2
20	Adam Hascic	2	0	0	0	0	-1
14	Adam Helewka	3	0	0	0	2	-2
6	Tyson Helgesen	3	0	0	0	0	-1
30	Garret Hughson	1	0	0	0	0	0
4	Jeremy McIntosh	3	0	0	0	4	-1
13	Marcus Messier	3	0	0	0	0	-2
15	Carter Proft	3	0	0	0	2	-1
21	Matt Sozanski	1	0	0	0	0	1
35	Eric Williams	3	0	0	0	0	0
9	Keanu Yamamoto	1	0	0	0	0	0

#	Player	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	MIN	GA	GAA	SV%
35	Eric Williams	3	0	1	2	0	181:14	11	3.64	0.890
30	Garret Hughson	1	0	0	0	0	9:14	1	6.50	0.500

Recap Game 3: VIC 6 - SPK 1

Jordan Fransoo scores top corner in a 6-1 Royals win.

Austin Carroll had 3 points on his 20th birthday as the visiting Victoria Royals defeated the Spokane Chiefs 6-1 Wednesday, taking a stranglehold 3-0 series lead.

“Our guys did a really good job tonight being ready early, and we were able to establish our game and carry it for a full 60 minutes.” – Royals Head Coach Dave Lowry

Victoria can close out the series Thursday night in Spokane.

“They’re not going away…they have a lot of pride, they’re going to play right to the end…the fourth one is the toughest one to win – and we have to make sure we’re prepared to start the game.” said Lowry on a chance to sweep the Chiefs.

The Royals led 4-0 after 20 minutes, and 5-1 after 40.  Victoria’s power play was an effective 3 for 6, while holding Mike Aviani off the scoresheet, and Mitch Holmberg to just 1 assist – his first point of the post season.

“The awareness on the bench was outstanding, to come in here and not have last change and get the match ups that we wanted tonight – credit to our guys.” Said Lowry on shutting down the dynamic duo.

Polivka earned his 3rd straight win

The Royals were a disciplined bunch, and shut down the only two Chief man advantages.

“We felt at home we got away from the strength of our team all year – our ability to push the pace and play whistle to whistle…and we got dragged into the extra curricular stuff after the whistle...”  Said Lowry on the disicpline,

Ben Walker scored just :11 seconds in

“Tonight our guys did a really good job, we felt our tough guy was going to be our power play and that was the difference in the game.”

Victoria outshot Spokane for a third game in a row 24-21, with Patrik Polivka earning his 3rd straight playoff win.   Eric Williams was replaced mid way throught the third by Garrett Hughson.

Victoria set many post season franchise records, including most goals in a period with 4, largest winning margin with 5, most goals for with 6, allowing the fewest shots against in a period with 3 in the first and winning the most games in a playoff series with 3.

Austin Carroll and Travis Brown celebrate a goal

Ben Walker set the tone off the opening faceoff, scoring just 11 seconds in, to set the franchise record for quickest goal to start a playoff game and to start a period.   It was just 4 seconds shy of the WHL playoff record held by Trevor Linden.


“You get that goal first shift, and that allowed us to settle in and play how we really wanted to play…” said Lowry

Victoria doubled their lead on a goal from Austin Carroll finishing a 3 on 1 play.  Captain Jordan Fransoo made it a 3-0 game with a solo powerplay effort splitting the defense and roofing the puck glove side.

Carroll added his second of the period with the man advantage to put the Royals up 4-0 heading to the second.

Magee had 3 assists

Liam Stewart got the Chiefs on the board but Victoria responded just :29 seconds later on Nelson’s second goal of the playoffs.

In the third, on a late powerplay, Travis Brown buried his second of the playoffs to round out the game’s scoring.

Carroll #1 star on his 20th Birthday

Carroll ended his birthday night with 2 goals and an assist, and perhaps should have been credited a second assist on Brown’s late goal. 

“I turned 20 today and you always hope to have a good game on your birthday and it turned out that way, so I’m really happy.” said Carroll.

Nelson was the 2nd star with a goal and an assist along with defenseman Travis Brown.  Brandon Magee was the 3rd star and leads the team in scoring with 6 points after a 3 assist night. 

Pregame show at 6:45 Thursday night from Spokane on The Zone @ 91.3 fm.

Anthem Time

Starting Line

Ben Walker stares down Proft

Holmberg picked up his first assist of the post season, and his stick.

- Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 6 at Spokane Chiefs 1 - Status: End of Game
Wednesday, March 26, 2014 - Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena

Victoria 4 1 1 - 6
Spokane 0 1 0 - 1

1st Period-
1, Victoria, Walker 2 (Magee), 0:11.
2, Victoria, Carroll 1 (Nelson, Kanzig), 7:37.
3, Victoria, Fransoo 1   13:31 (PP).
4, Victoria, Carroll 2 (Magee, Brown), 15:44 (PP).

Penalties-McIntosh Spo (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 12:32; Aviani Spo (hooking), 14:19.

2nd Period-
5, Spokane, Stewart 2 (Fram, Holmberg), 10:04.
6, Victoria, Nelson 2 (Hodges, Carroll), 10:33.

Penalties-Magee Vic (interference), 7:32; McIntosh Spo (high sticking), 13:07; Magee Vic (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 17:02; Helewka Spo (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 17:02; Bobyk Spo (roughing), 18:13.

3rd Period-
7, Victoria, Brown 2 (Magee, Cote), 18:31 (PP).

Penalties-Walker Vic (roughing), 16:16; Bobyk Spo (roughing), 16:33; Stewart Spo (roughing), 17:18; Fransoo Vic (roughing), 19:16; Zwerger Spo (roughing), 19:16.

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 11-6-2-19.
Spokane 3-8-10-21.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 3 / 6;
Spokane 0 / 2.

Goalies-
Victoria, Polivka 3-0-0-0 (21 shots-20 saves).
Spokane, Williams 0-1-2-0 (22 shots-17 saves);
Hughson 0-0-0-0 (2 shots-1 saves).

A-3,412
Referees-Mike Campbell (89), Steve Papp (17).
Linesmen-Anthony Guzzo (135), Bevan Mills (98).