Pregame show at 6:40 Wednesday on The Zone @ 91.3 fm with puck drop at 7pm. www.thezone.fm/whl
Axel Blomqvist scored the overtime winner last night, after Brandon Magee forced overtime with under two minutes left.
The Royals twice overcame two goal deficits. It was Victoria’s 3rd come from behind victory when trailing after 40 minutes.
Kelowna, the #2 ranked team in the CHL going into the game, had their 7 game win streak snapped, and suffered just their 2nd overtime loss of the year as their record falls to (20-1-2-0). They have points in 12 straight games, winning 10 of those.
Victoria evened the season series at 1-1, while winning their 2nd game in a row, and 3 of their last 4. They remain 2nd in the BC Division and 4th in the West, with a 4 point lead on both Kamloops and Prince George.
Austin Carroll and Magee had a goal and assist each, while Travis Brown and Tyler Soy chipped in with a pair of helpers each. Jack Walker got the other single for the Royals.
Both clubs used their strong power plays two notch a pair of goals each. Victoria went 2 for 4, while Kelowna’s #1 man advantage went 2 for 5.
The Royals four goals on Tuesday is the most the Rockets have allowed since their last regulation loss on October 18 to Tri-City in a 5-2 decision. The Rockets were held to three goals or less for only the fourth time.
Victoria trailed 2-0 in the first on goals by Kris Schmidli and Tyson Baillie, before Walker’s power play goal cut the lead in half heading into the 2nd, when Baillie added his 17th and 2nd of the night to restore the two goal lead, 3-1.
Carroll notched his 15th of the year to draw to within one going into the final frame where Coleman Vollrath shut the door the rest of the way, making 28 saves on the night for his 11th win.
Jackson Whistle allowed 4 goals on 28 shots, suffering just his 2nd overtime loss. His goals against average and save percentage drop to 3rd best in the league, however still leads the league in wins with 16.
Victoria defenseman Ryan Gagnon and Kelowna forward Rodney Southam were both given fighting majors and game misconducts for a ‘staged fight’ in the first period.
Baillie was 2nd star with 3 points, 2 goals and an assist, while Jesse Lees added a pair of helpers.
The WHL’s leading goal getter, Rourke Chartier with 23, was held pointless and had his franchise tying streak of goals in 10 games halted. Chartier is now 2nd in overall points with 40, 2nd to teammate Nick Merkley’s 41 who picked up an assist in the loss.
Merkley is an ‘A’ rated skater for the upcoming NHL Draft and has a league high 8 game assist streak with 13 helpers in that span.
Royals Joe Hicketts remains on top of the defenseman scoring race with an assist Tuesday, bringing his total to 29 points, while Rockets Madison Bowey kept pace in 2nd, also collecting a helper for his 27th point. Hicketts is signed by Detroit, while Bowey has a contract with the Capitals.
Austin Carroll is first in power play goals with 9 but remains tied for 3rd in league goals with 15, two back of Baillie who attended San Jose Sharks training camp.
Magee now has 23 points in 12 games since returning from his suspension.
The Royals improve to 6-2-2 at home, and 3-2 in overtime games.
The Rockets have scored the most goals (5 on avg/game) while giving up the fewest (2.23 avg/game), and boast the most efficient power play in the league (31.5%).
After Kelowna Wednesday, the 4 game homestand concludes this weekend with a visit from the #8 team in the CHL, Everett on Friday and Regina on Saturday.
- Marlon Martens
Victoria Royals vs Kelowna Rockets: Head To Head Stats Summary
How the 2 teams match up
Description
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Result
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| Head to Head Record 2014-15 Regular Season | Victoria 1-1-0-0 | Kelowna 1-0-1-0 |
| Head to Head Record 2013-14 Regular Season | Victoria 5-2-0-1 | Kelowna 3-4-0-1 |
| Last 5 Years record between teams | Victoria 16-14-1-3 | Kelowna 18-12-2-2 |
| Victoria vs. Kelowna Last 5 Years record at Victoria | Victoria 7-7-1-2 | Kelowna 10-5-2-0 |
| Victoria vs. Kelowna Last 5 Years record at Kelowna | Victoria 9-7-0-1 | Kelowna 8-7-0-2 |
| Previous Meetings This Season | Kelowna 3 @ Victoria 4 (Nov 18 2014) Final OT Victoria 1 @ Kelowna 5 (Nov 5 2014) Final |
How the 2 teams match up
Kelowna
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Victoria
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| Team Record | 20-1-2-0 -- 42 points | 12-10-2-0 -- 26 points |
| Division Ranking | 1st B.C. | 2nd B.C. |
| Conference Ranking | 1st Western | 4th Western |
| League Ranking | 1st | 7th |
| Past 10 Games | 8-0-2-0 | 5-4-1-0 |
| Streak | 10-0-2-0 | 2-0-0-0 |
| Last Game | 4-3 L @ Victoria (Nov 18 2014) Final OT | 4-3 W vs Kelowna (Nov 18 2014) Final OT |
| Home Record | 9-0-0-0 | 6-2-2-0 |
| Away Record | 11-1-2-0 | 6-8-0-0 |
| GF | 113 | 77 |
| GA | 53 | 83 |
| PP (Overall) | (37/116) 31.9 | (28/116) 24.1 |
| PP (Home) | (12/42) 28.6 | (13/40) 32.5 |
| PP (Away) | (25/74) 33.8 | (15/76) 19.7 |
| PK (Overall) | (17/98) 82.7 | (27/115) 76.5 |
| PK (Home) | (4/39) 89.7 | (9/42) 78.6 |
| PK (Away) | (13/59) 78.0 | (18/73) 75.3 |
| Leading Rookie | Uryga (0-0-0) | Nagy (3-2-5) |
| Most PIM | Southam - 40 | Crunk - 53 |
| Team PIM/GM | 14.9/Game | 18.2/Game |
| Leading Scorers | Merkley (7-34-41) | Carroll (15-14-29) |
| Chartier (23-17-40) | Hicketts (5-24-29) | |
| Baillie (17-12-29) | Magee (7-16-23) | |
| Bowey (7-20-27) | Blomqvist (10-9-19) | |
| Kirkland (8-12-20) | Brown (7-11-18) | |
| Last 5 Games | 4-3 L @ Victoria (Nov 18 2014) Final OT | 4-3 W vs Kelowna (Nov 18 2014) Final OT |
| 6-2 W @ Prince George (Nov 15 2014) Final | 7-5 W @ Vancouver (Nov 15 2014) Final | |
| 6-3 W @ Prince George (Nov 14 2014) Final | 4-1 L @ Tri-City (Nov 14 2014) Final | |
| 4-3 W @ Spokane (Nov 11 2014) Final | 6-2 W @ Prince George (Nov 8 2014) Final | |
| 5-0 W vs Vancouver (Nov 8 2014) Final | 3-2 L @ Prince George (Nov 7 2014) Final | |
| Leading After 1st | 12-1-1-0 | 5-1-0-0 |
| Leading After 2nd | 16-0-1-0 | 7-1-0-0 |
| Tied After 1st | 7-0-1-0 | 4-3-0-0 |
| Tied After 2nd | 2-1-1-0 | 2-1-1-0 |
| Trailing After 1st | 1-0-0-0 | 3-6-2-0 |
| Trailing After 2nd | 2-0-0-0 | 3-8-1-0 |
| Out Shooting Opponents | 13-1-0-0 | 7-2-1-0 |
| Out Shot by Opponents | 6-0-2-0 | 4-7-1-0 |
| 1-Goal Games | 3-0-2-0 | 6-3-2-0 |
| 2-Goal Games | 6-0-0-0 | 2-2-0-0 |
| 3-Goal Games | 1-1-0-0 | 1-2-0-0 |
