SOY: Earns Bronze At U18

TEAM CANADA CLAIMS BRONZE AT UNDER-18 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

10 WHL players power Canada to third place finish in Switzerland.

Calgary, AB – Competition wrapped up today at the 2015 IIHF U18 World Championship in Zug and Lucerne, Switzerland where 10 WHL players powered Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team to a second consecutive bronze medal finish.

After falling to Team USA in the tournament’s semi-final, Canada defeated host Switzerland 5-2 on Sunday to capture third place. All five Canadian goals on Sunday came from WHL skaters as Glenn Gawdin (Swift Current) picked up a pair and Jansen Harkins (Prince George), Deven Sideroff (Kamloops) and Brett Howden (Moose Jaw) had the singles. Late addition Tyler Soy (Victoria) had two assists in the game while Sideroff and Tyler Benson (Vancouver) also added helpers.

Team Canada has now medaled in four consecutive U18 World Championships, including a gold medal two years ago.

Seattle Thunderbirds forward Mathew Barzal led the Canadians with 12 points (3g-9a) in seven tournament games. Moose Jaw Warriors goaltender Zach Sawchenko carried the load in net for Team Canada as he picked up four wins and was named the Player of the Game on Sunday.

With tournament rosters comprised largely of 1997-born players, underage forwards Benson and Howden showed well amongst older competition, picking up four and three points respectively.

2015 IIHF U18 World Championship Roster – WHL Players

Name	Pos	Hometown	WHL Club	GP	G	A	PTS	Plus-Minus
Barzal, Mathew	F	Coquitlam, BC	Seattle Thunderbirds	7	3	9	12	2
Wotherspoon, Parker	D	Surrey, BC	Tri-City Americans	7	1	4	5	9
Harkins, Jansen	F	North Vancouver, BC	Prince George Cougars	7	3	2	5	3
Gawdin, Glenn	F	Richmond, BC	Swift Current Broncos	7	2	2	4	2
Sideroff, Deven	F	Summerland, BC	Kamloops Blazers	7	3	1	4	0
Benson, Tyler (UA)	F	Edmonton, AB	Vancouver Giants	7	1	3	4	4
Bear, Ethan	D	Ochapowace, SK	Seattle Thunderbirds	7	0	3	3	7
Howden, Brett (UA)	F	Oakbank, MB	Moose Jaw Warriors	3	2	1	3	0
Soy, Tyler	F	Cloverdale, BC	Victoria Royals	4	0	2	2	1
Name	Pos	Hometown	WHL Club	GP	W	L	SV%	GAA
Sawchenko, Zach	G	Calgary, AB	Moose Jaw Warriors	7	4	1	0.898	3.61

Moose Jaw Warriors Head Coach Tim Hunter was the bench boss for Team Canada en route to the bronze medal while while four more WHL personnel also provided services to the team:

-Tim O’Donovan – Video Manager (Kamloops Blazers)

-Colin Robinson – Equipment Manager (Kamloops Blazers)

-Nick Murray – Athletic Therapist (Vancouver Giants)

-Bernie Bajnok – Education Consultant (Calgary Hitmen)

HICKETTS: Assigned to AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

ROYALS’ JOE HICKETTS ASSIGNED TO GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS

Victoria defender joins the Griffins of the American Hockey League.

For Immediate Release

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Victoria, BC- The Victoria Royals are pleased to announce that Joe Hicketts has been reassigned to the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Grand Rapids Griffins by the Detroit Red Wings for the remainder of the 2014-15 season.

Hicketts was signed to a three-year entry level contract as a free agent by Detroit last September after he attended the Red Wings’ development camp and the 2014 NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, MI.

This season, Hicketts led the Western Conference in scoring for defencemen and finished second in the WHL with 64 points (12g-52a) in 62 games played. The 5-8, 175 lb. blueliner set the Royals’ single season record for most assists with 52 and also recorded the franchise mark for most powerplay assists by a defender in a campaign with 27. At the end of the 2014-15 regular season he became the first Royal and third player in franchise history to be named to a WHL All-Star Team.

In January, Hicketts, along with Royals’ Head Coach Dave Lowry helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2015 World Junior Championships. In seven tournament games with Team Canada, Hicketts recorded three assists to go along with a plus-3 rating and two penalty minutes. Hicketts also skated in two games for Team WHL in this year’s SUBWAY Super Series against Team Russia and registered one goal and one assist.

The native of Kamloops, BC sits second in Royals/Bruins all-time franchise scoring for defencemen with 112 points (24g-88a) in 166 career WHL games.

Season Tickets for the 2015-16 Royals season are on sale now. Take advantage of our exclusive Early Bird offer to new and returning season ticket holders. Sign up before April 30^th to receive a $30 dollar gift certificate to the Royals’ team store. To arrange a meeting to pick your seats please call 250-220-7889 or visit the Victoria Royals ticket office at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

CHASE: Joins AHL Oklahoma City Barons

ROYALS’ GREG CHASE JOINS OKLAHOMA CITY BARONS

Victoria forward assigned to the American Hockey League’s Barons.

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Victoria, BC- The Victoria Royals are pleased to announce that Greg Chase has been assigned to the American Hockey League’s Oklahoma City Barons by the Edmonton Oilers for the remainder of the 2014-15 season.

Chase was drafted by Edmonton in the seventh round, 188^th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and signed a three-year entry level deal with the Oilers this past September. During the 2013-14 season, Chase appeared in five games with the Barons and registered one goal.

A native of Sherwood Park, AB, Chase was acquired from the Calgary Hitmen in November of this season. In 61 games with the Royals and Hitmen, Chase notched 20 goals and 39 assists for 59 points. The 1995-born forward also notched 11 points (7g-4a) in 10 post-season contests with Victoria.

The 6-0, 188lb centre has recorded 221 points (78g-143) in 265 career WHL games to go along with 32 points (15g-17a) in 38 playoff appearances.

Season Tickets for the 2015-16 Royals season are on sale now. Take advantage of our exclusive Early Bird offer to new and returning season ticket holders. Sign up before April 30^th to receive a $30 dollar gift certificate to the Royals’ team store. To arrange a meeting to pick your seats please call 250-220-7889 or visit the Victoria Royals ticket office at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

VOLLRATH: Joins ECHL Ontario Reign

ROYALS’ COLEMAN VOLLRATH JOINS THE ECHL’S ONTARIO REIGN

Victoria goaltender signs an Amateur Tryout Agreement with the Reign.

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Victoria, BC- The Victoria Royals are pleased to announce that Coleman Vollrath has joined the ECHL’s Ontario Reign on an Amateur Tryout Agreement.

The product of Calgary, AB recently completed his third WHL season with the Victoria Royals and posted a 28-15-3-1 record with a goals against average (GAA) of 2.99, a save percentage (SV%) of 0.905 and six shutouts.

The 1995-born goaltender set the franchise’s all-time record for shutouts in a season and also extended Victoria’s all-time franchise mark for team shutouts in a campaign to eight.

In 114 career WHL games, Vollrath has registered a mark of 52-35-4-4 to go along with seven shutouts, a 2.88 GAA, and a 0.909 SV%.

Vollrath was selected by the Chilliwack Bruins in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft in the third round, 55th overall.

Season Tickets for the 2015-16 Royals season are on sale now. Take advantage of our exclusive Early Bird offer to new and returning season ticket holders. Sign up before April 30^th to receive a $30 dollar gift certificate to the Royals’ team store. To arrange a meeting to pick your seats please call 250-220-7889 or visit the Victoria Royals ticket office at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

SOY JOINS TEAM CANADA

ROYALS’ TYLER SOY JOINS TEAM CANADA

Victoria forward named to national team for Under-18 World Championships.

For Immediate Release

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Victoria, BC- The Victoria Royals would like to congratulate forward Tyler Soy who has been added to Team Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team roster for the 2015 IIHF U18 World Championship, taking place between April 16-26 in Zug and Lucerne, Switzerland.

Soy rejoins Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence for the third time. The 5-11, 172 lb centre won a gold medal with Team Canada Under-18’s at the 2014 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament. Soy also helped Team Pacific capture a silver medal at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. 

The native of Cloverdale, BC completed his second season with the Royals in which he posted 63 points (28g-35a) over 69 games played. Named the club’s 2014-15 Coca-Cola Unsung Hero, Soy also notched two goals and five assists in 10 contests during the 2015 WHL Playoffs.

Soy was selected by the Royals with the eighth overall pick in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.

Season Tickets for the 2015-16 Royals season are on sale now. Take advantage of our exclusive Early Bird offer to new and returning season ticket holders. Sign up before April 30^th to receive a $30 dollar gift certificate to the Royals’ team store. To arrange a meeting to pick your seats please call 250-220-7889 or visit the Victoria Royals ticket office at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

Recap: VIC 3 - KEL 7 [Series 4-1 Rockets]

The Victoria Royals fourth season came to a close Friday night, falling 4 games to 1 to the host Kelowna Rockets after a 7-3 loss.

“Disappointed…” said Head Coach Dave Lowry, on the 5 game, second round exit,

“I thought we left too much on the table.  Game 2 (overtime loss in Kelowna) you feel might be a critical turning point, and I really liked our first period tonight.”

The Ceremonial Handshake

The Royals took their only lead of the game with a pair of first period goals :23 seconds apart by Jack Walker and Brandon Fushimi in the first to take a 2-1 lead.  Josh Morrissey, who had a five point night with 2 goals and 3 assists, responded 70 seconds later to tie the game at 2 heading into the second.

“You give up a goal in the final minute (of the first to tie 2-2), those are critical moments in a game.” said Lowry,

 For us to give up that goal, and they made a goalie change (to start the 2nd) and we didn’t have an answer, didn’t have a push, we got put back on our heels and that to me was the difference.”

The Royals season comes to an end.

The Rockets scored 6 straight, from the first period and into the third to take a 7-2 lead, before graduating overagers Brandon Magee and Austin Carroll assisted on Travis Brown’s late power goal.

“It’s pretty sad,” said Magee on seeing his Major Junior career come to a close,

“It’s been quite a journey, being with the same organization for the past 5 years has been really cool.  Just to see the long road finally come to an end has been a heart breaker.”

Kelowna outshot Victoria 39-21 overall and 17-5 in the middle frame where they notched a pair of power play goals, part of a 3 goal second period.

The Rockets went 2 for 4 with the man advantage, while the Royals were 1 for 6.

Jackson Whistle started the game for Kelowna, but was replaced by Michael Herringer to start the second after allowing 2 goals on 9 shots.  Herringer went 11 for 12.

Justin Paulic made his second straight start for Victoria but was replaced by Coleman Vollrath after allowing 5 goals on 26 shots.  Vollrath kicked out 11 of 13.

Kelowna’s Leon Draisaitl had 3 points with a goal and two assists, while Madison Bowey and 3 helpers.  Nick Merkley chipped in with a pair of assists, while Rodney Southam and Cole Linaker had a goal and an assist each.  Tyson Baillie and Rourke Chartier rounded out their scoring.

The Rockets advance to the third round and will face either the Winterhawks or the Silvertips.

- Marlon Martens

Victoria Royals 3 at Kelowna Rockets 7 - Status: Final
Friday, April 17, 2015 - Prospera Place - Kelowna, BC

Victoria 2 0 1 - 3
Kelowna 2 3 2 - 7

1st Period-
1, Kelowna, Draisaitl 4 (Kirkland, Morrissey), 1:24.
2, Victoria, Walker 4 (Chase), 17:54.
3, Victoria, Fushimi 2 (Fisher, Crunk), 18:17.
4, Kelowna, Morrissey 1 (Merkley, Bowey), 19:26.

Penalties-Soustal Kel (interference), 3:15; Stadel Kel (roughing), 8:25; Carroll Vic (roughing), 19:01; Baillie Kel (embellishment), 19:01.

2nd Period-
5, Kelowna, Southam 2 (Linaker, Johansen), 2:18.
6, Kelowna, Baillie 7 (Morrissey, Draisaitl), 14:52 (PP).
7, Kelowna, Morrissey 2 (Bowey, Draisaitl), 16:53 (PP).

Penalties-Stephens Kel (checking to the head), 3:10; Dmytriw Vic (major-boarding, game misconduct), 11:54; Merkley Kel (roughing), 15:52; Walker Vic (hooking), 16:13.

3rd Period-
8, Kelowna, Chartier 7 (Bowey, Merkley), 7:35.
9, Kelowna, Linaker 2 (Southam, Morrissey), 13:11.
10, Victoria, Brown 2 (Carroll, Magee), 13:59 (PP).

Penalties-Quinney Kel (closing hand on puck), 3:41; Crunk Vic (slashing), 5:32; Reddekopp Vic (cross checking), 10:38; Bowey Kel (cross checking), 13:35.

Shots on Goal-
Victoria 9-5-7-21.
Kelowna 10-17-12-39.

Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 1 / 6;
Kelowna 2 / 4.

Goalies-
Victoria, Paulic 1-1-1-0 (26 shots-21 saves); Vollrath 4-3-0-0 (13 shots-11 saves). Kelowna, Whistle 6-0-1-0 (9 shots-7 saves); Herringer 2-0-0-0 (12 shots-11 saves).

A-5,226
Referees-Adam Byblow (23), Steve Papp (17).
Linesmen-Ron Dietterle (121), Bevan Mills (98).

Preview Game 5: Victoria at Kelowna [Series 3-1 Rockets]

The Victoria Royals visit the Kelowna Rockets Friday night for Game 5, fighting for their playoff lives, down 3 games to 1 in the best of seven playoff series.

Pregame show at 6:40, puck drop at 7 on The Zone @ 91.3 fm or online at cjzn.streamon.fm

Wednesday night in Victoria, Greg Chase scored in overtime as the Royals kept their season alive with a 5-4 victory.

They set the franchise record for most home playoff wins in a post season with 4.  Victoria also set the franchise record for most goals scored in a playoffs with 30 surpassing last years mark of 27.

Down 4-2 heading into the third, the Royals tied it up with a pair of goals just :24 seconds apart by Jack Walker - his second of the game, and Brandon Magee’s 9th of the post season.

Kelowna is 82-2 when leading after 40 minutes over the past 2 seasons but twice the Royals have outscored the Rockets 2-0 in the third period this post season.

Victoria shut down all 8 Kelowna power plays, while going 0 for 3.

“You’re playing with fire,” said Lowry on being shorthanded 8 times,

“We have to figure it out in quick order, we can’t take that many penalties and expect to win.  We got away with it tonight, but it has cost us in a couple other games.”

The Rockets outshot the Royals 40-32, as Justin Paulic made 36 saves for the victory.  Paulic has had 3 post season starts in his career, and all have been elimination games (2-1) record, and a .907 save percentage.  A win and loss with Moose Jaw, and the victory last night with Victoria.

Jackson Whistle made 27 saves in the loss, as the Rockets suffered their first defeat of the post season, snapping a 7 game playoff win streak - 9 straight dating back to the regular season.

Five Royals had 2 point nights, Chase, Magee, and Austin Carroll had a goal and an assist each, Walker 2 goals and Alex Forsberg a pair of helpers.

The line of Carroll, Forsberg and Magee combined for 6 points.  Carroll now leads the Royals in scoring in the second round, with 6 points, (1g 5a).  Magee leads the team in overall playoff scoring with 14 points, including the second most goals in the league with 9.

The Rockets got goals from Lucas Johansen, Tyson Baillie, Rourke Chartier and Tomas Soustal.  Leon Draisaitl had one assist and two posts and has a team high 8 points including 7 assists against the Royals in the post season.

Victoria’s playoff overtime record improves to 2-1, Kelowna is also at 2-1.

For the second year in a row, Victoria has made it to at least Game 5 of the second round of the WHL playoffs following last year’s five-game loss to the Portland Winter Hawks. It's the farthest the franchise has advanced in its nine-year-history, the first five of which were in Chilliwack as the Bruins.

The Royals will look to force a game 6 in Victoria on Sunday at 7pm, and a game 7 Tuesday in Kelowna.

- Marlon Martens

Individual playoff tickets, starting at $14.50, are on sale at the Select Your Tickets Box Office located at the arena or over the phone at 250-220-7777. Avoid any lines and choose the seats you want by using the “Pick Your Own” seat map, available 24/7, online at www.selectyourtickets.com.

Round 2 Meetings

Kelowna 4 @ Victoria 5 (Apr 15 2015) Final OT Kelowna 4 @ Victoria 2 (Apr 14 2015) Final Victoria 3 @ Kelowna 4 (Apr 11 2015) Final OT Victoria 0 @ Kelowna 5 (Apr 10 2015) Final

How the 2 teams match up

	Kelowna	Victoria
Team Record	7-1-0-0 -- 14 points	5-4-0-0 -- 10 points
Division Ranking	1st B.C.	2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking	1st Western	4th Western
League Ranking	1st	8th
Past 10 Games	7-0-1-0	5-3-1-0
Streak	7-0-1-0	1-0-0-0
Last Game	5-4 L @ Victoria (Apr 15 2015) Final OT	5-4 W vs Kelowna (Apr 15 2015) Final OT
Home Record	4-0-0-0	4-1-0-0
Away Record	3-1-0-0	1-3-0-0
GF	36	30
GA	17	32
PP (Overall)	(9/44) 20.5%	(5/33) 15.2%
PP (Home)	(4/20) 20.0%	(1/17) 5.9%
PP (Away)	(5/24) 20.8%	(4/16) 25.0%
PK (Overall)	(3/40) 92.5%	(14/54) 74.1%
PK (Home)	(2/17) 88.2%	(9/29) 69.0%
PK (Away)	(1/23) 95.7%	(5/25) 80.0%
PP vs. Opp.	(6/18) 33.3%	(2/27) 7.4%
PK vs. Opp.	(2/27) 92.6%	(6/18) 66.7%
Leading Rookie	(0-0-0)	Nagy (1-1-2)
Most PIM	Goulbourne - 13	Magee - 18
Team PIM/GM	13.0/Game	13.1/Game
Leading Scorers	Draisaitl (3-9-12)	Magee (9-5-14)
	Baillie (6-5-11)	Chase (7-3-10)
	Merkley (2-8-10)	Forsberg (3-7-10)
	Chartier (6-3-9)	Walker (3-7-10)
	Bowey (4-5-9)	Carroll (1-7-8)
Last 5 Games	5-4 L @ Victoria (Apr 15 2015) Final OT	5-4 W vs Kelowna (Apr 15 2015) Final OT
	4-2 W @ Victoria (Apr 14 2015) Final	4-2 L vs Kelowna (Apr 14 2015) Final
	4-3 W vs Victoria (Apr 11 2015) Final OT	4-3 L @ Kelowna (Apr 11 2015) Final OT
	5-0 W vs Victoria (Apr 10 2015) Final	5-0 L @ Kelowna (Apr 10 2015) Final
	5-4 W @ Tri-City (Apr 1 2015) Final OT	5-4 W vs Prince George (Apr 4 2015) Final OT
Leading After 1st	5-0-1-0	2-0-0-0
Leading After 2nd	6-0-1-0	4-0-0-0
Tied After 1st	1-0-0-0	1-1-0-0
Tied After 2nd	0-0-0-0	0-0-0-0
Trailing After 1st	1-0-0-0	2-2-1-0
Trailing After 2nd	1-0-0-0	1-3-1-0
Out Shooting Opponents	6-0-1-0	0-0-1-0
Out Shot by Opponents	1-0-0-0	4-3-0-0
1-Goal Games	2-0-1-0	3-0-1-0
2-Goal Games	2-0-0-0	1-2-0-0
3-Goal Games	1-0-0-0	1-0-0-0

Victoria Royals

#	Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-
21	Austin Carroll	4	1	5	6	10	4
18	Brandon Magee	4	3	2	5	8	1
16	Alex Forsberg	4	2	2	4	2	2
9	Jack Walker	4	2	2	4	4	-1
15	Greg Chase	4	2	1	3	24	-3
2	Joe Hicketts	4	0	2	2	8	3
29	Chaz Reddekopp	4	0	1	1	8	1
17	Tyler Soy	4	0	1	1	0	-1
6	Travis Brown	4	0	0	0	8	-2
22	Taylor Crunk	4	0	0	0	2	-3
27	Jared Dmytriw	4	0	0	0	0	0
20	Logan Fisher	4	0	0	0	0	-3
25	Brandon Fushimi	4	0	0	0	2	-2
3	Ryan Gagnon	4	0	0	0	10	-5
19	Dante Hannoun	1	0	0	0	0	0
4	Ralph Jarratt	3	0	0	0	0	0
24	Regan Nagy	4	0	0	0	0	-1
14	Jack Palmer	3	0	0	0	0	0
1	Justin Paulic	3	0	0	0	0	0
8	Bryton Sayers	4	0	0	0	0	-3
34	Alexey Sleptsov	1	0	0	0	2	-1
35	Coleman Vollrath	3	0	0	0	0	0

#	Player	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	MIN	GA	GAA	SV%
1	Justin Paulic	3	1	0	1	0	113:33	5	2.64	0.917
35	Coleman Vollrath	3	0	2	0	0	131:16	12	5.49	0.862

Kelowna Rockets

#	Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-
29	Leon Draisaitl	4	1	7	8	6	4
24	Tyson Baillie	4	4	3	7	4	3
20	Gage Quinney	4	3	1	4	2	2
4	Madison Bowey	4	1	3	4	0	1
10	Nick Merkley	4	1	3	4	6	3
27	Josh Morrissey	2	0	4	4	2	1
15	Tomas Soustal	4	3	0	3	2	0
14	Rourke Chartier	4	2	1	3	0	1
8	Cole Martin	4	1	2	3	0	0
7	Lucas Johansen	4	1	0	1	2	0
22	Chance Braid	3	0	1	1	2	0
28	Joe Gatenby	4	0	1	1	2	1
16	Kole Lind	1	0	1	1	0	0
17	Rodney Southam	4	0	1	1	2	-1
3	Riley Stadel	4	0	1	1	2	3
21	Devante Stephens	2	0	1	1	0	0
6	Mitchell Wheaton	4	0	1	1	0	1
19	Dillon Dube	4	0	0	0	0	-1
12	Tyrell Goulbourne	4	0	0	0	6	-1
26	Cole Linaker	4	0	0	0	0	-2
1	Jackson Whistle	4	0	0	0	2	0

#	Player	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	MIN	GA	GAA	SV%
1	Jackson Whistle	4	3	0	1	0	246:28	10	2.43	0.919

Recap: KEL 4 - VIC 5 OT [Series 3-1 Rockets]

Greg Chase was the overtime hero as the Victoria Royals kept their season alive with a 5-4 victory over the visiting Kelowna Rockets Wednesday night, and now trail the best of seven series 3 games to 1.

“The biggest thing for us was to believe that we can come back, and take it one game at a time,” said Chase,

“It showed a lot of resiliency, and a lot of character, to not just fold with 8 minutes left.”

Victoria forces game 5 in Kelowna Friday night.

Down 4-2 heading into the third, the Royals tied it up with a pair of goals just :24 seconds apart by Jack Walker - his second of the game, and Brandon Magee’s 9th of the post season.

“We did a really good job of killing penalties tonight, we stayed with it, we dug ourselves a hole early but we believed that if we got one, we’d get another opportunity.” said Head Coach Dave Lowry,

Victoria shut down all 8 Kelowna power plays, while going 0 for 3.

“You’re playing with fire,” said Lowry on being shorthanded 8 times,

“We have to figure it out in quick order, we can’t take that many penalties and expect to win.  We got away with it tonight, it has cost us in a couple other games.”

The Rockets outshot the Royals 40-32, as Justin Paulic made 36 saves for the victory.

Jackson Whistle made 27 saves in the loss, as the Rockets suffered their first defeat of the post season, snapping a 7 game playoff win streak.

Five Royals had 2 point nights, Chase, Magee, and Austin Carroll had a goal and an assist each, Walker 2 goals and Alex Forsberg a pair of helpers.

The line of Carroll, Forsberg and Magee combined for 6 points.

The Rockets got goals from Lucas Johansen, Tyson Baillie, Rourke Chartier and Tomas Soustal.  Leon Draisaitl had one assist and two posts.

Victoria’s playoff overtime record improves to 2-1, Kelowna is also at 2-1.

 If necessary, the series will return to Victoria on Sunday for Game 6 at 7pm and Tuesday in Kelowna for a game 7.

- Marlon Martens

Individual playoff tickets, starting at $14.50, are on sale at the Select Your Tickets Box Office located at the arena or over the phone at 250-220-7777. Avoid any lines and choose the seats you want by using the “Pick Your Own” seat map, available 24/7, online at www.selectyourtickets.com.

Kelowna Rockets 4 at Victoria Royals 5 (OT) - Status: Final OT
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena - Victoria, BC

Kelowna 3 1 0 0 - 4
Victoria 1 1 2 1 - 5

1st Period-
1, Kelowna, Johansen 1 (Draisaitl, Gatenby), 15:15.
2, Kelowna, Baillie 6 (Bowey, Quinney), 17:34.
3, Victoria, Carroll 1 (Magee, Forsberg), 17:47.
4, Kelowna, Chartier 6 (Merkley, Stadel), 18:09.

Penalties-Sleptsov Vic (clipping), 6:46.

2nd Period-
5, Victoria, Walker 2   11:01.
6, Kelowna, Soustal 4 (Stephens, Southam), 18:28.

Penalties-Gagnon Vic (inter. on goaltender), 1:58; Draisaitl Kel (slashing), 4:12; Reddekopp Vic (slashing), 5:33; Chase Vic (roughing), 9:10; Draisaitl Kel (interference), 10:09; Carroll Vic (10-minute misconduct), 13:34; Hicketts Vic (cross checking), 13:34; Gagnon Vic (delay of game), 15:09.

3rd Period-
7, Victoria, Walker 3 (Chase), 10:42.
8, Victoria, Magee 9 (Reddekopp), 11:06.

Penalties-Whistle Kel (interference), 1:50; Crunk Vic (cross checking), 6:55.

OT Period-9, Victoria, Chase 7 (Forsberg, Carroll), 5:30.

Penalties-Magee Vic (inter. on goaltender), 0:14.

Shots on Goal-
Kelowna 17-11-9-3-40.
Victoria 9-8-13-2-32.

Power Play Opportunities-
Kelowna 0 / 8;
Victoria 0 / 3.

Goalies-
Kelowna, Whistle 6-0-1-0 (32 shots-27 saves).
Victoria, Paulic 1-0-1-0 (40 shots-36 saves).

A-4,909
Referees-Matt Kirk (4), Sean Raphael (28).
Linesmen-Ron Dietterle (121), Kirk Van Helvoirt (107).

RECAP: KEL 4 - VIC 2 [Game 3, Series 3-0 Rockets]

The Kelowna Rockets took a 3-0 best of seven playoff series lead Tuesday night after defeating the host Victoria Royals 4-2.

The Royals find themselves in a must win situation Wednesday night with game 4 in Victoria.

“We got away from our game in the second period,” said Head Coach Dave Lowry,

“We got out shot 17-5 that usually spending an enormous amount of time in your end, which usually is indicative that your killing penalties - and that was the case.”

The Rockets outshot the Royals 36-30, while scoring two power play goals on six chances, and adding one short-handed.

“At the end of the day you give a team with this skill 6 power plays, it’s usually the difference in the hockey game - and once again it was.” said Lowry.

Victoria was 0 for 6 on the man advantage.

Kelowna’s Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist, while four different Rockets hit the scoresheet and Tyson Baillie chipped in with a pair of assists.

Victoria trailed 2-1 after 20 minutes and 4-2 after 40.

“They’re a very good hockey team, they’re very opportunisitic.  When we make mistakes they’ve made us pay for it - and that’s what good teams do.”

Kelowna’s Jackson Whistle made 28 saves for the win, while Coleman Vollrath started for the Royals and made 24 saves on 28 shots after 2 periods, while Justin Paulic came in for the third stopping all 8 shots.

Victoria’s Alex Forsberg opened the scoring and Greg Chase pulled them even in the middle frame at 2-2, but Kelowna added two more goals in the second, and shut the door in the third.

Nick Merkley, Gage Quinney and Madison Bowey also scored for the Rockets.

Game 5 if necessary will take place on Friday in Kelowna with puck drop set for 7:05 p.m. The series will return to Victoria on Sunday for Game 6 at 7:05 p.m. (if necessary).

Individual playoff tickets, starting at $14.50, are on sale at the Select Your Tickets Box Office located at the arena or over the phone at 250-220-7777. Avoid any lines and choose the seats you want by using the “Pick Your Own” seat map, available 24/7, online at www.selectyourtickets.com.

- Marlon Martens

Kelowna Rockets 4 at Victoria Royals 2 - Status: Final
Tuesday, April 14, 2015 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena - Victoria, BC

Kelowna 2 2 0 - 4
Victoria 1 1 0 - 2

1st Period-
1, Victoria, Forsberg 3 (Magee, Carroll), 1:03.
2, Kelowna, Draisaitl 3   8:18 (SH).
3, Kelowna, Merkley 2 (Martin, Chartier), 14:10 (PP).

Penalties-Southam Kel (kneeing), 6:27; Quinney Kel (interference), 9:21; Brown Vic (hooking), 13:42; Chase Vic (inter. on goaltender), 16:38.

2nd Period-
4, Victoria, Chase 6 (Walker, Soy), 0:54.
5, Kelowna, Quinney 4 (Baillie), 9:02.
6, Kelowna, Bowey 4 (Baillie, Draisaitl), 15:16 (PP).

Penalties-Hicketts Vic (roughing), 6:47; Merkley Kel (hooking), 11:09; Magee Vic (high sticking, high sticking), 14:29; Gagnon Vic (tripping), 17:46.

3rd Period- No Scoring.

Penalties-Soustal Kel (high sticking), 3:12; Merkley Kel (charging), 17:26; Draisaitl Kel (slashing), 19:56.

Shots on Goal-
Kelowna 11-17-8-36.
Victoria 12-5-13-30.

Power Play Opportunities-
Kelowna 2 / 6;
Victoria 0 / 6.

Goalies-
Kelowna, Whistle 6-0-0-0 (30 shots-28 saves).
Victoria, Vollrath 4-3-0-0 (28 shots-24 saves); Paulic 0-0-1-0 (8 shots-8 saves).

A-5,517
Referees-Chris Crich (20), Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Ryan Gibbons (73), Bevan Mills (98).

Preview GAME 3: Kelowna at Victoria Tuesday April.14.2015

Down 2 games to 0 in the second round, the Victoria Royals are back home for Game #3 against the visiting Kelowna Rockets Tuesday night.

Pregame show at 6:40, on The Zone @ 91.3 fm www.thezone.fm/whl cjzn.streamon.fm 

Saturday in Kelowna, Rockets Tyson Baillie scored his second of the night in overtime in a 4-3 victory.

Brandon Magee scored his second of the night for the Royals to force overtime, after clawing back from a 3-0 deficit.

The Rockets led 1-0 after 20, and led 3-0 in the middle frame before Magee scored late in the second period to snap Kelowna’s home playoff shut out streak that nearly lasted 11 periods.  It was the first goal the Rockets allowed on home ice during the post season.

Victoria outshot Kelowna 41-27, but Jackson Whistle made 38 saves for the win.

“We are fortunate to be up 2-0,” said Kelowna head coach Dan Lambert.

“Victoria was the better team in Game 2. They did everything better than we did..other than we got lucky, and got one extra goal.”

Coleman Vollrath started for the Royals and made 11 saves on 14 shots before Justin Paulic came in the second to go the distance, stopping 11 of 12.

Austin Carroll had 3 assists for Victoria, while Joe Hicketts chipped in with a pair.  Alex Forsberg rounded out the scoring for the Royals.  His line with Carroll and Magee provided 6 points, and have collected a team high 23 points in the post season.

The line of Jack Walker, Tyler Soy and Greg Chase have totalled 20 points.

Leon Draisaitl also had 3 assists, while Tomas Soustal and Gage Quinney provided the other goals for the Rockets.  Draisaitl now has 5 points in the two games.

Both clubs scored a pair of power play goals, Victoria was 2 for 5, while Kelowna was 2 for 8.  The Royals are now 2 for 9, while the Rockets are 4 for 13 in the two game set.

The Royals lost forward Greg Chase with a game misconduct near the end of the first, while Rockets defenseman Josh Morrissey did not return after the first period.

Tyson Baillie was then named the Denny’s WHL Player of the Week for the week ending April 12th, 2015.

Baillie collected four points (3g-1a) in two games to help the Kelowna Rockets pick up a pair of wins in their Round 2 series against the Victoria Royals in the 2015 WHL Playoffs.

The WHL has also nominated Jackson Whistle of the Kelowna Rockets for the Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week award, while posting a 1.49 goals against average and a .951 save percentage, including one shutout in the two game set.

Rockets Joe Gatenby is the winner of the 2015 WHL Ryobi Hardest Working Player of the Year award. Gatenby went on to win the title after a league-wide fan poll.  The Royals nominee was Logan Fisher.

Victoria was 2-2 in their 4 home games against Kelowna during the regular season, winning 5-2 in February, and 4-3 in overtime in November.

The Royals were 9 over .500 at home this season, and 3-0 in the post seaosn.The Rockets won the most road games of any team in the WHL (27-5-3-1).

*Following Stats from http://reganbartel.blogspot.ca/

The Rockets have opened the scoring in five (5-0) of the six games in this year’s playoffs.

The Rockets had 30 more points than the Royals during the regular season, with 14 more wins and 16 fewer losses. The Rockets scored 61 more goals and allowed 36 fewer against. The Rockets and Royals each had five – 20 goal scorers. The Rockets had eight 15 or more scorers while the Royals had seven.

Scoring in this series:
Period     1    2     3   OT   Total
Rockets: 1    4    3     1      9
Royals:   0    1    2     0      3

Shots by Period:  1     2     3   OT   Total
Rockets:              21    24   25   1     67
Royals:                15    20   26   0     61

ROCKET STREAKS:
Tyson Baillie has a point in every playoff game. Baillie is riding a six game point streak with 5+3=8 over that period.
Gage Quinney has goals in three straight playoff games….
Nick Merkley is riding a four game point streak. Merkley has 0+5=5 over that period. Merkley has not scored in five games or since game one of the Tri City series...
Madison Bowey has points in four straight games. Bowey has 2+3=5 over that stretch….
Leon Draisaitl has has a three game point streak in this year’s playoffs. Has 6 assists in those three games but hasn’t scored in four straight games…
Rourke Chartier has two-two goal games in the playoffs…
Joe Gatenby leads the Rockets with a +8 rating in the playoffs.
Tomas Soustal has goals in three of his last four games.

Previous Meetings This Season

Victoria 3 @ Kelowna 4 (Apr 11 2015) Final OT Victoria 0 @ Kelowna 5 (Apr 10 2015) Final

How the 2 teams match up: 2015 Post Season Stats

	Kelowna	Victoria
Team Record	6-0-0-0 -- 12 points	4-3-0-0 -- 8 points
Division Ranking	1st B.C.	2nd B.C.
Conference Ranking	1st Western	4th Western
League Ranking	1st	8th
Past 10 Games	6-0-0-0	4-2-1-0
Streak	6-0-0-0	0-1-1-0
Last Game	4-3 W vs Victoria (Apr 11 2015) Final OT	4-3 L @ Kelowna (Apr 11 2015) Final OT
Home Record	4-0-0-0	3-0-0-0
Away Record	2-0-0-0	1-3-0-0
GF	28	23
GA	10	24
PP (Overall)	(7/30) 23.3%	(5/24) 20.8%
PP (Home)	(4/20) 20.0%	(1/8) 12.5%
PP (Away)	(3/10) 30.0%	(4/16) 25.0%
PK (Overall)	(3/31) 90.3%	(12/40) 70.0%
PK (Home)	(2/17) 88.2%	(7/15) 53.3%
PK (Away)	(1/14) 92.9%	(5/25) 80.0%
PP vs. Opp.	(4/9) 44.4%	(2/13) 15.4%
PK vs. Opp.	(2/13) 84.6%	(4/9) 55.6%
Leading Rookie	(0-0-0)	Nagy (1-1-2)
Most PIM	Goulbourne - 13	Magee - 12
Team PIM/GM	14.3/Game	12.9/Game
Leading Scorers	Draisaitl (2-7-9)	Magee (8-3-11)
	Baillie (5-3-8)	Chase (5-2-7)
	Merkley (1-7-8)	Forsberg (2-5-7)
	Chartier (5-2-7)	Walker (1-6-7)
	Bowey (3-4-7)	Soy (2-4-6)
Last 5 Games	4-3 W vs Victoria (Apr 11 2015) Final OT	4-3 L @ Kelowna (Apr 11 2015) Final OT
	5-0 W vs Victoria (Apr 10 2015) Final	5-0 L @ Kelowna (Apr 10 2015) Final
	5-4 W @ Tri-City (Apr 1 2015) Final OT	5-4 W vs Prince George (Apr 4 2015) Final OT
	5-3 W @ Tri-City (Mar 31 2015) Final	3-0 W @ Prince George (Apr 2 2015) Final
	3-0 W vs Tri-City (Mar 28 2015) Final	4-2 L @ Prince George (Apr 1 2015) Final
Leading After 1st	4-0-0-0	2-0-0-0
Leading After 2nd	5-0-0-0	4-0-0-0
Tied After 1st	1-0-0-0	1-1-0-0
Tied After 2nd	0-0-0-0	0-0-0-0
Trailing After 1st	1-0-0-0	1-1-1-0
Trailing After 2nd	1-0-0-0	0-2-1-0
Out Shooting Opponents	5-0-0-0	0-0-1-0
Out Shot by Opponents	1-0-0-0	3-2-0-0
1-Goal Games	2-0-0-0	2-0-1-0
2-Goal Games	1-0-0-0	1-1-0-0
3-Goal Games	1-0-0-0	1-0-0-0

Victoria Royals vs Kelowna

#	Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-
21	Austin Carroll	2	0	3	3	0	1
18	Brandon Magee	2	2	0	2	2	-3
2	Joe Hicketts	2	0	2	2	4	0
16	Alex Forsberg	2	1	0	1	2	-2
9	Jack Walker	2	0	1	1	4	0
6	Travis Brown	2	0	0	0	6	-2
15	Greg Chase	2	0	0	0	20	-2
22	Taylor Crunk	2	0	0	0	0	-1
27	Jared Dmytriw	2	0	0	0	0	0
20	Logan Fisher	2	0	0	0	0	-1
25	Brandon Fushimi	2	0	0	0	2	-2
3	Ryan Gagnon	2	0	0	0	4	-3
4	Ralph Jarratt	2	0	0	0	0	0
24	Regan Nagy	2	0	0	0	0	0
14	Jack Palmer	2	0	0	0	0	0
1	Justin Paulic	1	0	0	0	0	0
29	Chaz Reddekopp	2	0	0	0	6	-1
8	Bryton Sayers	2	0	0	0	0	-3
17	Tyler Soy	2	0	0	0	0	0
35	Coleman Vollrath	2	0	0	0	0	0

#	Player	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	MIN	GA	GAA	SV%
1	Justin Paulic	1	0	0	1	0	29:42	1	2.02	0.917
35	Coleman Vollrath	2	0	1	0	0	91:16	8	5.26	0.864

Kelowna Rockets vs Victoria

#	Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM	+/-
29	Leon Draisaitl	2	0	5	5	0	3
24	Tyson Baillie	2	3	1	4	4	3
27	Josh Morrissey	2	0	4	4	2	1
20	Gage Quinney	2	2	0	2	0	2
15	Tomas Soustal	2	2	0	2	0	1
8	Cole Martin	2	1	1	2	0	2
4	Madison Bowey	2	0	2	2	0	1
10	Nick Merkley	2	0	2	2	2	2
14	Rourke Chartier	2	1	0	1	0	1
22	Chance Braid	1	0	1	1	2	1
16	Kole Lind	1	0	1	1	0	0
6	Mitchell Wheaton	2	0	1	1	0	0
19	Dillon Dube	2	0	0	0	0	0
28	Joe Gatenby	2	0	0	0	2	1
12	Tyrell Goulbourne	2	0	0	0	6	0
7	Lucas Johansen	2	0	0	0	2	1
26	Cole Linaker	2	0	0	0	0	-1
17	Rodney Southam	2	0	0	0	0	0
3	Riley Stadel	2	0	0	0	2	2
1	Jackson Whistle	2	0	0	0	0	0

#	Player	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	MIN	GA	GAA	SV%
1	Jackson Whistle	2	2	0	0	0	120:58	3	1.49	0.951