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Victoria Royals

Royals Take Game 1 against Chiefs in Overtime

March 23, 2014 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria, BC - Saturday night, the Victoria Royals began the 2014 WHL Playoffs at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre as they hosted the Spokane Chiefs in Game 1 of their Western Conference Quarter-Finals series. The Royals gave Patrik Polivka the start in goal, while the Chiefs responded with Eric Williams.

The Royals set the physical tone early and generated scoring chances, but Williams was solid for the Chiefs early to keep the game scoreless. Ben Walker finally broke through for Victoria at the 15:26 mark of the opening frame. Axel Blomqvist's shot from the slot hit a crowd in front and bounced to the left of Williams where Walker pounced on it to give the Royals the lead. Victoria came close to taking a two-goal lead late in the first period, but Williams forced another miss and the home team took a 1-0 advantage into the first intermission.

Tempers flared early in the second period as Walker and Reid Gow dropped the gloves just under one minute in. Magee had the best chance between the two teams early, but his quick snap shot rifled off the right post behind Williams. Spokane began to press offensively and kept Polivka busy as they created quality chances on three powerplays in the frame. The buzzer sounded to end a physical second period with Victoria still ahead by a 1-0 score.

The Chiefs tied the game at the 2:22 mark of the third period when Riley Whittingham jumped on a puck in front of Polivka and jammed it through the Royals' goaltender. The game immediately tightened up defensively as the two clubs traded shots. Walker nearly potted his second of the night when he let a shot go from the slot, but Williams came across to make another glove save. Neither side could gain an upper hand in the frame and the near-capacity crowd remained in their seats after regulation time expired and overtime approached.

The Chiefs almost skated away with a win when the puck bounced behind Polivka and slid into the crease, but the Victoria defence was able to clear the puck from danger. Travis Brown struck at the 8:10 mark of overtime to send Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre into a frenzy as he gave the Royals the win. Steven Hodges threaded a cross-crease pass from the bottom of the left face-off circle to Brown who was streaking down from the point. Brown wristed a shot that got through the pads of Williams and gave Victoria a 1-0 series lead. Royals 2 Chiefs 1.

Victoria went 0/3 0.0% on the powerplay, while Spokane was 0/5 0.0%. The Royals outshot the Chiefs 33-27.

The Game 1 win marks the first time in franchise history the club has held a lead in the WHL Playoffs while the 6,615 fans at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Saturday became the city's largest ever playoff hockey crowd.

The Royals will host the Chiefs in Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarter-Finals tomorrow night at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.

Single game tickets to the Royals' 2014 WHL Playoff run versus the Spokane Chiefs are on sale now at the Select Your Tickets box office and start at just $13! Tickets are available at www.victoriaroyals.com, by phone at 250-220-7777 or in-person at the Select Your Tickets box office.

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.

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