Royals Shutout Cougars
December 1, 2012 - Western Hockey League (WHL) - Victoria Royals News Release
Victoria, BC - In a Friday night match-up at the CN Centre, the Victoria Royals squared off against the Prince George Cougars for the first meeting of the two game weekend set. The Royals started Patrik Polivka between the pipes, while the Cougars gave the nod to Mac Engel.
Victoria opened the scoring 1:04 into the first period on a goal from Austin Carroll. Alex Gogolev extended his point streak to 11 games when he gained the zone on a two-on-one and feathered a pass to Carroll on the left-wing. Carroll then fired a shot past Engel's glove to pick up his third of the season. The marker held up as the lone goal of the period and gave Victoria a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.
The Royals added a powerplay tally at 11:53 on Jamie Crooks' 50th goal in a Victoria sweater. Logan Nelson and Alex Gogolev fed passes back and forth on the blueline before Gogolev connected with Crooks in the low right slot. The 20-year-old forward beat Engel between the legs to give the Royals a 2-0 lead heading into the third period.
The final frame remained scoreless as neither team could find the back of the net. Prince George made a late charge after they pulled their goalie for an extra attacker and were awarded with powerplay to end the game. The Royals' penalty kill unit went to work as they shut down the Cougars and Patrik Polivka earned his second shutout of the season. Royals 2 Cougars 0.
Victoria went 1/5 20.0% on the power play, while Prince George was 0/4 00.0%. The Cougars outshot the Royals 30-28.
The Royals will face-off against the Cougars again tomorrow night in the second game of the set. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at the CN Centre. Victoria will then return home to Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Wednesday, December 5th to face B.C. Division rivals, the Vancouver Giants. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. Guarantee yourself the best seats by visiting www.victoriaroyals.com, calling 250-220-7889, or emailing vrtickets@victoriaroyals.com before it's too late!
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