WHL Victoria Royals

Palmer Makes 35 Saves in 3-0 Shutout Win over Giants

Published on February 21, 2022 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Langley, BC - Victoria defeats Vancouver in Family Day tilt.

Victoria Royals goaltender Tyler Palmer saved all 35 shots against on the way to his second shutout of the season and a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Giants on Monday.

The Fernie, BC native has recorded both his shutouts against the Giants this season, the first coming in a 50 save effort back on Dec. 29.

The Royals were also celebrating forward Keanu Derungs' 100th career WHL game, all of which have been spent in a Victoria uniform. The Kloten, Switzerland product had two assists in Monday's win.

The team also benefited from strong performances by forwards Caleb Willms-who logged his first goal of the season and earned an assist-and Riley Gannon who also registered a goal and an assist.

Monday also saw team captain Tarun Fizer extend his point streak to five games with an assist on a Bailey Peach goal. He has registered 13 points since returning from injury on Feb. 5.

The Royals would open up a three goal lead at the start of the middle frame after a scoreless first. Bailey Peach (28) would strike first on a 4-on-3 powerplay opportunity with his 28th of the season coming at 6:36 of the period. That was followed in quick succession by forward Caleb Willms' first goal of the season at 9:29, then by a Riley Gannon marker (14) at 10:33, making it 3-0 in a span of less than five minutes.

Victoria would carry that lead into the third, where they would continue to suffocate the Giants' attack. Vancouver forward Ty Halaburda nearly broke the shut out around the ten-minute mark but was turned aside with a highlight reel save by Palmer, who registered 15 saves in the final frame.

The Giants would generate a number of opportunities with an empty net in the final minutes, but the Victoria defence would stand strong on the way to securing the 3-0 victory.

Vancouver goalie Jesper Vikman played well for his side, turning away 24 of 27 shots in the loss.

The win brings the Royals record to 14-30-4-1 on the year and vaults them into a tie with the Tri-City Americans for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Meanwhile, the Giants' record moves to 19-25-2-0, putting them one point behind division rival Prince George for sixth place in the conference.

Victoria and Vancouver will play again this coming Friday, Feb. 25 at the Langley Events Centre, where puck drop is set for 7:30 pm.

The next Victoria Royals home game will be on Saturday, February 26 at 7:05 pm, against the Vancouver Giants. The game will have a "Hockey For All" theme presented by Charlsey Macgregor and will highlight diversity and inclusivity.

For tickets to upcoming Royals games, visit the Victoria Royals ticketing page or call the Select Your Ticket box office at 250-220-7777. Visit the Royals promo page for all special ticket offers.

Follow the Royals on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok and visit our website to find out more about ticket sales and the latest news on the team. To get all your Royals news in one place, download the new Royals app available on both Apple and Google stores.

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Western Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2022


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