WHL Victoria Royals

Rockets Complete Late Comeback, Down Royals 5-4 in Overtime

Published on March 5, 2022 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Kelowna, BC - Kelowna Rockets forward Gabriel Szturc scored 1:29 into overtime to defeat the Victoria Royals 5-4 on Friday night. The Czech-born forward also recorded an assist in the contest to cap a two-point performance.

The Rockets found themselves trailing by two goals with ten minutes remaining in regulation, but a pair of goals by defenceman Max Graham and Tyson Feist would see Kelowna tie it late, while Szturc's winner would later complete the comeback.

Forward Mark Liwiski also had a strong game for the Rockets, registering a goal and an assist of his own.

Bailey Peach led the way for the Royals on Saturday, scoring once and adding a pair of assists to complete a three-point night. He leads the team with 66 points on the season.

Defenceman Gannon Laroque (one goal, one assist) and forward Tarun Fizer (two assists) also had productive performances in the loss.

The Rockets would open the scoring on Friday night, jumping out to a 1-0 lead at 6:41 of the first on forward Pavel Novak's 23rd goal of the year.

However, the remainder of the period would belong to Victoria, who used a powerplay goal by defenceman Gannon Laroque (6) at 10:01 to tie the game at 1-1 midway through the frame. The Royals would then take the lead on a Tanner Scott goal (12) at 16:15 to make it 2-1, where it would stand heading into the second.

The Royals would add on in the middle frame, opening up a two-goal advantage on a powerplay goal by Peach (29) at 9:32. The Falmouth, NS product has recorded 10 goals on the man advantage this season.

Kelowna forward Mark Liwiski (18) would get one back for his team at 13:38 of the frame, leaving the Royals with a slim 3-2 lead going into the final frame.

Victoria's Wyatt Wilson would extend the lead to 4-2 to start the third, scoring his second of the year at 7:23 of the period.

However, the ice would tilt back into the Rockets favour in the second half of the frame, scoring back-to-back goals by defencemen Max Graham (9) at 10:50 and Tyson Feist (13) at 13:46 to tie the game at 4-4 and force overtime.

Kelowna forward Gabriel Szturc would play the hero in the extra frame, pulling the puck to his backhand to beat Victoria goaltender Campbell Arnold at 1:29 and hand his team the 5-4 comeback victory.

Rockets goaltender Talyn Boyko stopped 24 of 28 shots faced on the way to his 22nd win of the year, while Victoria's Campbell Arnold saved 45 of 50 in the defeat.

The loss brings the Royals record to 15-31-5-1 on the year as they pick up a point to bring their season total to 36. They sit only one behind the Spokane Chiefs for the eighth and final playoff spot after they recorded a win over the Prince George Cougars.

Meanwhile, Kelowna improves their standing to 32-14-1-3 with 68 points on the season as they tighten their grip on fourth place in the conference.

Both teams will be in action tomorrow night, with the Rockets playing host to the Vancouver Giants and the Royals heading north to Kamloops to take on the division-leading Blazers. Puck drop for that game is set for 7:05pm at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops.

The Royals will then return to Victoria to play their next set of home games on March 8 and 9 against the Portland Winterhawks.

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.

Check out the Victoria Royals Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Western Hockey League Stories from March 5, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central