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WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Continue Road Trip with Battle against Rockets

October 4, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria Royals right wing Marcus Almquist
Victoria Royals right wing Marcus Almquist
(Victoria Royals)

Victoria, B.C. - The Victoria Royals will remain on the road this week as they ride to the Okanagan for a midweek matchup with the Kelowna Rockets on Wednesday night.

It has been a tough road trip for the team thus far, suffering a pair of losses to the Vancouver Giants and Everett Silvertips over the weekend which moved their overall record to 0-4-0-0 on the season.

Injuries have played a large part in Victoria's slow start this year, with six players ruled out of Sunday's game in Everett, including the team's two top returning scorers - Gannon Laroque and Brayden Schuurman - who have yet to appear this season while recovering from injury.

In addition to Laroque and Schuurman, forwards Marcus Almquist, Matthew Hodson, Caleb Willms and defenceman Luke Shipley's status remains unclear for Wednesday's game in Kelowna.

The Royals will look to turn things around against a solid Kelowna squad that has posted a record of 1-1-1-0 over their first three contests of the season.

On Tuesday, the Royals acquired 2002-born forward Jake Poole from the Kelowna Rockets in exchange for an eighth round pick in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft. Poole is expected to be in the lineup for the Royals to face his former team.

The Rockets boast one of the top offences in the division, led by 2023 NHL Draft first round hopeful Andrew Cristall, who was named WHL Player of the Week after a four-point performance against the Prince George Cougars over the weekend.

Forwards Gabriel Szturc and Adam Kydd provide an excellent supporting cast for Cristall, each having recorded seven points on three goals and four assists over the first three contests this season.

With top goaltender Talyn Boyko still away at NHL camp, the Rockets goaltending duties will fall to one of Jari Kykkanen or Nicholas Christiano. Kykkanen is the most likely option on Wednesday, having started all three games to this point with Cristiano's only appearance coming in relief in a loss to Prince George.

Tyler Palmer has been the main man between the pipes for Victoria this year, making three of four starts to this point.

The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 pm on Wednesday, October 5 at Prospera Place in Kelowna.

Impact players to watch:

Victoria:

F Carter Dereniwsky - 4 GP, 4 PTS (1G, 3A)

F Reggie Newman - 4 GP, 2 PTS (2 G)

D Kalem Parker - 4 GP, 1 PTS (1A), 12 Shots.

Kelowna:

D Elias Carmichael - 3 GP, 5 PTS (5A)

F Andrew Cristall - 3 GP, 7 PTS (3G, 4A)

The next set of home games for the Royals will take place on October 11 and 12 against the Kelowna Rockets for Industry Night brought to you by Granville Island Brewing and will feature $5 beers all night. Tickets are available at selectyourtickets.com.

Follow the Royals on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, TikTok and visit victoriaroyals.com to find out more about ticket sales and to learn the latest news about the team.

Season Tickets Are On Sale Now

Season Ticket packages for the 2022-2023 season are on sale now. Benefits include access to our flexible "Never Wasted Ticket" exchange policy, first opportunity on giveaway items, choice of best seats, and much more! Call our ticket office at 250-220-7889 or send an email to tickets@victoriaroyals.com for more info or to set up an appointment to view availability.

Check out the Victoria Royals Statistics




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Victoria Royals right wing Marcus Almquist
Victoria Royals right wing Marcus Almquist
   



Western Hockey League Stories from October 4, 2022


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