WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Cross Border for Contests against Winterhawks, Thunderbirds

Published on December 1, 2022 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria Royals right wing Jake Poole
Victoria Royals right wing Jake Poole
(Victoria Royals)

Victoria, B.C. - The Victoria Royals will cross the US border for just the second time this season as they visit the Portland Winterhawks and the Seattle Thunderbirds for a pair of road games this weekend.

The Royals will begin their road trip with a matchup against the Winterhawks this Friday night.

Victoria and Portland have met twice this season, with the Winterhawks taking both, winning 5-1 and 7-4 during a weekend doubleheader back on Nov. 11 and 12.

Meanwhile it will be the first meeting of the season between the Royals and Thunderbirds, who will face-off Saturday night in Kent, WA. The two sides met each other three times last season, with Seattle winning two of three.

Royals Head Coach Dan Price emphasized the importance of controlling possession against the highly skilled lineups of Portland and Seattle:

"[We must] make sure we manage the puck extremely well," said Price. "Limiting the turnovers, and really making sure we are around the net. Intense, but relaxed around the net so we can finish our chances. If we do that - start converting some more of the quality chances we're getting - if we have a higher percentage in that way, we're going to get some wins."

Forward Alex Thacker has been one of the Royals' most valuable players over the past few weeks, tallying six points (two goals four assists) over his last three contests, which included a three assist night in a loss to the Regina Pats last Saturday.

The 20-year-old is one of several new additions to the team, having been acquired by Victoria in a trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes earlier this month.

Another new addition to the squad is goaltender Nicholas Cristiano, who made his first appearance in a Royals uniform against the Moose Jaw Warriors on Tuesday after joining the team via trade from the Kelowna Rockets. The Langley, BC product made 34 saves on 42 shots in his debut for the club.

Cristiano is expected to make his second appearance for Victoria as they take on the first-place Winterhawks on Friday.

Portland (17-3-1-1) has built an impressive resume to start the 2022-2023 season, leading both the US Division and Western Conference and ranking inside the top five of all CHL teams in the latest poll released Tuesday.

They are led on offence by the skilled forward pairing of Robbie Fromm-Delorme and Gabe Klassen, who rank first and second on the team in scoring, respectively.

Fromm-Delorme has been the statistically better of the two this year, tallying 31 total points on 11 goals and 20 assists over 21 games, while Klassen has collected 22 points on 15 goals and 15 goals and seven assists in 18 appearances.

The Winterhawks also benefit from a string pairing between the posts. 20-year-old netminder Dante Giannuzzi has made the majority of starts for the team this season, amassing a 11-2-1-0 over 14 appearances.

18-year-old backup Jan Špunar has found similar success, with a record of 6-1-0-1 over nine games played.

Victoria's Saturday night opponent, the Seattle Thunderbirds, presents an equally difficult challenge. The T-Birds sit only one spot behind the Winterhawks in the league standings and sit two spots ahead of them in the current CHL rankings, holding the number three spot.

Off-season acquisition Kyle Crnkovic has been one of the top performers for the club, collecting 25 total points (10 goals, 15 assists), 17 which have come during his ongoing 11 game point streak which he will look to extend this weekend.

Similar to Portland, Seattle boasts one of the best goaltending duos in the WHL with Thomas Milic and Scott Ratzlaff. The 19-year-old Milic has made 12 appearances this season, earning a record of 9-2-1-0, while the 17-year-old Ratzlaff has posted a 6-2-0-0 record over eight contests.

The Royals first game of the weekend will get underway at 7:05 pm at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR on Friday, Dec. 2, while game two of the road trip will begin at 6:05 pm at accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, WA the following night, Saturday, Dec. 3.

Impact players to watch:

Victoria:

#34 Jake Poole (F) - 22 GP, 23 PTS (13 G, 10 A)

#29 Teague Patton (F) - 24 GP, 16 PTS (5 G, 11 A)

#28 Riley Gannon (F) - 24 GP, 13 PTS (6 G, 7 A)

Portland:

#92 Jack O'Brian (F) - 21 GP, 21 PTS (5 G, 16 A)

#73 Luca Cagnoni (D) - 22 GP, 20 PTS (8 G, 12 A)

Seattle:

#29 Jared Davidson (F) - 16 GP, 27 PTS (11 G, 16 A)

#14 Kevin Korchinski (D) - 18 GP, 24 PTS (3 G, 21 A)

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.

Get Your Ticket Packs Now

Multiple ticket packages are available for purchase, including a Family Pack, Holiday Pack, VictoriaNow Family Section, Vizzy Section and Molson Ice Seats. Call our ticket office at 250-220-7889, send an email to tickets@victoriaroyals.com or visit our website to learn more victoriaroyals.com/ticket-promos.

About the Victoria Royals

The Victoria Royals are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) owned and operated by GSL Group. The Royals play all their home games at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre and have entered their 12th season of their existence.

Check out the Victoria Royals Statistics

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Victoria Royals right wing Jake Poole
Victoria Royals right wing Jake Poole
   



Western Hockey League Stories from December 1, 2022


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