WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Fall to Chiefs

Published on March 1, 2012 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria, BC - In a Wednesday night match-up at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, the Victoria Royals squared off against the Spokane Chiefs in the second game of a doubleheader. Jared Rathjen got the start in net for Victoria while Spokane went with Mac Engel.

The game began with a defensive tone as the first period was filled with numerous hits and solid play from both goaltenders. The Royals' best chance came when Ben Walker tried to beat Engel with a one-timer from the slot, but was denied as the Chiefs' goaltender found the puck before it trickled in. Rathjen also turned away all shots he faced including two quick saves in the final seconds of play as he shut the door on Spokane's attack. The game remained scoreless heading into the first intermission.

The Chiefs' opened the scoring at 6:32 of the second frame on a marker from Blake Gal. Rathjen stopped the initial shot, but Gal banged home a rebound off the right post to give Spokane a 1-0 lead. The Chiefs added another goal at 15:15 from Liam Stewart as he was able to shovel a loose puck into the Victoria net. Spokane extended their lead to three a minute later on a tally from Brenden Kitchton. The Chiefs' forward picked up a pass from Gal in the high slot and wired a shot past Rathjen's blocker to give Spokane a 3-0 lead heading into the final period.

Spokane continued the scoring in the third period as they add two more markers before the halfway mark on goals from Stewart and Mike Aviani. The Royals finally found a solution to the Chiefs' netminder as they recorded their first of the game at 12:52. Steven Hodges put Victoria on the board when he wristed a shot from the top of the faceoff circle that beat Engel glove side. Spokane tallied one more goal before the final buzzer from Dominik Uher to round out the scoring. Chiefs 6 Royals 1.

Victoria went 0/4 0.0% on the power play, while Spokane was 0/3 0.00%. The Chiefs outshot the Royals 36-25.

The Royals are back in action this weekend as they play host to the Vancouver Giants for a pair of games. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, March 3rd and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday, March 4th. For further details or to purchase your tickets today, visit the Victoria Royals Ticket Office, www.victoriaroyals.com, or call 250-220-7889.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 1, 2012


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