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WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Hold on for 4-2 Victory over Giants

February 27, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria Royals right wing Matthew Hodson vs. the Vancouver Giants
Victoria Royals right wing Matthew Hodson vs. the Vancouver Giants
(Victoria Royals)

Victoria, BC - Forward Tarun Fizer recorded two goals in Saturday's win.

Victoria Royals captain Tarun Fizer scored two second period goals to lead his team to a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Giants on Saturday night.

The Chestermere, AB product has impressed since his return from injury earlier this month, recording 15 points (five goals, ten assists) in his past nine games.

Head coach Dan Price commended Fizer on the leadership he's displayed this month:

"He's always so well prepared," said Price postgame. "It starts with quality of character, he's a consummate teammate, gives you everything he can possibly give you and he cares about winning over any individual accolades. That's why he's had so much success lately."

Teammate Tanner Scott netted the other two for Victoria as they denied a third period comeback bid from Vancouver. Goaltender Tyler Palmer also put in a strong effort in net for the home side, stopping 28 out of 30 shots while holding the Giants scoreless for the first 54 minutes of the game.

Giants' defenceman Alex Cotton had a goal for his side, while forward Payton Mount recorded a goal and an assist.

Vancouver goaltender Jesper Vikman, who shut out the Royals earlier this week, made 16 of 19 saves in the defeat.

Saturday marked the last matchup of the season between the two division foes, which ends with Victoria holding a 9-3 advantage.

The Giants and Royals finished the first period in a scoreless draw for the second night in a row, but that would not last long as Victoria would strike three times to take hold of the game in the second.

The first goal came by way of forward Tanner Scott who unleashed a point shot to net his 10th of the season on the powerplay at 3:41. The aforementioned Tarun Fizer would then make it 2-0 less than a minute later, beating Giants' goalie Jesper Vikman with a backhanded break-away goal (9) at 4:19.

Finally, Fizer would net his second of the game with almost no time remaining in the frame, taking the puck end-to-end and slipping it past Vikman short-side for his tenth of the season at 19:59. The Royals would enter the third holding a 3-0 lead.

The shutout would last until the 14:26 mark of the third when Vancouver defenceman Alex Cotton cut the lead to two with his 12th of the campaign. Forward Payton Mount would further the comeback bid less than two minutes later with his eighth of the year at 16:19.

A nervous hush came over the 3,900 strong crowd at the Save-On-Foods Centre as the game entered its final moments. However, an empty-net goal by forward Tanner Scott (11) at 19:14 would put the nail in the coffin and Victoria would escape with a 4-2 victory.

The win improves the Royals' record to 15-31-4-1 on the season as they keep pace with the Tri-City Americans and Spokane Chiefs in the battle for the Western Conference's final playoff spot.

Meanwhile, the loss brings the Giants record to 20-26-2-0 as they remain a single point ahead of the Prince George Cougars for sixth place overall.

Both teams will have the next six days off before returning to the ice on Friday, Mar. 4.

The Giants will head to Kamloops for a matchup against the division-leading Blazers, while the Royals will make a similar trip up to the Interior, stopping in Kelowna for a tilt with the fifth-place Rockets.

Puck drop for that game is scheduled for 7:05pm at Prospera Place in Kelowna.

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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Images from this story

Victoria Royals right wing Matthew Hodson vs. the Vancouver Giants
Victoria Royals right wing Matthew Hodson vs. the Vancouver Giants
   



Western Hockey League Stories from February 27, 2022


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