WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Look to Improve Playoff Chances in Midweek Series against Rockets

Published on March 21, 2022 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria, BC - Victoria will host Kelowna for a two-game set beginning Tuesday night.

The Victoria Royals have made a convincing push for the playoffs over the past few weeks, winning four of their last six games and vaulting themselves back into the playoff picture with only nine games remaining in their schedule.

The team comes into the week holding onto seventh place in the Western Conference with a 19-34-5-1 record (44 points) following a pair of wins over the Prince George Cougars over the weekend.

Head coach Dan Price hopes his team can carry that momentum into an important two-game set against Kelowna this week:

"We're really looking forward to these two games," said Price following Saturday's win. "This will probably be our biggest test of the year...Right now we're focused on the process of playing good hockey and having good habits."

Forward Tarun Fizer had been a large part of Victoria's recent success, posting 13 points (four goals, nine assists) over a six-game scoring streak.

Bailey Peach is another Royal to watch this week after registering a hat trick in Saturday's win. He has enjoyed a fair bit of success in 10 games against the Rockets this year, recording 17 points on seven goals and ten assists.

The return of defenceman Gannon Laroque has been another boon for the Victoria line up over the past few games, registering three assists since returning from injury last Friday. The Edmonton, AB native has put up two goals and 12 assists for 14 total points in 10 games against Kelowna this season.

On the other end of the ice, goaltender Tyler Palmer will hope for a repeat performance after a 35-save shut out performance over the weekend. The rookie net-minder has held opponents to three goals or less in nine of his last ten starts, posting a 2.58 goals against average (GAA) and a .977 save percentage (SV%) over that span.

Despite their recent success, the Royals have had a difficult time against Kelowna this year, posting only a single win in ten contests. However, there might be some hope for Victoria this time, as the Rockets come into the weekend having lost four straight games with a 4-4-0-2 record over their last ten contests.

Kelowna currently sits fifth in the conference with a 34-16-1-5 record and 74 points on the season, having already clinched a postseason berth.

They are led on offence by Czech-born forward Pavel Novak, who has recorded 24 goals and 35 assists for 59 points on the year, registering 19 (10 goals, nine assists) of those points in 10 games against Victoria.

Forward Jake Poole is another Rocket who has enjoyed success in his nine games against the Royals this season, counting six goals and nine assists for 15 points, which accounts for over half his 28 total points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 2021-2022.

Teammate Andrew Cristall has also played well of late, scoring seven goals and eight assists for 15 total points over his previous 10 contests.

In net for Kelowna will be the ever-steady Talyn Boyko, who has won all six starts against Victoria this season, while totalling a 3.06 GAA and a .906 SV% over 47 appearances in 2021-2022.

The first game of the week will get underway on Tuesday, Mar. 22nd with the rematch taking place the following night, Wednesday Mar. 23rd. Puck drop for both games is set for 7:05pm at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in downtown Victoria.

Both games are dedicated "Industry Nights" and the Royals are offering $10 tickets in sections 105-106 and 112-114 for all Tuesday and Wednesday games for the rest of the season.

For tickets to upcoming Royals home 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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Western Hockey League Stories from March 21, 2022


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