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WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Make It Five Straight with 4-2 Victory over Cougars

March 26, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria Royals defenceman Gannon Laroque
Victoria Royals defenceman Gannon Laroque
(Victoria Royals)

Victoria, BC - Victoria Royals forward Riley Gannon would net the eventual game-winner early in the third on the way to his team's 4-2 victory over the visiting Prince George Cougars.

The win extends the Royals win streak to five games and vaults them into a tie with the Vancouver Giants for sixth place in the Western Conference.

Head coach Dan Price was impressed with the way his team rose to the occasion during a tense final minute of play:

"[Prince George] really pushed," said Price postgame. "They had a lot of shot volume, a lot of bodies getting to the net during the late powerplay with their goalie out...that was a big time siege and took everything we had."

Another Royals who enjoyed a quality night was Forward Tanner Scott who counted a pair of assists and extended his point streak to three games. The Sherwood Park, AB product has been a key part to his team's success this past week, registering 10 points (one goal, nine assists) over the last five contests.

He credited his linemates as being a large part of his recent success:

"I'm feeling good out there," said Scott postgame. "I'm playing with really good people in [Brayden] Schuurman and [Marcus] Almquist...I love playing with both of them and we're finding some chemistry, which is nice."

Coach Price added that Scott's recent success starts with his effort on the defensive end:

"He's always on the right side of the puck," said Price. "He jumps to holes with his speed, goes to the net...he's a very complete player, a great teammate and cares a lot about winning."

The ever-steady Tyler Palmer had yet another memorable performance in net for Victoria, stopping 31 of 33 shots against and holding Prince George scoreless for the first 40 minutes of play.

Forward Riley Heidt was the top performer for the Cougars, scoring both his team's goals in the loss, bringing his season total up to 28.

Tyler Brennan also had a solid night in net for Prince George, making 20 of 23 saves.

Fans would have to wait until the 14:35 mark of the second period to see a goal on Friday after the first and the majority of the second passed scoreless.

Victoria defenceman Gannon Laroque would break the deadlock with his ninth of the season, with forwards Bailey Peach and Tarun Fizer counting the assists.

The floodgates would open in the third beginning with a Marcus Almquist goal (4) at the 0:26 mark of the third to make it 2-0 for the Royals. Shortly after, a Riley Heidt marker at (26) 0:49 would get the Cougars back in the game, cutting the Victoria lead to to one.

Riley Gannon would score the third goal in less than two minutes at 2:19 of the frame to put his team back up by two, where it would stay heading into the back half of the third.

A double minor taken by Bailey Peach would put the Royals up against the wall in the final minutes of play. Prince George's Riley Heidt (28) would net his second of the game on the ensuing man advantage at 18:47 to bring his team back within one late.

However, Victoria was able to stymie the Cougars attack for the remainder of the game and walk away with the 4-2 victory after defenceman Wyatt Wilson added an empty-netter (3) at the 19:48 mark.

The victory improves the Royals' record to 22-34-5-1 (50 points) as they continue to climb the Western Conference standings with six games remaining on their schedule.

Meanwhile, the Cougars continue their recent slide, having dropped nine of their last ten contests and three straight to Victoria. Their record stands at 20-35-2-1 as they remain tied with Spokane for the last playoff spot with 43 points.

The teams will complete a back-to-back tomorrow night in Victoria and the Royals will celebrate Fan Appreciate Night brought to you by Charlsey Macgregor from Sutton West Coast Realty with the puck drop scheduled for 7:05pm.

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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Images from this story

Victoria Royals defenceman Gannon Laroque
Victoria Royals defenceman Gannon Laroque
   



Western Hockey League Stories from March 26, 2022


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