Sports stats



WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Return Home for Midweek Set against Winterhawks

March 7, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria, BC - The Victoria Royals will welcome the Portland Winterhawks to the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre this week for a two-game series beginning Tuesday night.

Both games will be dedicated to "Industry Night" and will feature $10 tickets in certain sections along with $5 draught beers all night.

The Royals come into the week sitting three points behind Spokane for the eighth and final playoff spot with a 15-32-5-1 record and 36 total points on the season.

Victoria will look to get back in the win column against the red-hot Winterhawks, who come into the week having won five straight and eight of their last ten games. They currently sit third in the Western Conference and second in the US Division with a 36-13-3-2 record and 77 total points on the season.

The two teams have only met a single time this season, with the Royals earning a 5-4 win in Portland back on Dec.12.

Portland is a team that does most of its scoring by committee, having three players-Cross Hanas, Tyson Kosack, James Stefan-who have recorded over 60 points this year. Hanas leads that group with 20 goals, 45 assists for 65 total points. Stefan is not far behind, leading the team with 30 goals while adding 33 assists for 63 points on the season.

The Winterhawks also benefit from the rock-steady goaltending of Taylor Gauthier, who leads all WHL goaltenders with a .934 save percentage (SV%) and ranks second with a 2.16 goals against average (GAA). The Calgary, AB product was acquired by Portland from Prince George in late December and has been one of their most valuable pieces since, posting a 14-1-0-0 record with the team. The five-year veteran comes into Tuesday having won three straight, improving his overall record to a 21-6-3-0 on the year.

The Royals will hope for strong performances from their own goaltenders who have provided a bright spot for the team of late. Fernie, BC product Tyler Palmer has been the better of the Victoria starters this past month, holding teams to two goals or less in four straight and stopping 41 of 43 shots in his most recent start against Kamloops on Saturday.

The 18-year-old leads all WHL rookie net-minders with a .907 SV% and has posted a 10-17-2-0 record with two shutouts on the year. His 3.09 GAA is inflated by the fact that he has faced the fifth most shots of any goalie in the league (1,165), despite ranking 16th in the league in minutes played (1,801).

The team will also need a big game from Palmer's partner-between-the-posts-Nanaimo, BC native Campbell Arnold-if they are to earn some points this week. The 20-year-old has recorded a .894 SV%, 3.46 GAA and a 6-14-3-1 record in 2021-2022.

The Royals will also look for a bounceback performance from leading scorer Bailey Peach, who was held off the scoresheet on Saturday after a three-point performance against Kelowna the previous night. The Falmounth, NS product has registered 29 goals, 37 assists and 66 points on the season.

The two-game set will get underway Tuesday, Mar. 8, wrapping up Wednesday, Mar. 9. Puck drop for both games is set for 7:05pm at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in downtown Victoria.

Tuesday's game will emphasize on messaging from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and will be presented by RE/MAX.

"We're proud to partner with the Victoria Royals and RE/MAX. This has been an important relationship to CMHA and we appreciate the key messages that the Royals and RE/MAX are helping to promote around the importance of seeking help and support when you need it," says Jocelyn de Montmorency, Program Manager, CMHA BC Division - Victoria office. "Members of the Royals play leadership roles within the Victoria community and the players, in particular, are seen as excellent role models who can positively influence their young fans and families."

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.

Check out the Victoria Royals Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from March 7, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central