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WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Return to Action with Pair of Road Contests against Rival Giants

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


Victoria Royals defenceman Nate Misskey
Victoria Royals defenceman Nate Misskey
(Victoria Royals)

Victoria, B.C. - The Victoria Royals will return from the holiday break this week with two road games against the Vancouver Giants, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday night at the Langley Events Centre.

Victoria (7-23-3-0) has enjoyed a successful month of December to this point, winning four of their last six games which included a two game series sweep over the Tri-City Americans prior to the holidays.

The play of defenceman Kalem Parker has been key to the club's recent turnaround. The Clavet, SK product has been one of the club's most consistent scorers, recording six points (one goal, five assists) over his last five games and topping all Royals skaters with 16 assists on the season.

Apart from his offensive output, Parker remains the main anchor on the Victoria blueline, logging more ice-time than nearly any Royals skater and regularly appearing on both the powerplay and penalty kill for the team throughout the season.

Nicholas Cristiano is expected to start in goal for Victoria tonight, looking for a third straight win. The Langley, BC product has provided a steady presence in net since being acquired by the Royals in a trade earlier this year, earning a 4-6-0-0 record in 10 appearances. He will look to add to that success as he makes his return to his hometown this week.

Fellow goaltender Braden Holt - who was acquired by Victoria in a trade with Everett this morning - is expected to join the team in Vancouver today.

Vancouver (12-15-4-2) has won all three matchups against Victoria this season, posting a 5-3 victory in their most recent meeting in Victoria back on Dec. 14.

However, the Giants are set to be without two of their top three scorers this week as forwards Samuel Honzek (Slovakia) and Zack Ostapchuk (Canada) are currently away representing their respective countries at the World Juniors in Halifax, NS.

20-year-old forward Ty Thorpe will look to step up in the absence of Honzek and Ostapchuk. He currently ranks second on the team in scoring with 38 points (18 goals, 20 assists) in 32 games this season.

The ever-steady Jesper Vikman is expected to play the majority of minutes in net for the Giants this week, looking to maintain his undefeated record against the Royals. The Vegas Golden Knights prospect has posted a record of 10-10-0-1 with a 3.27 GAA and a .905 SV% in 23 games this season.

The first game of the week is set to get underway at 7 pm on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at the Langley Events Centre, with game two beginning at the same time and place the following night, Wednesday, Dec. 28.

Players to watch:

Victoria:

#34 Jake Poole (F) - 31 GP, 31 PTS (17 G, 14 A)

#29 Teague Patton (F) - 33 GP, 22 PTS (8 G, 14 A)

#22 Alex Thacker (F) - 29 GP, 19 PTS (5 G, 14 A)

Vancouver:

#15 Jaden Lipinski (F) - 33 GP, 27 PTS (12 G, 15 A)

#47 Mazden Leslie (D) - 33 GP, 28 PTS (6 G, 22 A)

The Royals make their return to the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on December 30th when they take on the Giants for a third straight game on Trades Night, presented by Milestone Equipment Contracting. You can get tickets.

Follow the Royals on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, TikTok and visit victoriaroyals.com to find out more about ticket sales and to learn the latest news about the team.

Get Your Ticket Packs Now

Multiple ticket packages are available for purchase, including a Family Pack, Holiday Pack, VictoriaNow Family Section, Vizzy Section and Molson Ice Seats. Call our ticket office at 250-220-7889, send an email to tickets@victoriaroyals.comor visit our website to learn more victoriaroyals.com/ticket-promos.

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Victoria Royals defenceman Nate Misskey
Victoria Royals defenceman Nate Misskey
   

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