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WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Ride to Okanagan for Pivotal Match against Rockets

March 31, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria, BC - The Victoria Royals will be back on the road this weekend after finishing a five game home stand to end the month of March.

The team has found their footing of late, posting a 7-3-0-0 record over their last ten contests, allowing them to climb into a tie for the sixth spot in the West with five games remaining on the schedule.

Victoria's record currently stands at 22-35-5-1 with 50 total points on the year.

They will look to solidify their spot in the postseason with a win against the fifth place Kelowna Rockets this Saturday night.

The Rockets have experienced a slight decline in play over the past couple of weeks, registering just three wins over their last ten games, which included back-to-back defeats at the hands of the Royals on Mar. 22 and 23.

Overall, the Rockets have posted a 35-19-1-5 record with 76 points on the year, having already booked their ticket to the 2022 playoffs.

The Royals will enter the contest looking for their first road win against the Rockets this year.

That challenge will prove a little more difficult as the Victoria lineup was dealt a major blow this week when it was announced that team captain Tarun Fizer had been handed a three game suspension for a knee-on-knee hit in the final minutes of last Saturday's game against the Prince George Cougars. The Chestermere, AB product has been the cornerstone of his team's recent turnaround, posting 18 points on five goals and 13 assists during the month of March.

The team will lean on forwards Bailey Peach and Brayden Schuurman to shoulder the load in Fizer's absence. Both have registered 18 points in 12 games against Kelowna this season, with Peach recording eight goals and 10 assists, and Schuurman 10 goals and eight assists.

Secondary scoring is another key to the Royals' success this weekend. Forward Tanner Scott has been one of the most valuable players in providing offensive depth for the club of late, counting 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in his last six contests, which included a four-point performance against the Rockets last Wednesday.

Another one to watch for Victoria this weekend is goaltender Tyler Palmer, who is currently riding a four game win streak, holding opponents to two goals or less over that span. The Fernie, BC product leads all WHL rookie goaltenders with a .910 save percentage (SV%), while recording a 3.46 goals against average (GAA) and a 16-19-3-0 record over 40 appearances in 2021-2022.

The Rockets will look to top scorer Pavel Novak as the primary option in attempting to beat Palmer. The Czech-born forward has registered 63 points (25 goals, 38 assists) this season, counting 10 goals and nine assists in 12 games against the Royals. He will look to follow up on a four-point performance recorded against Kamloops over the weekend.

Another Kelowna forward looking for a repeat performance is Fort Saskatchewan, AB native Colton Dach, who had a hat trick and an assist on Saturday against the Blazers. He ranks second on the team with 59 points (24 goals, 35 assists) on the season.

The expected starter between the pipes for Kelowna will be Drumheller, AB's Talyn Boyko, who has won six of his seven starts against Victoria this year. He remains one of the league's hardest working net-minders, ranking second in the WHL with 2,924 minutes played while posting a 25-18-1-0, a 3.12 GAA and a .907 SV% over 50 appearances.

With only a handful of games remaining in both team's schedules, and important playoff implications on the line, Saturday's contest is set up to be a dramatic and heated battle between these two BC Division foes.

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

The Royals next set of home games will be Apr. 15 and 16 against the Spokane Chiefs. Friday's contest will be a Superhero Salute where the Royals will recognize local heroes and frontline workers.

The game on the 16th will be an opportunity for fans to celebrate Marty's Belated Birthday and Senior Night where we honour our 20-year-old players.

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.

About the Victoria Royals

The Victoria Royals are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) owned and operated by GSL Group. The Royals play all their home games at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre and have entered their 11th season of their existence.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 31, 2022


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