WHL Tri-City Americans

Royals Thwart Americans' Third-Period Rally; Win 5-4

Published on October 26, 2011 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


KENNEWICK, WA - In a rare sight on home ice, the Americans fell behind early and never fully recovered.

Robin Soudek and Kevin Sundher each had a goal and an assist while Keith Hamilton stopped 41 of 45 shots to help guide the visiting Victoria Royals (8-6-0-0, 16 pts) to a 5-4 win over the Tri-City Americans (10-5-0-0, 20 pts) in front of 3,327 fans at the Toyota Center. With the win, the Royals took the inaugural meeting with Tri-City, earning their second straight win in the process. Meanwhile, Tri-City lost just their second game on home ice this season, both of which were 1-goal affairs.

It was an up-and-down night for the hometown faithful, as they watched their Americans struggle to get things going in the first period. Meanwhile, despite a 15-to-7 shot disadvantage, it was the Royals that capitalized early to take a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Less than four minutes into the contest, Tri-City took two penalties 50 seconds apart, setting up a 1:10 5-on-3 advantage for the Royals. And, 23 seconds into the two-man-advantage, Sundher connected on a pass from Soudek at the near post. Then, why still killing off the back-end of the power play, Soudek slipped behind the Tri-City defense and buried a pass from Sundher at the far post. And, by 5:31 into the game, Tri-City was already staring at a two-goal deficit.

Only 3:46 into the second, the hole got even deeper, as Tri-City failed twice to clear the puck, only to have the Royals keep it in. The puck eventually found its way onto the stick of Kade Pilton, who ripped a shot from the right point over Americans' starter, Eric Comrie's glove to make it 3-0.

Nearly three minutes later, though, Tri-City finally answered back. On a broken play in the Victoria end, Marcus Messier was rubbed off the play, which allowed Malte Strömwall's drop pass to sit in the slot. However, Messier recovered his position and grabbed the loose puck before firing a bullet from the high slot. Messier's shot would beat Hamilton low on his glove side, putting the Americans on the board and giving Marcus his first goal of the season.

But, on the bump-up shift following the goal, Victoria quickly regained their three-goal cushion. During a scramble in front of Comrie, the puck wound up under Mason Wilgosh inside the goal crease. As he got up to play the puck, Victoria quickly recovered it as Steven Hodges put back his 5th goal of the season. At that point, Tri-City coach Jim Hiller opted to swap goaltenders, putting in back-up Ty Rimmer for the remainder of the contest.

Down 4-1 late in the second, and with 3:29 left to play, Tri-City needed the 'eye in the sky' to uphold a critical goal. During a scramble in front of Hamilton, Justin Feser eventually was able to squeeze the puck past the Royals' netminder, as referee Trevor Hanson laid on top of the net signaling for a goal. The play was reviewed to ensure the puck crossed the line legally and, after a lengthy review, Hanson's call was upheld.

Coming out of the second break, the Americans appeared to take their game to a different level than the previous two, constantly having Hamilton on the move. Just 17 seconds into the third, Tri-City pulled to within one and got the crowd to believe a comeback was possible. After Patrick Holland fired a pass out of the right corner, Nathan MacMaster redirected it past Hamilton, notching his second goal in as many games.

Now a 4-3 game, Tri-City continued to pressure inside the Victoria zone, firing shot after shot on Hamilton. However, with 5:48 left in regulation, the Royals were able to turn a Tri-City rush around and take off on a 2-on-1 breakaway of their own. In the end, Jamie Crooks counted for the 8th time this season, as Victoria went back on top by two.

Those fans that sensed the game was over, quickly returned to their seats as, just 47 seconds later, Tri-City again pulled to within one. From in the slot, Strömwall was able to punch the puck through the pads of Hamilton, giving him his first multi-point game of his young career. Still down by one, Hiller opted to pull Rimmer for the extra attacker, but Tri-City could not find the back of the net despite several chances.

In the end, Hamilton improved to 7-5 behind his 41-save effort. Meanwhile, Comrie played the first 27 minutes, allowing 4 goals on 13 shots. In relief, Rimmer stopped 11 of 12 and was saddled with the loss. Tri-City finished the night 0-for-2 on the power play while the Royals went 2-of-3 on the man-advantage.

The Americans will now take the next three days to rest and prepare for a big weekend tilt with the division rival Spokane Chiefs (7-2-0-1). Game time is 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, October 29 at the Toyota Center. The Chiefs, winners of six straight, will take on Victoria on Wednesday before traveling down to Kennewick on Saturday. The 12-game season series is currently knotted at 1-apiece and Saturday's contest will mark the first time in a month that the two sides have met. Tickets are available through all Ticketmaster outlets, including the Toyota Center box office, all Fred Meyer outlets or online at ticketmaster.com. The game will air live on MyNetwork TV channel 280 starting at 7:00 p.m. The game will also be broadcast live on NewsTalk 870 AM starting with the Sterling Savings Bank Warm-up Show at 6:45 p.m.

Applebee's 3 Stars:

1, Robin Soudek, Victoria

2, Kevin Sundher, Victoria

3, Marcus Messier, Tri-City

Check out the Tri-City Americans Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Western Hockey League Stories from October 26, 2011


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