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WHL Victoria Royals

Royals Travel to Prince George for Two Games against Cougars

March 10, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Victoria Royals News Release


Victoria, BC - Fresh off a series split with the Portland Winterhawks, the Victoria Royals will make a trip up to the heart of the province's Cariboo region for a two-game weekend series against the Prince George Cougars beginning Friday night.

Victoria has struggled against Prince George this season, losing all seven matchups, with the most recent ending in a 4-1 defeat on January 19th.

However, Prince George comes into the weekend riding a six-game losing streak and posting just a single win in their last ten contests. They currently sit in seventh place in the conference with a 19-31-2-1 record and 41 points on the season.

A win over the Cougars would go a long way to improving the Royals' playoff chances as they trail their weekend opponent-as well as the Spokane Chiefs-by just three points for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The team currently sits in ninth with a 16-33-5-1 record, totalling 38 points on the year.

Prince George is led on offence by the talented rookie forward Kohen Ziemmer, who has posted 22 goals 23 assists for 45 total points on the season. There is no shortage of rookie talent on the Prince George roster, with Saskatoon, SK product Riley Heidt ranking second on the team with 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists), and Winnipeg, MB native Hudson Thorton ranking third with 35 points of his own (12 goals, 23 assists).

In net for the Cougars will be the tandem of 2003-born goaltender Tyler Brennan and rookie Ty Young. Brennan, a product of Winnipeg, MB has amassed a 10-12-3 record with a 3.45 goals against average (GAA) and a .905 save percentage (SV%) over 32 games this season, while Coaldale, AB's own Ty Young has made 12 appearances as a backup in 2021-2022, posting a 2-5-0-0 record with 4.02 GAA and a .890 SV%.

The Royals will look to captain Tarun Fizer to lead his team to a win this weekend. The Chestermere, AB native has been red-hot of late, posting 10 points (four goals, six assists) over his last five games, which included a four-point (two goal, two assist) performance on Tuesday against the Winterhawks. He has counted 12 goals and 25 assists on the season for a total of 37 points, which ranks fourth on the team.

Another Victoria player enjoying a solid month is goaltender Tyler Palmer, who has been lights-out between the posts for his team, winning four out of his last five starts. His heroics in a 47-save effort against Portland earlier this week were instrumental in his team's victory and Palmer would earn the game's first star for his performance.

Over 34 appearances this year, Palmer has achieved a 11-18-2-0 record with a 3.60 GAA and a .909 SV%.

Injuries may play a factor for the Royals this coming weekend after seeing a number of players leave the ice over the past few weeks. Blue line stalwart Gannon Laroque left in the first period of Tuesday's game after taking a hard check into the boards and hasn't returned since. Both Bailey Peach and Wyatt Wilson left Wednesday's game early with apparent injuries, their status remains unclear for Friday.

As does the status of goaltender Campbell Arnold, who did not return for the second period on Wednesday, being relieved by Tyler Palmer. Additionally, forwards Keanu Derungs and Evan Patrician may also be out this weekend. Given all the injuries, this weekend is sure to be a great test for the depth of the roster.

The first game between the Royals and Cougars will get underway at 7pm on Friday, Mar. 11 from the CN Centre in Prince George. The BC Division foes will then set up for a rematch the following night, Saturday, Mar. 12, also scheduled for 7pm at the CN Centre.

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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Western Hockey League Stories from March 10, 2022


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