Royals, Rockets tangle at Prospera
Victoria scores 6 goals in 2nd period to post lopsided win, remain unbeaten on the season
The Victoria Royals exploded for six goals in the second period at Prospera Place on Wednesday night to earn an 8-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets.
With the victory the Royals remain unbeaten early in the WHL season, sporting a 5-0 record, good for top spot in the B.C. Division. All five wins have come against division rivals.
The Rockets fell to 2-1-0-1.
“The game’s not won in the first period,” head coach Jason Smith said emphatically during post-game interviews. “You have to play a complete game.”
The Rockets took a 2-0 lead into the dressing room after the first frame. So far this season the Rockets have not given up a first period goal, outscoring opponents 7-0 along the way.
Dillon Dube opened the scoring at 1:42 when Carsen Twarynski started the play by separating Royals defenceman Scott Walford from the puck behind the net. Erik Gardiner picked up the loose puck and swept it over to Dube, who walked in front of the net and lifted a backhander over the glove of goaltender Griffen Outhouse.
At 13:50, Kole Lind deposited a rebound past Outhouse after Kyle Topping gained the Royals blue-line and slid a pass over to a streaking Kaedan Korczak. The rookie defenceman fired a shot that Outhouse could not corral.
But the Royals owned the second stanza, striking early and often.
Regan Nagy burst across the Rockets blueline to catch a lead pass from Matt Phillips, then ripped a shot past Brodan Salmond to get the Royals on the board at 1:57. Then, at 7:03 on the power play, Jared Legien worked the puck deep past Gordie Ballhorn and fed Ryan Peckford in the slot. Peckford made no mistake, burying a wrister past Salmond to knot the affair at 2-2.
The turning point came midway through the period when Kole Lind beat Outhouse at 10:25, but the goal was disallowed due to a hand pass in the offensive zone.
On the ensuing faceoff, Igor Martynov sprung Kaid Oliver and Yan Khomenko 2-on-1 into the Rockets zone, where the 19-year-old Russian beat Salmond at 10:31 to give the Royals a 3-2 lead.
Dante Hannoun, with his seventh of the season, Nagy, with his second of the period, and Legien scored before the end of the frame to stretch the advantage to 6-2. Nagy’s goal chased Salmond in favour of rookie goaltender James Porter.
Frustration, or rather the Royals team speed, appeared to get the better of the Rockets late in the period. At one point, Dube, Hilsendager, Ballhorn and Cal Foote were seated together in the penalty box.
On the upside, Porter was outstanding during the barrage he faced while the Rockets killed a lengthy two-man disadvantage.
In the third period, Nagy completed his hat-trick at 2:52, Connor Bruggen-Cate scored his first of the season at 8:57 for Kelowna and Khomenko added his second of the night at 18:35.
ICE CHIPS: Kelowna outshot Victoria 29-26 . . . . Salmond surrendered five goals on 15 shots, while Porter stopped 8-of-11 shots . . . . The three stars were Nagy, Phillips and Legien . . . . Announced attendance was 4,461 . . . . The Rockets (No. 8) and Royals (No. 5) made the CHL weekly top 10 ranking this week . . . . The Rockets head to Prince George for a doubleheader this weekend against the Cougars.