Royals, Giants rivalry just got serious
B.C.’s coastal clubs, with series tied 1-1, clash for keeps in the post-season
The rivalry between the Vancouver Giants and Victoria Royals might be a little more real now.
Promotions people from both sides have done their best to sell the idea of clash and conflict between the clubs ever since the Royals came into the league under the Chilliwack Bruins banner for the 2006-07 season.
It’s been difficult. In Victoria’s 12 years in the league, the Royals and Giants have finished at least 24 points apart in the final standings nine times. There’s been four seasons with 40 or more points separating the teams.
Because of that, there’s been only a smattering of instances in which there’s been major anticipation from both fan bases about games. It hasn’t been like, for instance, the Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans, where Spokane averaged crowds of 8,669 for their six visits from the Americans this season, compared to an overall average of 5,741.
Not surprisingly, the Chiefs and Americans have essentially identical records in their head-to-head meetings over the past five years — Spokane 24-19-3-2, Tri-City 24-19-5-0.
Maybe this current playoff set will help change sentiments for the Royals and Giants. Vancouver and Victoria were looking to break a 1-1 deadlock going into Game 3 Tuesday at the Langley Events Centre, and the opening pair of games on Vancouver Island were fast, fiery and fan friendly.
Victoria finished second in the B.C. Division in the regular season, three points up on Vancouver. The teams played five one-goal games in their 10-game regular-season series and the Giants were 3-4-1-2 against the Royals in that span.
“In the regular season, you saw that the teams are pretty even and there were some really good games. They were intense, with emotion,” admitted Vancouver winger Jared Dmytriw, who played his first three seasons in the WHL with the Royals.
“It’s just going to keep building through this series and next season and years going forward.”
Vancouver defenceman Bowen Byram added: “Lots of the regular-season games were pretty intense as well, but I think this playoff series will add to that (rivalry) for years to come.”
It’s Vancouver’s first trip to the post-season in four years, and the players maintain that they’ve learned plenty through two games.
“I just think the intensity of the games, how hard it actually is, leaves you exhausted afterwards,”
said the 16-year-old Byram. “I think it’s a dramatic difference and our teams don’t like each other very much, which adds that much more to it. It’s a lot of fun. It’s not easy, but it’s fun.”
Centre Tyler Popowich explained: “It’s a definitely a different tempo, a different energy.”
Vancouver automatically loses four players from this year’s team for next season, with right-winger Ty Ronning and defencemen Brennan Riddle and Darian Skeoch graduating from the circuit and left-winger Tyler Benson expected to play his 20-year-old season in the system of the Edmonton Oilers, who drafted him in 2016.
Victoria has even more change coming. They’ll lose their three over-ages: centre Tyler Soy and defencemen Kade Jensen and Chaz Reddekopp. The Royals list 10 1998born players on their playoff roster and will only be able to carry three come next fall.
Vancouver has just three other
19-year-old players besides Benson: Dmitry, forward Davis Koch and defenceman Matt Barberis.
The Royals have said they’re applying to host the 2020 Memorial Cup, so they are obviously confident about the prospects they have coming up in their system.
Vancouver met Chilliwack twice in the playoffs. The Giants beat the Bruins in five games in the first round in 2007 en route to winning the Memorial Cup out of the host spot. Vancouver swept Chilliwack in the first round in 2008, although they needed a Craig Cunningham goal in triple overtime to take Game 3 by a 4-3 count.
The Giants and Bruins finished
one point apart in the 2010-11 campaign, winding up second and third in the B.C. Division, respectively. Vancouver was 5-5-0-0 against Chilliwack in the season series that campaign.
Chilliwack lost in five games in the first round to Spokane. Vancouver was swept in the first round by TriCity.
Vancouver was 37-9-1-1 versus the Bruins in the regular season during their five campaigns based out of Chilliwack. In the past five seasons, the Giants have gone 13-24-1-2 against the Royals in regular-season action.