Price stresses defence
Royals coach wants tighter play in pair against Giants
Victoria Royals head coach Dan Price was happy with the effort put forth offensively in Tuesday’s 5-4 loss in Prince George, but wants to see his team clamp down at the opposite end of the ice in the Langley Events Centre tonight.
The Royals will face the Vancouver Giants in a home-andhome series that continues in Victoria on Saturday evening, before the teams break for the Christmas holidays.
“I would like to see more of the same, but I want to see us a little bit tighter defensively — not necessarily with our defensive structure, but more our defensive technique,” Price said. “We just need to be better one-on-one with good defensive angles, good body contact, stick at the puck and support. I think if we do that, it will clean up some of the scoring chances as a group.”
Despite outshooting the Cougars 45-25 on Wednesday, the Western Conference-leading Royals let one get away against basement-dwelling Prince George. In fact, Victoria allowed eight goals in the two games up north. The Royals came back for a 5-4 overtime win over the Cougars on Sunday.
The 20-11-3-0 Royals now focus on the 15-13-2-2 Giants, who picked up a 4-1 win at home over Victoria on Remembrance Day. Vancouver is 5-1 in its last six and has won its last three at home. The Royals are 4-1 in head-to-head matchups, however.
“They’ve been very good the last little while and they have some guys who can score, so we need to be better defensively, for sure,” Price said of the Giants.
Vancouver’s Ty Ronning and James Malm have run roughshod on opposing teams at times with 53 and 51 points, respectively. But Ronning is also minus-20 this season while Malm is minus-16. Tyler Benson has chipped in with 11 goals and 33 assists in 31 games.
“Every game with them now is a hard-fought game. They’re sound structurally and they are very well-coached. They are always a great challenge to play against,” Price said.
Tonight’s game will be newcomer Noah Gregor’s second with the Royals after being acquired from Moose Jaw on Monday. Gregor had an assist Tuesday on Tyler Soy’s powerplay marker. He also led the Royals with eight shots on the night as he showed his offensive capabilities.
“He was excellent. He’s a great addition to the team. He’s fast, intelligent and very competitive,” Price said. “He’s a quality person and versatile. He can play wing or centre, high in the zone as well, and we’re really happy he’s here.”