Royals hope to avoid being Tigers’ prey
GAME DAY: VICTORIA AT MEDICINE HAT 6 p.m. at the Canalta Centre TV: None / Radio: The Zone 91.3 FM
Dave Lowry knows the dangers that lie ahead in a pair of road games in southern Alberta, so you can guarantee his depleted Victoria Royals lineup will tread carefully.
Both the Medicine Hat Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes are on tremendous rolls in Western Hockey League play.
The lethal Tigers have won four straight and 10 of their last 11 outings, outscoring their opponents 21-9 in the four consecutive victories and 50-26 over the 11-game stretch, while building up an impressive 40-16-1-0 overall record.
Medicine Hat, which sits second in the Eastern Conference and second overall behind Regina, has also scored a league-high 279 goals (tied with the Pats).
“We played here earlier and it was a fast game. If we’re not careful, it can be a high-scoring game. It is a lot [of goals],” Lowry said of the 279 tallies by the Tigers, tonight’s opponent at 6 p.m. PT “We want to make sure we play a smart game.
“We have to make sure we’re skating and controlling the pace and dictating placements of pucks. If we do that, we give ourselves a chance. They obviously have a good power play so we have to be intelligent there as well.”
Which they were, back on Oct. 11, when the Royals recorded a 5-1 win in Medicine Hat.
“We were real good and we got an early lead in that one,” recalled Lowry. “We know what they’re capable of coming in. Our preparation and our detail have to be real sharp to give ourselves a chance to win.”
Lethbridge, at 34-16-4-3 and third in the East behind Regina and Medicine Hat, is no different.
The Hurricanes have won 10 of their last 11 and had a nine-game winning streak snapped by Medicine Hat on Feb. 11 in a 5-0 loss. Lethbridge outscored its opposition 43-27 over those last 11 games, and over their last 17 games, the Hurricanes have lost just one time in regulation, once in overtime and once in a shootout loss
“For us, the best part about it is we play [today] and we have a day in between where we can rest and recharge,” Lowry said of Friday’s game in Lethbridge. “They like to play a wide-open game. They create offence and they’re not afraid to get into the trading-chances game. Again, we have to make sure we manage the game real well.”
What is on the Royals’ side is the fact the 31-22-4-0 club has fared well against the East.
“For whatever reason, we’ve found ways to win games the last couple of years,” said Lowry.
It might be a tougher goaround this year as Lowry’s troops will be without offensive talents Tyler Soy and Ryan Peckford, who are both injured. Jared Dmytriw is also out after being handed a three-game suspension for a hit-to-the-head in last Saturday’s game against Kamloops.
“It’s a good opportunity for some of our young guys, playing against a couple of real good teams in the East here. It will be a good challenge for them,” said Lowry, who will once again lean on goaltender Griffen Outhouse for strong starts.
Outhouse leads WHL netminders in games played with 52.
Asked if Outhouse ever gets tired, Lowry deadpanned: “He better not.”
LOOSE PUCKS: Blazers defenceman Ondrej Vala was handed a two-game suspension for his hit on Soy in last Saturday’s game.