Royals tangle with Blazers in Kamloops

The Victoria Royals left 2019 on a winning note.

Beginning a five-game B.C. Division road trip, the Royals went toe-to-toe with the divisionleading Blazers on Monday in front of 3,756 fans at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops and knocked off the home team 4-1.

The Royals gave up the first goal of the game to Blazers sniper Connor Zary early in the first period, but came alive in the middle frame with two goals to post their second-straight victory and improve their record to 19-12-2-0.

The Blazers (22-11-2-1) had a four-game winning streak halted Saturday night in Everett and couldn’t solve 20-year-old veteran Shane Farkas in the Royals’ net on Monday. The Blazers outshot the Royals 32-22.

After Tarun Fizer, on a breakaway, and Carson Miller beat rookie Rayce Ramsay in the Kamloops net in the second period, Gary Haden struck on the power play for his team-leading 14th goal of the season just 26 seconds into the third period to put Victoria in control. Fizer added an empty-net goal with three minutes left in regulation. Kaid Oliver added two assists for Victoria.

The Royals now get tonight off before taking on the Vancouver Giants on New Year’s Day at 2 p.m. at the Langley Events Centre. Victoria will then head back to the Interior to play the Rockets in Kelowna on Friday night and the Blazers in Kamloops on Saturday night.

LOOSE PUCKS: The Royals were without injured forward Keanu Derungs . . . . Following the games this week, the Royals return to Kelowna to face the Rockets on Jan. 8, and then return home to take on the Portland Winterhawks Jan. 10-11 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.