VICTORIA 7
KELOWNA 4
To borrow a phrase from another sport, it was game, set, match. The Victoria Royals clinched the B.C. Division, Western Conference and Western Hockey League regular-season titles all in one night.
The Royals defeated the Rockets 7-4 before 5,573 fans at Prospera Place in Kelowna to claim the treble. All three championships are firsts in the 10-season history of the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals franchise.
By far the most significant is the league title, which earns the Royals (48-16-6) the Scotty Munro Trophy as the 2015-16 WHL regular-season champions. It is the first Scotty Munro Trophy for the city since the 1980-81 Victoria Cougars and third overall for Victoria, along with the 1974-75 Cougars.
“It’s great for the city and great for these kids,” said Victoria coach Dave Lowry.
“They had a goal they wanted to achieve and they worked hard for it and got it done. They did a great job. This is a team in every sense of the word.”
Asked if there was anything special he told his players following the game, Lowry responded: “I said there are trophies out there [Ed Chynoweth Cup for the WHL playoff championship and Memorial Cup for the Canadian major-junior title] that are even better than this [Scotty Munro Trophy].”
This is Lowry’s second WHL regular-season championship as a head coach, to go with the Scotty Munro Trophy he captured as the bench boss of the 2008-09 Calgary Hitmen.
The result Wednesday also tied the all-time Bruins/Royals franchise record of 48 wins, set in 2013-14 by Lowry’s Royals.
It was a night of lethal accuracy for the power plays as Victoria scored four times in nine chances and Kelowna four times in six opportunities. But that’s a hockey blade that sliced both ways.
“We want our power play to be a difference-maker,” said Lowry.
“But we don’t want to take these many penalties.”
Goals by Alex Forsberg and Jack Walker, on the power play, and Ethan Price gave Victoria a 3-0 first-period lead en route to an 11th consecutive Royals victory. The Rockets (46-20-4), on power-play goals on the same four-minute double-minor to Victoria’s Ty Westgard, brought it to within one in the second period. But Forsberg’s second goal of the night, and 30th of the season, and Vladimir Bobylev’s 27th restored Victoria’s three goal-advantage. Kelowna defenceman Cal Foote, son of former Colorado Avalanche blue-liner Adam Foote, and Tyler Soy, with his Victoria-leading 42nd goal, each struck on the power play before the second period was over at 6-3. Soy (1-3) and Forsberg (2-2) each had four-point nights and Walker three points with two goals. Rookie Matthew Phillips and defenceman Joe Hicketts chipped in with two assists each.
Goaltender Coleman Vollrath blocked 26 shots for the Royals. Michael Herringer from Comox made 29 saves for the Rockets.
The regular season concludes for Victoria with a two-game set against the Silvertips on Friday in Everett and Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
