EVERETT 5
VICTORIA 2
Every team in sports talks about wanting to go into the post-season with momentum. The reeling Victoria Royals are far from that. They will freefall into the WHL playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference, on a seven-game winless streak, and with four players on the shelf.
Victoria concluded its 2016-17 regular-season account at 37-29-6 following a 5-2 loss Saturday night in Everett against the Western Conference champion Silvertips (44-16-11) before 7,989 fans at Xfinity Arena.
The two teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs beginning next Friday and Saturday in Everett. The third and fourth games are March 28-29 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
The Royals’ regular-season conclusion will hardly engender much pre-playoff buzz, just one year after Victoria’s league regular-season title in 2015-16.
But the Royals have that precious commodity — a ticket to the dance. With that, you have a chance. “We’re a good team without pressure on us. We know what it feels like the other way [last season],” said Royals coach Dave Lowry. “We were missing four good players. We will ramp our game up and give it our best shot.”
Patrick Bajkov of Nanaimo, with his 29th goal, was among the scorers as the Silvertips took a 3-0 lead in the first period on rookie Victoria goaltender Dylan Myskiw. The Royals fell behind 5-0 before getting goals late in the third period from Vladimir Bobylev and Ethan Price.
The Silvertips again showed why their structured defensive style has given them the Western Conference title. Their lineup includes the likes of first-round Montreal Canadiens draft-pick blueliner Noah Juulsen. Goaltender Carter Hart is a second-round Flyers draft pick and he backstopped Canada to the silver medal in the 2017 world junior hockey championships. He made 25 saves Saturday, while Myskiw blocked 28 shots.
It was the final career WHL regular-season games for Royals 20-year-olds Jack Walker, Carter Folk and captain Ryan Gagnon, the latter who finished with the Royals’ franchise record for most career regular-season games with 320. “It’s been a long journey and I’m honoured to have played,” said Gagnon.
Walker tied with Brandon Magee with the second-most games played in Royals history at 318.
Griffen Outhouse did not get the call, so he will finish with 63 appearances, which is one game short of Lucas Gore’s Victoria Royals/Chilliwack Bruins franchise record for the most goaltending appearances in a season with 64.
This has become something of a tradition. It’s the fifth consecutive year in which the Royals and Silvertips have closed out a regular season with a home-and-home set between the clubs.
ICE CHIPS: The Royals were missing four regulars with forwards Regan Nagy and Ryan Peckford and blueliners Ralph Jarratt and Chaz Reddekopp out.
