The Victoria Royals may be off to an uncertain start to the season. But they still managed to do what few expected of them — skate into Kelowna on Saturday night and take two points from a Rockets team named an honourable mention in the latest BMO Canadian Hockey League top-10 poll.
The Royals (2-3) defeated the Rockets(2-0-1) by a 4-3 count in a Western Hockey League shootout win before 5,021 fans at Prospera Place.
Victoria, trailing 3-1 at the end of the second period, showed some moxie in getting third-period goals from Trent Lofthouse at 4:19 on the power play and Brandon Fushimi at 15:13 to tie the game 3-3 and send it to an overtime which proved fruitless.
>>> GET MORE VICTORIA ROYALS COVERAGE
Goals by Logan Nelson, Jack Walker and Ben Walker in the shootout gave Victoria victory.
Myles Bell and Damon Severson, the latter a defenceman just returned from the New Jersey Devils of the NHL, scored for Kelowna in the shootout before Victoria goaltender Coleman Vollrath stopped Zach Franko.
“I really liked the way we played. It was the first complete game for the guys,” said Royals head coach Dave Lowry.
“We had some guys that needed to get going and they did. We stayed with our game and showed character.”
Fushimi and Lofthouse are the kinds of secondary players the Royals needed to have step up.
“With the four guys we had out, these are not secondary players,” responded Lowry.
“Because of guys missing, we have had other players be put in situations they have not been used to playing before.
“We asked a lot of them. And tonight they responded well.”
Two of those missing players to which Lowry referred, returned on Saturday for Victoria.
Keegan Kanzig was sent back from the NHL training camp of the Calgary Flames while fellow-defenceman Joe Hicketts — a likely high-round 2014 NHL draft pick — returned after missing two games to injury.
The other two injured Victoria players, however, remained out. Energy-forward Brandon Magee is day-to-day and Florida Panthers prospect Steven Hodges is out longer term due to surgery. Compounding matters, Royals forward Taylor Crunk began a two-game suspension Saturday.
Vollrath, usually the back-up to Patrik Polivka, made 29 saves.
“Coleman played well and gave us the opportunity to win,” said Lowry.
Rookie Landon Welykholowa scored his first WHL goal to account for the other Victoria counter in the first period.
The Royals now head up Highway 97 for a pair of games Tuesday and Wednesday against the Cougars in Prince George
