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Phillips’ NHL deal fails to spark Victoria Royals

The Victoria Royals return home from their two-game road trip through the B.C. Interior with just a single point for their efforts, but at least captain Matthew Phillips comes back with an NHL contract in his back pocket.
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Victoria Royals' captain Matthew Phillips has an NHL contract in his back pocket. Itês one of just a few positives after the team lost its sixth game in seven outings.

The Victoria Royals return home from their two-game road trip through the B.C. Interior with just a single point for their efforts, but at least captain Matthew Phillips comes back with an NHL contract in his back pocket.

It’s one of just a few positives after the team lost its sixth game in seven outings by way of a 4-1 setback to the Kamloops Blazers in front of 3,732 fans at the Sandman Centre. Victoria did get its one point in a hard fought overtime shootout loss in Kelowna on Saturday.

The Blazers managed to keep Phillips off the scoreboard one day after he signed his three-year entry level contract with the Calgary Flames. The sixth-round draft pick was walking on air on Sunday as the Flames released the news.

It’s been a long process for the diminutive forward who had 50 goals and 40 assists in 70 games last season, following a 37-goal and 76-point rookie campaign. This year Phillips has 28 goals and 31 helpers in 40 games.

“An absolute dream come true,” Phillips told Flames staff Sunday of being signed by his hometown team. “I couldn’t ask for a more motivating situation.

“Obviously, it started a couple of years ago at the draft and this is kind of the next step from there,” Phillips added of the signing. “So it’s something that’s been in the back of my mind since the draft and something I’ve been working towards. As you go through the ranks you start understanding the process.

“It hasn’t been a big focus, but you know you’ve got two years to earn the contract. So it’s something I was hoping would come along. It’s awesome — a big honour.”

Phillips was kept in check on Monday as his five-game point streak was snapped. Tyler Soy provided the only scoring for the visitors to keep his point streak alive at nine games. Soy recorded the goal on a Victoria power play to take a 1-0 lead just 1:09 into the second period.

Carson Denomie tied it for the Blazers five minutes later and Nick Chyzowski (on a power play), Brodi Stuart (on a breakaway) and Quinn Benjafield (into an empty net) provided the winning and insurance goals, all in the third.

Lantzville product Dylan Ferguson, who this season made news by dressing with the Las Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL and playing nine minutes in a game in Edmonton, made the start in goal for the Blazers. He made 23 stops for Kamloops while the Royals replied with Griffen Outhouse who faced 46 shots.

“I was actually really happy with the effort in both games,” said Royals head coach Dan Price. “Based on the quality of chances in the Kelowna game, that was one that we thought we could have had two points in.

“[Monday] night as well, Kamloops had a lot of shots towards our goal, but I thought the scoring chances were pretty even or maybe a little bit in our favour. We had some great chances where Ferguson made some solid saves. The results are disappointing, as far as getting one out of four points, but the effort was not disappointing at all,” added Price, who was delighted for captain Phillips.

“We’re really happy for Matthew. As we all know he works so hard — on the ice and off the ice and he’s a great teammate. When you see people rewarded for that type of effort, it’s a good day.”

Kamloops was winless in four games coming in and without Ondrej Vala and Justin Sigrist, who are representing the Czech Republic and Switzerland, respectively, at the world junior hockey championship.

Igor Martynov (Belarus at the world juniors), Regan Nagy (finger) and Noah Gregor (wrist) remain out for the Royals, who are back at home on Friday to face the Everett Silvertips before heading right back out on the road to Kamloops on Saturday and Everett on Sunday, in a quirky bit of scheduling.

mannicchiarico@timescolonist.com