In the end, it was really no surprise.
The Kelowna Rockets, legitimate contenders for the 2015 Memorial Cup, were simply too good to be denied in the second-round stage of the Western Hockey League playoffs.
The B.C. Division second-seed Victoria Royals put up a good effort, but fell 4-1 in the best-of-seven series to the No.-2-ranked team in the WHL and No. 4-ranked in the Canadian Hockey League.
The finishing touch was administered by the Rockets in a 7-3 victory Friday night before 5,226 fans at Prospera Place in the Okanagan. The Royals, who seemed always on the back skate, led for only less than eight minutes during the entire series.
Kelowna advances to meet the winner of the Portland-Everett series — led 3-1 by Portland — in the Western Conference final.
“Playoffs are hard. Only one team wins the championship,” said a subdued Royals head coach Dave Lowry. “We’re disappointed to end the series.”
For the second consecutive year, Victoria’s season ended in Game 5 of the second round of the playoffs following last year’s five-game loss to Portland. Both of those finishes established records for the farthest the Royals franchise has advanced in its nine-year-history.
Royals’ 20-year-olds Brandon Magee, Austin Carroll and Travis Brown have now officially graduated from junior hockey. Of Victoria’s seven 19-year-olds, only three can return. So it will be a much altered Royals roster that returns in September.
“We accomplished some really good things and had some really good moments this season,” said Lowry.
Expansive-skating blue-liner Josh Morrissey, the Winnipeg Jets prospect who missed both games in Victoria, scored twice for Kelowna on a five-point Friday night. Morrissey returned for the first two games of this series and then the fifth game after being out with injury since Feb. 28.
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A first period of momentum swings ended 2-2. Leon Draisaitl, the German talent who began the season with 37 games in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, again flashed his future big-league credentials by putting Kelowna on the board just 1:24 into the game. Push back came in the form of quick Victoria goals by Jack Walker and Brandon Fushimi at 17:54 and 18:17.
But just when it appeared Victoria would go into the first break with a confidence-boosting lead, a Morrissey foray into the Victoria zone paid off as Nick Merkely hit him with a precision assist in the last minute of the period and suddenly it was 2-2.
“We were right there [in the game]. Those kinds of goals are what kill you,” said Lowry. “But you don’t pin a loss on one goal.”
Yet, it was certainly a factor as Kelowna followed up by breaking the game open with three unanswered second-period goals. Kelowna’s fourth line came through for the 3-2 lead on a goal by Rodney Southam at 2:18. Then a five-minute Victoria major penalty for boarding assessed to Jared Dmytriw proved costly when a Victoria own goal was awarded to Tyson Baillie. The Dmytriw penalty was compounded by another to Walker. Morrissey punished Victoria from the point for the 5-2 lead as Kelowna’s odd-man went 2-4.
Third-period goals by Rourke Chartier and Cole Linaker for Kelowna and defenceman Brown for Victoria were essentially in garbage time.
Victoria starter Justin Paulic let in five goals on 26 shots before being replaced by Coleman Vollrath, who finished with two goals allowed on 13 shots. Jackson Whistle allowed both Victoria goals on nine shots before being replaced by former Royal Michael Herringer of Comox at the start of the second period.
