MEDICINE HAT 3
VICTORIA 1
It might only be coincidental, but not likely.
Missing three regular forwards, the Victoria Royals could generate only muffled offence in dropping a 3-1 Western Hockey League decision to the high-powered host Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Tigers showed why they are ranked No. 8 in the Canadian Hockey League top-10 poll by putting 33 shots on Victoria’s goal while allowing the Royals only 17.
It isn’t often the losing team on the road produces the game’s first star but that’s what happened Wednesday with the honour going to Royals goaltender Griffen Outhouse in his league-leading 53rd appearance of the season.
“I’m not faulting the effort,” said Royals coach Dave Lowry.
“It was a one-goal game decided by an empty-netter against a very fast team in a tough building. It’s a fine line.”
Medicine Hat took a 2-0 lead, before 3,031 fans at the Canalta Centre, on goals by Gary Haden in the second period and Matt Bradley in the third period. Matthew Phillips, with his team-leading 40th goal of the season, brought the Royals to within one at 11:50 of the third. A empty-net goal by Steven Owre put it away for the Tigers.
Medicine Hat continued its pulsating pace, winning its fifth consecutive game and 11th of its last 12 in moving to 41-16-1. The Royals lost for the second consecutive game and fell to 31-23-4.
“We were not caught off guard. We knew going in this was going to be tough,” said Lowry.
The Royals and Tigers split their season series 1-1.
The Eastern Conference doesn’t seem to have the one-through-eighth seed depth of the Western Conference but its top end — Regina, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge — can be put up against anybody.
The Royals were without forwards Tyler Soy, out week to week, Ryan Peckford, out six-to-seven weeks, and Jared Dmytriw, sitting out the first game of a three-game league suspension.
The prolonged absence will especially be unfortunate for Peckford, since he was having a breakout season, and worked his way up to being ranked 87th among North American skaters for the 2017 NHL draft.
The Royals continue their Eastern swing on Friday in Lethbridge against a very good Hurricanes club (34-16-4-3) before getting some respite on the form charts Saturday in Cranbrook against the WHL bottom-dwelling Kootenay Ice (12-35-10). The Royals then return home for a bit of a break before heading to Langley next Friday to take on the Vancouver Giants.
