Tyler Soy certainly knows how to commemorate a milestone.
The talented forward scored four goals in his 250th career game for the Victoria Royals to pace the hosts to a 6-3 Western Hockey League victory Sunday evening over the Vancouver Giants before 5,866 fans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
The output tied the franchise record for most goals in a game, matching Kevin Sundher’s four goals on Oct. 29, 2011, against Seattle and Brandon Magee’s four on Jan. 25, 2013, against Vancouver.
“I played with Brandon and skated in summer conditioning camps with Kevin . . . to be in the same category as those guys is special,” Soy said.
Included in Soy’s total was a natural hat-trick — three goals in a row in the second period. All three of those came on the power play as Victoria scored four times in its 10 odd-man opportunities.
Royals rookie backup goaltender Dylan Myskiw made 22 saves for his first career WHL victory. The Royals put 42 shots on the more harried Giants starter Ryan Kubic.
The Royals completed a three-games-in-three-nights sweep of the Giants. This cross-strait derby consists of 10 games each season between Victoria and Vancouver. The Royals (29-19-4 overall) lead this year’s series against the Giants 5-0-1.
The injury-depleted Giants are last in the Western Conference at 17-30-4 and are well on their way to missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season and fourth time in the past five years. Vancouver traded four veterans this month in a full-out rebuild and was again missing injured high second-round Edmonton Oilers draft pick Tyler Benson.
But don’t tell the Royals the six points they picked up against the Giants over the weekend were inflated because of Vancouver’s rather dire situation.
“I don’t care what people might say. These were hard-fought games in the best division in the league,” countered Royals head coach Dave Lowry.
Soy concurred.
“I don’t think the scores showed how hard these games have been,” said the seventh-round NHL draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks.
“They are tough games. [Giants] are competing hard and we are competing hard.”
Lowry, however, said he isn’t enamored of a format in which two teams play each other three times in as many nights in the regular season.
“I’m not a fan of it, but it is what it is.”
In sports, no matter what the schedule makers have laid out, you simply play the next team up. Even if it’s the same team three days in a row. The surging Royals, 6-1 in their past seven games overall, certainly made the most of it against the struggling Giants.
Defenceman Scott Walford of the Royals scored for the fourth consecutive game on Sunday.
“I take what the game gives me,” he said.
Lately, that has been a lot of open lanes and seams in the offensive end.
Walford said he is fortunate to play for Lowry, who encourages his defencemen to jump up into the play if the opportunity presents itself.
Carter Folk, on the power play, scored Victoria’s other goal. Matthew Phillips, Vladimir Bobylev and defenceman Chaz Reddekopp had two assists each for the Royals. James Malm scored twice for the Giants.
ICE CHIPS: Victoria captain Ryan Gagnon, an understated warrior on the blue line, played his 300th career game for the Royals. . . . Next up for the Royals are the Calgary Hitmen (18-22-9) on Saturday at the Memorial Centre.
