Victoria Royals fans might be feeling like Paul Newman when he asked Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy: “Who are those guys?”
The Royals return to Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre for the first time since Feb. 12 when they entertain the Kamloops Blazers in a two-game Western Hockey League set tonight and Saturday.
It’s not like the Royals have exactly been idle. They traveled more than 6,600 kilometres on an epic road trip that ended 6-1 and with the club moving up a spot to No. 8 in this week’s Canadian Hockey League top-10 rankings.
The games are meaningless mathematically for the Royals (45-17-4), who will finish as the third seed in the tough Western Conference and open the playoffs at home with two games March 22-23, for which tickets go on sale today. Yet, with only a half-dozen regular-season games remaining, these final six are important in another respect.
“We want to use this last week [of the regular campaign] to create momentum and confidence [heading into the post-season],” said Victoria forward Ben Walker.
“We have confidence that when we’re playing as a group and within our systems, it’s hard to beat us.”
There are more than a few WHL rivals this season who can attest to that axiom — you can’t beat the system. The Royals have been the surprise breakout story of the 2013-14 WHL season. Head coach Dave Lowry has managed to squeeze the most out of a group that doesn’t jump out at anybody on the roster sheet.
“All players have to feel value and worth,” said Lowry, a 19-season NHL veteran.
“All have to feel they are a piece of the puzzle, no matter what piece it is.”
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Whatever the philosophical underpinnings, the approach is working.
“This is a very tight group,” said Walker, a graduating 20-year-old
“And each day that goes by at this time of the season, you realize is one less day you have together.”
Lowry’s approach to the final regular-season games sounds contradictory, but you get the point: “We want to keep our game tight, while remaining as loose as possible.”
And don’t forget what made possible the climb to national top-eight status.
“Be ready to go. Be prepared to play,” said Lowry.
“[On the road trip], we kept it really simple. Everyone was dialed in and we were prepared to play.”
As to whether Patrik Polivka getting the last two starts over Coleman Vollrath means Lowry has decided on his playoff goaltender, the bench boss replied: “We will continue to deal with that day-to-day.”
Call it creative tension.
“I’m working really hard each day,” said the Czech-import Polivka, who wears the mantle of post-season incumbent. “I want to be the starter for the playoffs … I was last year.”
Meanwhile, the Blazers have now taken the torch as the wandering team with a 10-game road trip, as the 2014 Brier national men’s curling championships having currently taken over the Interior Savings Centre. Kamloops, after two consecutive 47-win seasons and first-round playoff victories over Victoria, is just 13-49-5 and will not only miss the playoffs but finish last in the Western Conference, if not the entire league.
ICE CHIPS: Veteran blue-liner Sam Grist of North Saanich, the mainstay of the Blazers defence, is listed as out indefinitely with an upper-body ailment. … Victoria Special Olympics will benefit with $2 from every ticket sold tonight if purchased online at selectyourtickets.com/promo using the code VSOLYMPICS, or through Duncan Gardiner at 250-220-2637.
