VICTORIA 5
PRINCE GEORGE 4
(Victoria leads series 2-0)
In the dressing room during the WHL playoffs, the Victoria Royals are wearing T-shirts that read: “Represent the YYJ.”
Even though he’s from Edmonton, Brandon Magee has been doing just that.
The undrafted winger scored twice in the third period to give the Royals a 5-4 victory over the Prince George Cougars before 5,545 boisterous fans Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre as Victoria took a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven opening round series.
Magee scored a hat-trick in Victoria’s 5-3 opening-game victory Friday and has five goals in the series. But for Magee, the series might be looking very different as B.C. Division third-seed Prince George again outshot second-seed Victoria, this time 34-25.
Before the series, Cougars head coach Mark Holick noted the only way to get experience is to, well, get it.
The 20-year-old Magee, in his fifth season in the WHL, has plenty of it at the junior level and has used it with ruthless effectiveness against Holick’s youthful Cougars.
“I thought our whole team played well . . . I was happy to be in the right spots at the right time,” said Magee. “I just trust my instincts.”
The Cougars, making their first playoff appearance since 2011, came into the series with a roster boasting only 28 games of WHL playoff experience compared to Victoria’s 207.
It’s that veteran difference as Magee has taken the Royals on his shoulders.
“He’s 20 years old and we expect those guys to provide the leadership,” said Royals head coach Dave Lowry, who will guide Canada at the 2016 world junior championships.
“The playoffs is about finding a way to win and we found a way. I like going up there [Prince George for Games 3-4 on Wednesday and Thursday] ahead 2-0 because their building is going to be crazy.”
With the score tied, Magee pinged in the winner off the far post at 15:47 of the third period. Prince George’s 38-goal scorer Chase Witala had just tied it at 13:49. Earlier in the third, Kirk Bear lost the puck in the corner and Magee made him pay by taking it and swinging past PG goaltender Ty Edmonds’ diving poke check at 11:51 to make it 4-3.
Jack Walker and Greg Chase each had a goal and assist for the Royals while Tyler Soy scored the other goal. Defenceman Tate Olson, with two power-play goals, led the Cougars.
The goal of the game was scored by Prince George on a clever give-and-go by Zach Pochiro from Jansen Harkins with 1:32 left in the second period to cut into a 3-1 Victoria lead. The St. Louis Blues-prospect Pochiro got in eight games of pro this season with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL. Harkins is the 18th-ranked North American skater for the 2015 NHL draft.
Coleman Vollrath made 30 saves for Victoria and Ty Edmonds 20 for PG.
