The Victoria Royals’ SeaTac Shuffle today, as the players disperse to their homes across North America for the Christmas break, was made a bit brighter as the visiting Royals salvaged a point Wednesday night in a 7-6 shootout loss to the Everett Silvertips before 3,188 fans at Comcast Arena.
Victoria stayed .500 (17-17-3) as their three-game Western Hockey League losing skid morphed into a four-game winless streak.
The Royals completed the pre-Christmas portion of their schedule against the Silvertips (20-9-4), who are ranked No. 10 in the BMO Canadian Hockey League top-10 poll. The Royals return after the break to play Prince George on Dec. 27-28 at the Memorial Centre.
The Royals were missing three crucial players Wednesday. The mobile defenceman and co-captain Joe Hicketts is in the Canadian team camp for the 2015 world junior championships. Co-captain Brandon Magee is out two-to-three weeks with a hand injury and fellow-forward Greg Chase, under NHL contract to the Edmonton Oilers, sat out a one-game suspension for a spearing penalty the night before in a 5-4 loss in Seattle to the Thunderbirds.
“It was the shootout at the OK Corral,” said assistant Enio Sacilotto, now 0-3-1 as Royals bench boss in the eight-game absence of head coach Dave Lowry, who is away as assistant coach of the Canadian team preparing for the world juniors.
“This game was a crapshoot. But we came in against the odds with three of our best players out, and yet showed a lot of spirit and competitive drive. We’re struggling, but this could be a starting point for us as we take a much-needed week off.”
As in many of Victoria’s outings this season, the game went in waves, although these swings crashed with more ferocity than most.
The Silvertips built an early 2-0 lead before Victoria rallied to go ahead 3-2 on goals by Regan Nagy, Tyler Soy and Austin Carroll, the latter with his team-leading 22nd of the season.
But goals in the second period by Cole MacDonald and Patrick Bajkov allowed the Silvertips to retake the lead 4-3. That was followed by yet another flurry of three consecutive Victoria goals as Soy, defenceman Chaz Reddekopp, on a four-point night, and veteran forward Brandon Fushimi put the visitors ahead 6-4 in the third period before a pair of goals by Everett’s Kohl Baumi tied it 6-6.
Jack Walker got Victoria’s lone goal in the shootout while the Silvertips scored twice.
It wasn’t exactly a vintage night for the goaltenders as Coleman Vollrath made 27 saves in regulation and overtime for Victoria while Austin Lotz blocked just 14 for Everett.
ICE CHIPS: It appears the resolute Jayden Sittler, who began the season in the Alberta League, might have won the battle to back-up Vollrath. Sittler (with a WHL second-best 2.32 goals-against average in nine appearances) was acquired Oct. 23 when rookie Evan Smith (4.20 GAA in four games), the 17-year-old from Colorado, was injured. Smith is now healthy and has been sent to the NAHL’s Austin Bruins of Minnesota to get playing time.