Playoff hockey is a bit like the army — there’s a lot of hurry up and wait.
After more than a week off, following their sweep of the Spokane Chiefs in four games in the opening round of the Western Hockey League playoffs, the action will come fast and furious for the Victoria Royals.
The third-seed Royals and second-seed Portland Winterhawks will play four games in five days to open their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series. Game 1 is Friday at the old 10,407-seat Veterans Memorial Coliseum, because the Portland Trail Blazers have an NBA game that night against the Phoenix Suns and priority in the 18,280-seat Moda Center (formerly the Rose Garden).
Game 2 of the Royals-Winterhawks series is next Saturday in the Moda Center.
The series swings into Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre for Games 3 and 4 on Monday, April 7 and Tuesday, April 8.
The whiplash pace will continue if additional games are needed and only one travel day scheduled between each.
If the series continues past four games, Game 5 would be Thursday, April 10 in Portland, Game 6 Saturday, April 12 in Victoria and Game 7 Monday, April 14 in Portland.
“It presents a challenge. But it’s OK because we’re a team that travels well,” said Royals head coach Dave Lowry.
That is borne out by the Royals road record, which is 28-9-1 this season, including the playoffs.
“This is what playoffs are all about — high intensity games played over a short period of time,” said Lowry.
While this is the fifth consecutive year in which the Winterhawks have reached at least the second round of the playoffs, it is rarefied territory for Victoria. It is the first time in the eight-year history of the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals franchise that it has reached the second round, and the first time since the 1982-83 Cougars that a Victoria team has made it to the second round.
Portland has won its last 10 Western Conference playoff series, and is clearly the favourite against the Royals.
“The Winterhawks are a high-end, skilled group and one of the top [junior teams in North America],” Lowry said.
“We’re going to have to pay attention to the details … such as discipline and special teams. If we play our game, it should be a good series.”
ICE CHIPS: This is the first meeting between the Winterhawks and a Victoria team in the WHL playoffs since Portland defeated the Mark Morrison and Courtnalls-led Cougars 4-1 in the 1983 Western Conference final. . . In the most famous hockey playoff between the cities, Bob Barlow/Milan Marcetta and the Victoria Maple Leafs defeated the Portland Buckaroos to win the league title of the old professional WHL in 1966. Game 7 of that series took place at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum, where the Royals open against the Winterhawks on Friday.
