VICTORIA 6
VANCOUVER 5
Houston they have a problem.
For the fourth time in the last handful of games, the Victoria Royals have struggled with maintaining a lead, this time gagging on a 5-2 advantage only to hang on for 6-5 overtime shootout win over the visiting Vancouver Giants at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on Saturday.
It looked like a collapse of epic proportions as sloppy defensive play throughout the night cost the Royals dearly, but goalie Griffen Outhouse stopped all three shootout attempts while Matthew Phillips buried his for the win.
Owen Hardy, Tyler Popowich and Ty Ronning all scored goals in the final 6:10 of the third period for the Giants. Ronning’s came on a Vancouver power play with 58.1 seconds remaining and with goalie David Tendeck pulled in a favour of an extra attacker to make it a 6-on-4 situation.
Thankfully, Phillips pulled it out.
“I would say that’s probably the No. 1 issue or No. 1 aspect of our minds, that we’re trying to change, is the holding on to. It’s not about holding on to anything or protecting anything, it’s about pursuing a victory,” said Royals head coach Dan Price, who has some work cut out for him in those regards.
“When you hold on and try to just wait it out and play not to lose, then the other team is going to push, is going to enter your zone and create opportunities. So our mindset must be and will become closing games out by pursuing the victory,” he stressed.
They will attempt it again today as the Royals celebrate Marty the Marmot’s 12th birthday in an afternoon affair at 3.
Outshot 24-10 in the first half of the game, Outhouse was spectacular early and right throughout as the hosts were out-shot 48-42 overall.
It was the first game back for the Royals after a long seven-game road trip and it looked that way early with some scrambled play in their own zone.
Matt Barberis and Victoria’s Ryan Peckford traded goals just nine seconds apart just past the midway mark of the opening period.
The Giants then pressured the Royals early in the second, but the third Victoria shot of the frame counted for the Royals as Eric Florchuk buried a nice pass from Jeremy Masella at 8:30 for a 2-1 lead. Phillips then extended his Royals’ franchise-record point streak to 16 games on a power-play goal at 11:45 before Vancouver forward James Malm closed it to 3-2 on a redirect.
Overage forward Regan Nagy — off to an incredible start — tallied his 15th goal in 16 games to make it 4-2 Royals and Jared Legien – playing in his 100th WHL game – scored 16 seconds later at 8:04 of the third.
That’s when the walls caved in, but the Royals do improve to 11-4-1-0 while the Giants slip to 5-6-1-2.
