It was classic, clamp-down Dave Lowry hockey.
But it requires dependable goaltending and opportunistic scoring.
Coleman Vollrath provided the crease play with 34 saves in regulation and overtime, plus another seven in the shootout, as Lowry’s Victoria Royals edged the host Red Deer Rebels 2-1 before 5,808 fans at the Enmax Centrium.
The opportunism came from Greg Chase’s goal in the first minute of the game and Austin Carroll’s winner in the seventh round of the shootout.
The Rebels (25-14-6), one of the hottest teams in the Western Hockey League, got a goal from Brooks Maxwell at 14:33 of the first period as they saw their five-game winning streak become a six-game unbeaten stretch as they moved to 7-2-2 in the last 11 games.
Victoria (23-19-3) won its third consecutive game.
“We played a good road game and found a way to win,” said Lowry, 2013-14 WHL coach of the year.
“I liked the fact we only gave up one goal. We made good decisions with the puck. Red Deer has been playing extremely well. They have nine players with 10 goals or more and we have four. We knew we couldn’t trade chances with them.”
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Then there was the game’s first star.
“Coleman [Vollrath] made some big saves,” said Lowry, of his goaltender, who made his 100th career appearance for the Royals.
Rylan Toth made 29 saves for Red Deer and was named game second star and Carroll the third star.
Both penalty kills were flawless, with Victoria unable to convert any of its six power-play opportunities and the Rebels held scoreless in their four chances.
Defenceman Bryton Sayers, acquired from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, made his Royals debut wearing No. 8 and had an even plus-minus rating. Centre Matt Dykstra was an affiliated player called up by Victoria from the junior A, where he was playing for the Calgary Canucks.
The outcome provided a sweet homecoming for veteran Royals centre Logan Fisher, one of the best face-off men in the WHL, who played hockey and lacrosse growing up in Red Deer.
The Royals conclude their Alberta swing tonight in Calgary against the Hitmen (23-16-5) and Sunday in Edmonton against the defending league and Memorial Cup champion Oil Kings (22-18-5).
