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Victoria Royals win playoff series over Prince George in OT thriller

VICTORIA 5, PRINCE GEORGE 4 Hockeyville, indeed. The Victoria Royals put the exclamation point on a big Saturday in hockey for a city better known for its rowers, triathletes, runners, swimmers, cyclists and rugby and soccer players.
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Royals' Brandon Fushimi, right, scores on a wraparound on Cougars goaltender Ty Edmonds during Game 5 of their WHL first-round playoff series at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on Saturday.

VICTORIA 5, PRINCE GEORGE 4

Hockeyville, indeed.

The Victoria Royals put the exclamation point on a big Saturday in hockey for a city better known for its rowers, triathletes, runners, swimmers, cyclists and rugby and soccer players.

No sooner had the jubilation subsided in North Saanich, winner of the national Kraft Hockeyville balloting, than the Royals lit up Blanshard Street with a 5-4 playoff victory on an overtime goal by Brandon Magee. It gave Victoria a 4-1 series win over the Prince George Cougars in the first-round Western Hockey League series.

Royals forward Brandon Magee went from despair, with a careless delay-of-game penalty that allowed Prince George to tie the game late in regulation time, to scoring the overtime winner at 1:42.

“It was only fitting that I scored the winning goal after that penalty,” said a relieved Magee.

It was only the second playoff series victory in the nine-year history of the Chilliwack Bruins/Royals franchise, following up last year’s first-round sweep of the Spokane Chiefs.

“Saving 26 hours on the bus [to a potential Game 6 Monday in Prince George and back] was a motivating thing for us,” said Magee.

The Cougars played as well as a team can in losing a series by three games.

The last six minutes of regulation time Saturday were a whirlwind, which left the 5,839 fans in the Memorial Centre nearly hoarse.

Zach Pochiro’s third goal of the game tied it 3-3 for Prince George at 14:00 of the third period. Greg Chase’s third of the game looked to have it won for Victoria at 15:16.

But then came what could have been one of the costliest penalties in the franchise when the veteran Magee needlessly cleared a loose puck over the end boards in his own zone. Prince George, as it has done so often in the series, won the draw. That allowed the Cougars’ fine offensive-oriented defenceman Josh Connolly to tie it 4-4 on the power play at 18:46. It was Prince George’s eighth power-play goal of the series

A three-goal, first-period blitz, with two of them scored by Chase, staked Victoria to a 3-1 lead. Chase’s first goal came on the power play. The other for Victoria in the first came from Brandon Fushimi on an opportunistic wrap-around. Prince George answered in the first period with a goal by Pochiro, the St. Louis Blues-prospect who got in eight games of pro this season with the Alaska Aces of the ECHL.

Pochiro then absolutely tattooed a power-play slapshot to the back of the net at 15:14 of the second period to bring the Cougars to within one at 3-2. He would be heard from again. That PG goal was assisted by Jansen Harkins, the 18th-ranked North American skater for the 2015 NHL draft.

Neither team gave up, said Chase, who is under NHL contract to the Edmonton Oilers.

The Royals advance to the B.C. Division final, which are also the Western Conference semifinals, against the conference and league top-seed Kelowna Rockets. The best-of-seven series begins next Friday and Saturday in the Okanagan. The third and fourth games are the following Tuesday/Wednesday, April 14-15, in Victoria.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com