This is a case of familiarity not necessarily breeding contempt.
The Victoria Royals and Tri-City Americans met for the first time Friday night since their second-round Western Hockey League playoff series last spring.
But about the only thing the same are the logos on front of the jerseys. Only seven Americans players remain on the roster from that series. The Royals, however, may have more of a collective memory with 10 returnees who skated against last season’s NHL-prospects loaded Tri-City team that swept Victoria before losing to Everett in the Western Conference final.
The Royals (25-20-2) seemed intent on washing away that bitter vistage by building a 3-1 first-period lead en route to a 5-2 victory before 5,558 fans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Victoria defenceman Ralph Jarratt had a heck of an opening period with a power-play goal and direct assist on Igor Martynov’s eighth goal of the season. Logan Doust scored Victoria’s other goal in the first.
Krystof Hrabik, returning to the Blanshard Street venue of the Czech Republic’s loss to the U.S. in the quarter-finals of the 2019 world junior championship, snapped home a goal for Tri-City (25-19-3) in the first period.
Fourth-round Anaheim Ducks draft pick Kyle Olson of Tri-City made it 3-2 on the power play at 7:32 of the third period. With the game suddenly in the balance, always-pressing forward Kody McDonald dug the puck out of the offensive side boards on a Tri-City turnover and fed D-Jay Jerome’s 19th goal of the season at 8:35 to restore Victoria's two-goal lead. Tarun Fizer sealed it by spritely skating almost ice-length for an empty-net goal.
The game featured two of the best undrafted veteran goaltenders in the WHL. Nineteen-year-old Tri-City starter Beck Warm, a Whistler native in his yeoman 43rd appearance of the season with an admirable 2.85 goals-against average considering his work load, made 25 saves.
Twenty-year-old Victoria starter Griffen Outhouse, also no stranger to heavy rotation, made 24 saves in his 35th appearance.
Victoria and Tri-City conclude their two-game set tonight on Blanshard.
