The last time the Victoria Royals played in the Western Hockey League playoffs, the Kansas City Chiefs had yet to win another Super Bowl since upsetting Joe Kapp and the Minnesota Vikings in 1969-70.
The Royals will make their first post-season appearance since 2018-19 thanks to the Rockets’ 6-1 victory over the Western Conference ninth-place Tri-City Americans on Wednesday night in Kelowna.
Going into the game, the Royals’ magic number was one with any combination of a further Victoria win or overtime/shootout loss, or a loss of any kind by the ninth-place Americans, clinching for the Royals a post-season berth five years in the making after the pandemic forced the cancellations of the 2020 and 2021 playoffs and Victoria failed to qualify for the past two post-seasons in 2022 and 2023.
The Royals would obviously have liked to have clinched it with a win, but it was coming, regardless.
“This is a milestone and testament to the players and coaches and the work they have put in,” said Joey Poljanowski, in his first season as Royals vice-president of hockey operations.
Poljanowski added the work is not done as the Royals look ahead to not only finally returning to the post-season, but making an impact once there, despite the team’s acute current injury situation.
The Royals (28-25-9) have six regular-season games remaining and are in Everett on Friday against the Silvertips and back at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on Saturday against the Silvertips for the back end of their home-and-home set.
The Royals will conclude the regular season with two home games on Blanshard each against the Prince George Cougars and Wenatchee Wild.
The WHL playoffs begin March 29.
