Hello, Victoria Royals and Vancouver Giants. Meet quirk in schedule. As in three consecutive Western Hockey League games against each other, beginning tonight at the Langley Events Centre, and concluding Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
“We’re treating it like a mini-playoff series, and I’m sure Vancouver is, too,” said Royals head coach Dan Price.
“This is what it’s going to be like in the playoffs . . . the home-and-homes and quick turnarounds.”
The Giants lead the B.C. Division at 39-14-3 and have already clinched a playoff berth, one of four WHL teams to have done so, along with Everett, Portland and Prince Albert.
It wasn’t always like this for the Giants. Prior to last season, Vancouver had missed the playoffs for three consecutive years and four of the previous five seasons.
“They [Giants] have been retooling throughout my career — missing the playoffs my first two years in the league, taking us to seven games in the playoffs last year, and now leading the division,” said fourth-season Royals defenceman Scott Walford.
Victoria must be wary of the Giants’ skilled blue-liner Bowen Byram, who has 21 goals and 55 points, and is ranked a top-10 overall selection for the 2019 NHL draft. But Walford, a 2017 third-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens, isn’t overly far off that production and has recorded career highs this season of nine goals, 35 assists and 44 points.
“I knew if I played my game [defensively], the points would come offensively,” said Walford, who has five assists in his last three games.
“And the coaching staff has come up with a few wrinkles to get me [up higher into the play].”
The Royals (30-24-3) are second in the B.C. Division but have little chance of overtaking the Giants, who are 18 points ahead with a game in hand. Victoria, however, is firmly ensconced as the divisional second seed, 10 points ahead of third-place Kelowna.
A reprise of last year’s first-round playoff meeting between Victoria and Vancouver is remote in the extreme this season, but maybe it’s time to send a message all the same, should the Royals meet the Giants later in the post-season.
“It would be ideal to take six points away from them, all in a weekend,” said Royals goaltender Griffen Outhouse.
It won’t be an easy start to that quest tonight in the Giants’ den. Despite losing 5-3 at home to Portland on Monday, the Giants are 22-6-2 at the LEC.
The Langley area and adjacent environs have also been home to the numerous players the Royals have drafted or signed out of the Lower Mainland over the years. Included in that group is Walford, who hails from Coquitlam.
“It’s always special going to play the Giants because it’s so close to home and I get to see my family and friends and even have dinner at home,” said Walford.
“I even remember playing in the Pee Wee provincial championships in the LEC.”
Walford hopes to have few more games in the building before this upcoming post season is done because it appears the road to divisional glory will have to go through the LEC.
Meanwhile, Outhouse enters the weekend tripleheader against Vancouver with 111 career WHL wins, seventh on the all-time league goaltender list, and nine behind co-leaders Corey Hirsch and Tyson Sexsmith, who finished with 120 career victories each.
“I’m not concerned about that,” said Outhouse, when asked about stalking the record with only 11 games remaining.
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