VANCOUVER 5 VICTORIA 0
The new Western Hockey League season began for the Victoria Royals much the same way the old one ended.
The Royals, last among the 22 WHL teams in the 2020-21 pandemic bubble season, took it on the chin again to start the new campaign with a 5-0 loss against the Vancouver Giants.
Justin Sourdif of the Giants, a third round NHL draft pick of the Florida Panthers, began where he left off last spring as the B.C. Division MVP.
Sourdif scored before fresh season was five minutes old, on a two-on-one assist from Boston Bruins first-round draft pick Fabian Lysell from Sweden. It didn’t get much better for the Royals as Adam Hall, on an assist from Sourdif, Connor Horning and Victoria-raised Payton Mount top corner made it 4-0 before the game was 13 minutes old.
The Giants broke the game open in a span of three goals in two minutes and 33 seconds. Mazden Leslie closed out scoring in the third period.
Vancouver outshot Victoria 32-12 after two periods. The Royals hit three posts in the game.
It was the first WHL regular-season game in 581 days in the Memorial Centre. Perhaps fittingly, the visitors Saturday were the same as on March 1, 2020. The only difference was the latter was a 4-1 Royals victory with a much more veteran team two seasons ago. Things changed and Victoria was the youngest team in the WHL last season in the bubble. The rebuild has rolled into this season.
The Royals were missing captain Tarun Fizer, an undrafted prospect who is in the NHL training camp of the Colorado Avalanche, which is encouraging for the Victoria club.
Meanwhile, to satisfy provincial health regulations for indoor sporting events, fans needed to show proof of vaccination and seating was limited to half capacity, as in all the B.C. Division rinks. That is 3,503 for the Memorial Centre and it looked to be that many on hand Saturday.
Victoria hosts the Kelowna Rockets on Friday and next Saturday.
The Royals will get to know the Giants and Rockets well, as all the other teams in the B.C. Division. Because of the closed Canada-U.S. border to all but essential travel, the regular season WHL Western Conference will open with only games against divisional opponents. Games against U.S. Division teams are scheduled to begin in November for B.C. Division clubs but that all depends on whether the U.S. reopens the border.
“That is a concern, no question,” said WHL commissioner Ron Robison. “Contingency plans are in place.”
Robison did not detail what those were. But there is little doubt there are various versions of the schedule at the ready.
“Fans are the lifeblood of the WHL,” said Robison.
“COVID remains a challenge for all of us, but our arenas will be ready and will be safe. We have planned to meet or exceed all health regulations in our jurisdictions [which encompass four provinces and two U.S. states].”
The WHL has mandated all players and staff be fully vaccinated and Robison said the league is at 100 per cent compliance.
“There have been no requests to opt out,” he said.
