Overview:
The Victoria Royals have to be feeling pretty good about themselves. They have won two straight games, and have received timely offense, and terrific goaltending so far this season. They head into tonight’s game with a 2-1 record overall.
Who’s Up Front:
Perhaps the most dangerous player up front for Victoria last night was forward Robin Soudek. Soudek used his size to his advantage and was able to contribute with a goal and an assist. Soudek is averaging a goal a game so far this season, and the Cats will need to keep him in check if they want to earn two points.
Who’s on D:
The defensive stand out last night for Victoria was 20-year-old Hayden Rintoul. Rintoul skated with such poise, and moved the puck really well. There was nothing overly flashy about his game, but certainly Rintoul had a calming influence on his team last night, and contributed in a lot of small ways to their 5-4 shootout victory.
Who’s in Goal:
Head coach Marc Habscheid has an interesting decision to make here. Two games in two nights would normally mean that two different goalies get a chance to play. But when Keith Hamilton made 47 saves and two more in the shootout, it may be difficult to veer away from Hamilton. 20-year-old Braden Gamble and 17-year-old Jared Rathjen are the other alternatives in goal.
X-Factor:
17-year-old forward Steven Hodges is off to a strong start this season. In three games, Hodges has scored twice and has four points overall. Hodges scored a nice goal short-handed last night, and showed strong speed throughout the game. T he Cats will need to be aware of when Hodges is on the ice, and need to try and cool him off a little bit.
Overview:
The Prince George Cougars are 1-0-0-1 to start the season, and may have deserved a better fate than a shootout loss last night. They outshot Victoria by a wide margin of 52-25, and had several great chances to score. A similar offensive effort tonight will go a long way to help the Cats reach a 2-0-0-1 record.
Who’s Up Front:
It was a special night for two 16-year-old forwards. Both Alex Forsberg and Jarrett Fontaine scored their first ever WHL regular-season goals, and both did not look out of place at all. Add the likes of Jake Mykitiuk and Jordan Tkatch up front, and these 95-born players are showing that they can compete and contribute at this level.
Who’s on D:
Through the first two games Dan Gibb has been outstanding. Gibb has shown that he is reliable at both ends of the ice, and has shown some strong confidence with the puck. The Prince George d-man tallied an assist in last night’s game, and also logged some key minutes against the top Victoria forwards. The coaching staff has raved about Dan Gibb so far, and we’ll soon find out if he’s got another strong performance up his sleeve tonight.
Who’s in Goal:
Dean Clark has a tough call to make here. Does he go back with Drew Owsley? Or does he give Devon Fordyce his first start of the season? The Cats have a lengthy road-trip coming up, and I’m sure that Devon Fordyce will be given a game or two during that trip. Right now in my mind it’s a coin-flip, and I guess we will find out closer to game time which way Dean Clark will go with the goaltending tonight.
X-Factor:
The trio of Nick Buonassisi, Charles Inglis and Troy Bourke was great in last night’s game. They all skated well, controlled the puck nicely and provided two of the team’s four goals. It’ll be up to these three to once again lead the charge offensively and there’s no doubt in my mind that they are ready and willing to do so.
Tonight’s game goes at 7:00 from CN Centre.
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