Overview:
The Victoria Royals come into tonight’s game with a record of 18-34-2-4. They have 42 points on the season and are currently sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference standings. With the 4-2 victory last night, the Royals snapped a five game losing streak.
Who’s Up Front:
Steven Hodges was named the game’s first star last night for the Royals. He scored once and added an assist on the game-winner. Hodges was all over the ice, and made several key plays at both ends of the ice.
Who’s on D:
Defensively the Royals relied heavily on 19-year-old defenceman Tyler Stahl who made his return to the lineup after serving a suspension. Stahl was one of many Royals defenders who played physically and effectively. His offensive numbers won’t wow you, but Stahl showed last night that he can be a key contributor for Victoria.
Who’s in Goal:
Keith Hamilton has four victories this season against the Prince George Cougars. Last night he stopped 18 of the 20 shots he faced and came up big for his team late in the third period when the Cougars were coming on hard. Hamilton has 17 of the Royals 18 victories this season.
X-Factor:
The Victoria power play was the difference in last night’s game. They went two-for-five on the man advantage, and both goals were scored at the tail-end of the power plays too. The Cougars will need to try and keep Victoria’s power play in check tonight.
Overview:
The Prince George Cougars head into tonight’s game with a record of 18-36-0-2. They are 3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games, and are still in the hunt for a playoff spot through 56 games. Even though this team has been through some ups-and-downs this season, you have to credit their resolve for being able to hang in there. A win tonight would put them right back where they started the weekend.
Who’s Up Front:
It was a solid outing last night for both Jordan Tkatch and Jarrett Fontaine. Both were a +2 in last night’s game and Tkatch recorded an assist on Jake Mykitiuk’s fifth of the season. The Cougars will need a similar effort from those guys again tonight.
Who’s on D:
Defensively the Cougars had their moments of brilliance last night, but they also their moments of struggle. Losing Cody Carlson was a big set-back for the Cougars who really missed his services on the power play. Carlson (who is from Victoria) will no doubt want to bring his best tonight, for it may be the last time he plays a WHL game in this building.
Who’s in Goal:
Drew Owsley battled through some difficult circumstances in last night’s game and stopped 22 of the 26 shots he faced. He made some glorious saves off of Zane Jones in particular, and if called upon again tonight you know that he’ll be ready. The Cougars backup goaltender is Devon Fordyce who is 1-7-0-1 and the Cougars also have prospect goaltender Ty Edmonds with them this weekend. Edmonds has a bye week from Midget AAA, so he’s joined the Cougars to get a taste of life in the WHL.
X-Factor:
Tonight the trio of Troy Bourke, Spencer Asuchak and Daulton Siwak will be looked upon to lead the charge offensively. These three had their moments in last night’s game, but were largely kept in check by the Royals defense. Bourke, Siwak and Asuchak are too skilled to be kept silent for long, and if they can break out in tonight’s game, the Cougars may very well head to Portland trailing the Royals by just two points instead of six.
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