Royals fend off Winterhawks in 3-2 Victory
Portland, OR – The Victoria Royals closed their US road swing tonight, taking on the Portland Winterhawks for the first time this season at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum. A high-shooting affair in Portland saw goaltender Ethan Eskit make 40 saves, helping to secure a 3-2 win for the Royals.
Nolan Stewart opened the scoring with an unassisted marker at 9:33 of the first frame, and the Royals held the 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.
The Royals extended their lead with a power play goal from Timofei Runtso, assisted by Ludovic Perreault and Hayden Moore, just before the midway mark of the second period. Victoria’s special teams continued their strong performance through the second half of the frame, killing two penalties, including just under a minute of 5-on-3 play. Goaltender Ethan Eskit saved 13 Winterhawks shots in the second period, and the Royals held their 2-0 lead headed into the second intermission.
Ashton Brown struck early in the third period, assisted by Heath Nelson and Miles Cooper, to bring the score to 3-0 Royals less than a minute into the frame. The Winterhawks got on the board with a goal from Reed Brown at 7:47 of the third period. After pulling their goalie in the dying minutes of the game, Ryan Miller brought the Winterhawks within one with just over one minute remaining in the third frame, but the Royals held their one-goal lead and finished with the 3-2 victory.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
9:33 Victoria Royals Goal
Nolan Stewart (2) unassisted
2nd Period
9:34 Victoria Royals Goal
Timofei Runtso (3) assisted by Ludovic Perreault Hayden Moore
3rd Period
0:41 Victoria Royals Goal
Ashton Brown (4) assisted by Heath Nelson and Miles Cooper
7:47 Portland Winterhawks Goal
Reed Brown (4) assisted by Nathan Brown and Jordan Duguay
18:59 Portland Winterhawks Goal
Ryan Miller (5) assisted by Alex Weiermair and Nathan Free
Shots on Goal
Royals – 27
Winterhawks – 42
Powerplay
Royals – 1/2
Winterhawks – 0/4
Goalie Stats
Royals
Ethan Eskit – 40/42
Winterhawks
Ondrej Štěbeták – 24/27
What’s Next
The Royals will kick off a four-game homestand with a weekend double-header against the Penticton Vees at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Puck drop is slated for 6:05 PM on Saturday, November 1st and 2:05 PM on Sunday, November 2nd. Get your tickets here.
