Game Preview: Royals @ Thunderbirds – January 7th, 2025
The Victoria Royals are back on the road this week and set to visit the Seattle Thunderbirds on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at the accesso ShoWare Center with puck drop set for 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday will mark the fourth meeting between the two sides this season with the Royals carrying a 2-0-0-1 record. Their last matchup was on Nov. 30, when the Royals took a commanding 6-1 win in Victoria. Five different Royals netted goals in the contest, with blueliner Keaton Verhoeff recording his second multigoal performance of the season.
The Royals are coming off a sweep of the league-leading Everett Silvertips during a two-game series this past weekend, with neither game being finished in regulation. On Friday, Jan. 3, the Royals won 2-1 in overtime, and the following night they clawed back from a 2-0 deficit and pushed the game into a shootout where the Royals won 4-3.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
VICTORIA
Kenta Isogai — Acquired by the Royals on Jan. 2, and hailing from Nagano, Japan, Isogai has already shown his offensive skills with his new club. The 20-year-old winger has appeared in 30 games—28 with the Wenatchee Wild—and has netted 15 goals with 25 helpers for 40 points. In the Royals’ recent two-game series with the Silvertips, Isogai recorded helpers in both games, as well as scoring in the shootout during Saturday’s win.
SEATTLE
Braeden Cootes — The Thunderbirds’ leading scorer, who hails from Sherwood Park, Alta, has been a cornerstone for the club this season. Through 34 outings, the 17-year-old has racked up 32 points from 14 goals and 18 assists with six multi-point performances. In 9 games during December the centerman recorded 10 points with five assists and found himself on the scoresheet in five games.
CURRENT SEASON RECORDS
VICTORIA — (20W-11L-3OTL–4SOL-TP47) — 4th in Western Conference
SEATTLE — (12W-23L-2OTL-1SOL-TP27) — 11th in Western Conference
ROYALS UPCOMING SCHEDULE
- January, 7 @ SEA • 7:05 pm
- January, 10 @ WEN • 7:00 pm
- January, 11 @ TC • 6:05 pm
- January, 15 v. BDN • 7:05 pm
- January, 17 v. KAM • 7:05 pm
WATCH & LISTEN
Radio broadcast
All Victoria Royals games can be heard on JACK 103.1, a division of Canada’s #1 sports media brand, for the 2024-25 season.
Online video stream
All Royals games will be available on WHL Live. WHL Live is available to fans anywhere in the world, providing high-quality streaming of WHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on the web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit watch.chl.ca for complete details and subscription options.
Written by Erick Dominguez