Royals earn second consecutive road win
Prince George, BC. — The Victoria Royals hit the road for their first game after the holiday break, taking on the Prince George Cougars tonight in the first game of a weekend double-header. Led by a hat trick performance from Heath Nelson, the Royals earned their first win against Prince George, besting the Cougars 6-1.
Ludovic Perrault had one of the first dangerous chances of the game, but his shot was blocked by the stick of the Prince George goaltender, and the game remained scoreless through the majority of the opening frame. The Royals struck first with a goal from Hayden Moore at 18:01 of the first period, assisted by Odin Vauhkonen and Timofei Runtso, and the Royals led 1-0 headed into the first intermission.
Heath Nelson gave the Royals a 2-0 lead with a power-play marker, assisted by Reggie Newman and Timofei Runtso, in the opening seconds of the second period. Caleb Matthews followed with a diving goal assisted by Ludovic Perreault at 2:38 of the frame, and Reggie Newman took the four-goal lead with a top-shelf snipe less than a minute later, assisted by Roan Woodward and Hayden Moore. Heath Nelson earned his second goal of the game just past the midway mark of the second period, assisted by Eli McKamey and Henry Peterson, to bring the score to 5-0.
Just over a minute after his second goal, Heath Nelson converted on a power play, assisted by Nolan Stewart and Caleb Matthews, to complete his first career WHL hat trick. Corbin Vaughn responded with the lone Cougars goal of the game at 13:23, but the Royals held the 6-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.
The Royals killed a penalty around the halfway mark of the third period, and after two minutes of 4-on-4 play towards the end of the game, the Royals held their 6-1 lead to earn their second consecutive win on the road.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
18:01 Victoria Royals Goal
Hayden Moore (12) assisted by Odin Vauhkonen and Timofei Runtso
2nd Period
0:19 Victoria Royals Goal
Heath Nelson (7) assisted by Reggie Newman and Timofei Runtso
2:38 Victoria Royals Goal
Caleb Matthews (6) assisted by Ludovic Perreault
3:35 Victoria Royals Goal
Reggie Newman (7) assisted by Roan Woodward and Hayden Moore
10:01 Victoria Royals Goal
Heath Nelson (8) assisted by Eli McKamey and Henry Peterson
11:29 Victoria Royals Goal
Heath Nelson (9) assisted by Nolan Stewart and Caleb Matthews
13:23 Prince George Cougars Goal
Corbin Vaughn (5) assisted by Aiden Foster and Shaun Rios
3rd Period
No Scoring
Shots on Goal
Royals – 29
Cougars – 26
Powerplay
Royals – 2/3
Cougars – 0/1
Goalie Stats
Royals
Ethan Eskit – 25/26
Cougars
Alexander Levshyn – 16/21
Lewis Preston – 7/8
What’s Next
The Royals and Cougars face off again tomorrow night to close their double-header, with puck drop set for 5:00 PM at the CN Centre.
