Royals Fall in Overtime to Cougars
Victoria, BC. — The Royals were back at the CN Centre tonight for the second of back-to-back road games against the Prince George Cougars. A tightly contested standoff would end with a loss for the Royals, as Victoria fell in overtime to their divisional rivals.
Prince George took an early lead on their first shot of the game, as Kayden Lemire found the puck in front of the net and went between the legs to beat Ethan Eskit. Nolan Stewart would later provide an answer on a hard shot that trickled in behind the Cougars goaltender to tie the game at one. The Cougars swiftly took back the lead with a rebound goal from Jett Lajoie that was confirmed to be legal after review for a possible kicking motion. Prince George maintained their lead, and the first period came to an end with the Royals down a goal.
After the first half of the middle frame saw both sides trading chances, Ludovic Perreault would break through late in the period to bring the Royals even with Prince George. The period ended with the Royals and Cougars deadlocked at 2-2.
A back-and-forth third period featured end-to-end action as tension built and tempers flared. The scoreless frame culminated in a flurry of saves from Ethan Eskit to keep the game tied, and the Royals would once again enter overtime. The Cougars would prevail in the extra frame, the game winner coming from Kooper Gizowski.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
2:32 Prince George Cougars Goal
Kayden Lemire (7) assisted by Dmitri Yakutsenak and Townes Kozicky
13:36 Victoria Royals Goal
Nolan Stewart (10) assisted by Ludovic Perreault and Henry Peterson
19:28 Prince George Cougars Goal
Jett Lajoie (14) assisted by Lee Shurgot and Aiden Foster
2nd Period
13:52 Victoria Royals Goal
Ludovic Perreault (12) assisted by Eli McKamey and Nolan Stewart
3rd Period
No scoring
Overtime
3:01 Prince George Cougars Goal
Kooper Gizowski (15) assisted by Terik Parascak and Bauer Dumanski
Shots on Goal
Royals – 23
Cougars – 20
Powerplay
Royals – 0/1
Cougars – 0/1
Goalie Stats
Royals
Ethan Eskit – 17/20
Cougars
Alexander Levshyn – 21/23
What’s Next
The Royals will head south to face the Penticton Vees on December 30 for their final game of 2025, before returning home for a New Year’s Day showdown with the Calgary Hitmen.
