Royals fall to Giants in first leg of home-and-home series
The two sides will play each other for the final time this season tomorrow night in Victoria
Forward Carter Dereniwsky scored two points on a goal and an assist in a 4-2 loss to the Vancouver Giants at the Langley Events Centre on Friday.
The Canora, SK product has recorded 16 total points on seven goals and nine assists this season.
Two early second period goals would give the Giants a lead they would never relinquish, despite multiple attempts by the Royals, who cut the deficit to one goal on two occasions in the contest.
Forward Teague Patton would count the only other goal from Victoria in the game, while starting goaltender Braden Holt made 29 saves on 33 shots.
Slovakia-born forward Samuel Honzek would finish as the top-performer for the Giants in the win, scoring two goals, including the game-winner, while starting goaltender Jesper Vikman stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced in the game.
Vancouver (23-28-5-2) would open the scoring at 1:31 of the second on a goal by forward Kyren Gronick (4) after the first period passed without a goal from either side.
The Giants would soon add on with a marker by forward Ty Halaburda (17) at the 2:28 mark of the second to put them up 2-0.
However, Victoria (15-38-6-1) would cut the lead in half on a goal by forward Teague Patton (13) at 5:59 of the frame, with forwards Carter Dereniwsky and Robin Sapousek with the assists.
Vancouver would regain their two goal advantage late in the period, with forward Samuel Honzek (20) scoring at the 17:48 mark to bring the score to 3-1 entering the third.
The Royals would pull back within one after a goal by Carter Dereniwsky (7) at 17:39 of the third, with forward Brayden Schuurman with the assist.
However, the comeback attempt would be quickly snuffed out by the Giants, as forward Samuel Honzek (21) collected his second of the game at the 18:03 mark to bring the score to 4-2, where it would remain at the end of regulation.
Victoria and Vancouver will face off for the final time in the 2022-2023 season tomorrow night at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, where puck drop is set for 6:05 pm.
Saturday’s game in Victoria will mark the second annual Island Bowl, presented by Lighthouse Brewing, between Victoria and Vancouver as well as the first BEAT VANCOUVER-themed game.
BEAT VANCOUVER is a partnership between Langford’s Pacific FC and the Royals celebrating the brand-new rivalry between PFC and Vancouver FC as well as the longstanding one between the Royals and Giants.
Specially-designed BEAT VANCOUVER t-shirts will be available for purchase at the Royals Team Store for $25 each, with partial proceeds going towards KidSport Greater Victoria.
Saturday’s game will feature $5 beer specials, two live DJs, and a meet-and-greet with multiple Pacific FC players. Tickets starting at $10 can be purchased at selectyourtickets.com.
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Multiple ticket packages are available for purchase, including a Family Pack, Group Pack, VictoriaNow Family Section, Vizzy Section and Molson Ice Seats. Call our ticket office at 250-220-7889, send an email to [email protected] or visit our website to learn more victoriaroyals.com/ticket-promos.
About the Victoria Royals
The Victoria Royals are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) owned and operated by GSL Group. The Royals play all their home games at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre and have entered their 12th season of their existence.
About Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre (SOFMC) is designed, constructed, developed and operated by GSL Group. SOFMC is Victoria’s premier entertainment facility and the largest arena in British Columbia outside Vancouver. The state-of-the-art 7,000 seat facility is home to the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League and regularly hosts large-scale concerts and other special events such as figure skating, curling, plays, trade shows and conferences. SOFMC also features a fine dining Lion’s Den Restaurant, as well as retail and meeting space.
