Royals Look to Get Back on Track at Home This Weekend
The Royals will play their first home game in 2022 tomorrow as they look to get back in the right direction after a tough few weeks away from Victoria. After finishing 2021 with a stellar December, January has been a weird month for the team, having had three games postponed due to COVID-19 as well as playing without many of their usual skaters, including captain Tarun Fizer. Even after this latest stretch, the team is still in a playoff spot, but the fight to hold on to it and possibly move up a spot or two will continue throughout the remainder of the season.
The upcoming four-game home stand starts tomorrow against the Vancouver Giants. The Royals have had some great success against Vancouver this year and have won the last six games between the teams. The Giants also just recently traded away their captain and top forward Justin Sourdif in exchange for two future first round picks, so the time might be now to take advantage of Vancouver. In their last three against the Giants, the Royals were terrific defensively, letting in a combined four goals. This trend is definitely something they’ll look to continue tonight.
Saturday night’s game will feature the Royals taking on the Everett Silvertips for the first time since late November. The conference-leading Silvertips will be hungry for revenge after their first meeting ended in an overtime win for Victoria. In that win, the Royals were able to beat one of the league’s best goaltenders, Braden Holt, four times. If Victoria can come out victorious on Saturday, they will be hoping the momentum will carry them on a bit of a streak, just as their last win against Everett did. In fact, the Royals ended up with a record of 5-0-1 in the six games following their first win against the Silvertips.
The home games come to an end next week on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the Royals play back-to-back contests against the Kelowna Rockets. It’s safe to say that Kelowna has had Victoria’s number so far this season, so it may be an opportunity for the team to make a statement at home. One thing we learned from the last two games between these teams is that they don’t like each other very much, so taking advantage of the inevitable power play opportunities and being able to succeed on the penalty kill will be crucial for the Royals in their efforts to get some revenge against the Rockets.
After the games against Kelowna, the schedule will roll on into Kamloops as January comes to a close. Although it was not an ideal start to the month for Victoria, they still have many opportunities to turn things around and half a season to play. Their special teams continue to climb up the WHL’s rankings, while star players like Bailey Peach, Brayden Schuurman and Gannon Laroque have had a lasting impact on the scoresheet in almost every game. Rookie goaltender Tyler Palmer also bounced back very well after a tough series in Kelowna, making 31 saves on 33 shots to be awarded third star in the last loss to Prince George. Losing consecutive games is always tough, but sometimes a team can come out of a bad stretch better than they were before. The Royals already proved their resiliency earlier this year, and they’ll look to do it again in the upcoming games at Save On Foods Memorial.
For tickets to upcoming Royals games, visit the Victoria Royals ticketing page or call the Select Your Ticket box office at 250-220-7777.
The Royals are also offering two holiday ticket packages for fans this season. Buy four vouchers for $70 or six for $100 and receive a special Royals gift. This offer is valid until January 31, 2021.
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