WCQF | Game #4 | Recap | Winterhawks (4) @ Royals (1)
Victoria, BC – It was another night of playoff hockey in the Provincial Capital as the Victoria Royals (0-4) aimed to fend off elimination on home ice at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre against the Portland Winterhawks (4-0). The two sides squared off the night prior with the Winterhawks prevailing 6-5 in a back and forth contest. As the series reached its first elimination game, the story stayed the same in net as Braden Holt (0-3, 5.18 GAA, .848 save percentage) earned the start for the Royals, while Jan Špunar (3-0, 3.00 GAA, .888 save percentage).
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Portland was able to silence the rambunctious home crowd in Victoria with an early goal. Josh Zakreski (1) was the beneficiary of a quick tic-tac-toe passing play. Detroit Red Wings draft-pick Nate Danielson kept the puck in at the blueline following an intercepted clearance effort from Victoria. From there, Danielson found Seattle Kraken draft-pick Tyson Jugnuath streaking down from the right flank, and he fired the puck to Zakreski at the back door, who redirected the puck past Holt to make it 1-0 Portland.
Midway through the first, Portland would strike again, and in similar fashion. Josh Zakreski (2) doubled down on his early tally as he found himself alone at the back door of the Royals’ net. The play was set up from the left side of Holt as Kyle Chyzowski fired the puck cross-ice and onto the stick of Zakreski, who made no mistake. Philadelphia Flyers draft-pick Carter Sotheran gathered the secondary helper on the scoring play.
The two quick strikes from Portland prompted Head Coach James Patrick to use the Royals thirty-second timeout, which seemed to give the Victoria new life.
Portland found themselves short-handed in back-to-back situations in the final six minutes of the period, with James Stefan and Luca Cagnoni each sitting for two minutes. The Winterhawks were able to successfully kill off the first Victoria man-advantage but couldn’t complete the perfect period. Sixteen-year-old Cole Reschny (1) earned his first career playoff goal in his first playoff run with a powerplay tally. The skilled forward received a pass from Justin Kipkie, who anchored himself at the top of the powerplay unit. From there, Reschny let a quick snap-shot go that found its way through a small hole in Jan Špunar’s gear and trickled in to pull Victoria within one. Dawson Pasternak added a secondary assist on the scoring play.
Reschny’s goal on the man-advantage was the final marker of the first frame as Portland carried a 2-1 lead into the second, outshooting Victoria 19-7.
The middle stanza was at a different pace than the first, as the opening 16:35 of the period kept both sides off the scoresheet. That was until Florida Panthers draft-pick Josh Davies (3) made his presence known with his seventh point of the series. Davies found the back of the Royals’ net to make it 3-1 with assistance from Ryder Thompson and Marcus Nguyen.
Davies’ goal in the late stages of the second was the only entry on the scoresheet during the period, which sent the Winterhawks into the third period with a 3-1 advantage.
Early in the third, Portland would tighten their stranglehold on the game as they added their fourth of the contest on a scramble play in front of the Royals’ net. Kyle Chyzowski (1) was the one who tallied the marker after numerous big saves from Braden Holt. Diego Buttazzoni and Josh Zakreski earned the helpers on the play as Portland extended their lead to three goals early in the third.
The goal from Chyzowski was the final nail in the coffin as Portland took game four, 4-1, and the series, 4-0.