Weekend Preview: November 29th – 30th
After nearly a month on the road, the Victoria Royals are set to return home this weekend, facing the Seattle Thunderbirds in a back-to-back set of games beginning on Nov. 29, at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 pm.
Friday’s game will be the second meeting between the two sides this season. Their last matchup was on Nov. 9, where the Royals won with a final score of 5-2. Cole Reschny, Teydon Trembecky and Hayden Moore had a strong game, as each enjoyed two-point nights. Additionally, netminder Jayden Kraus saw 35 shots in the match, turning 33 away.
Most recently, the Royals topped the WHL-leading Everett Silvertips 3-2 in a tightly contested game that required overtime to decide a winner. In the second period, the Royals faced a 2-0 deficit. However, goals from both Trembecky and Brayden Boehm would equalize the score. In overtime, blueliner Nate Misskey scored the game-sealing goal.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
VICTORIA
Jayden Kraus — The 18-year-old netminder, who hails from Prince Albert, SK, is sporting a 3.49 GAA with a .897 save percentage thus far in 2024-25. The goalie has earned a win in three of his last five starts and carries a record of 8-4-3-1 after 18 outings. Kraus is in the midst of his second full season with the Royals, the netminder was selected by the club in the third round of the 2021 WHL Draft with the 46th selection.
SEATTLE
Nathan Pilling — This season, the 20-year-old from Calgary, AB, has recorded 23 points with nine helpers and a team-leading 14 goals in 20 appearances. Pilling is amid a five-game point streak. In this span, the winger has amassed six points from three goals and three assists, which includes a two-point performance against the Everett Silvertips on Nov. 16. Earlier this week, Pilling was named an assistant captain by the Thunderbirds.
CURRENT SEASON RECORDS
VICTORIA — (13W-8L-3OTL–1SOL-TP30) — 5th in Western Conference
SEATTLE — (8W-13L-2OTL-1SOL-TP19) — 11th in Western Conference
ROYALS UPCOMING SCHEDULE
- November 29, v. SEA • 7:05 pm
- November 30, v. SEA • 6:05 pm
- December 3, v. REG • 7:05 pm
- December 7, v. KEL • 6:05 pm
- December 8, v. KEL • 3:05 pm
WATCH & LISTEN
Radio broadcast
All Victoria Royals games can be heard on JACK 103.1, a division of Canada’s #1 sports media brand, for the 2024-25 season.
Online video stream
All Royals games will be available on WHL Live. WHL Live is available to fans anywhere in the world, providing high-quality streaming of WHL games on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV platforms, via mobile with iOS and Android, and on the web using Safari or Google Chrome web browsers. Visit watch.chl.ca for complete details and subscription options.
Written by Erick Dominguez
