ROYALS BACK AT IT AGAINST COUGARS
With the Western Hockey League Christmas break now over, the Victoria Royals continue their road to the playoffs with a pair of home games against their BC Division rivals from Prince George Friday and Saturday at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
The Royals look to continue their success against the Cougars this season, as they head into their fifth meeting of the year on a three game win streak in the season series. All four encounters have been close as three of the first four games have been decided by just a goal, which includes their last clash on December 1 which the Royals won 4-3 on the road. Although Victoria dropped its final two games before the break, they come into the weekend with a record of 17-14-0-2, good for sixth spot in the Western Conference. The Royals are eight points clear of the eighth seeded Cougars and Everett Silvertips. The Royals have also been strong at home as they boast a 10-5-0-1 record and won their last game in the BC Capital on December 8 with a 2-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos.
Logan Nelson has recorded the most points against the Cougars in the season series so far, with five assists in four games. Ben Walker and Jamie Crooks have both scored three goals against the Cougars in four games. Royals’ goalie Patrik Polivka has posted a .922 save percentage against the Cougars in four games, with a 3-0-0-0 record.
The Cougars, who will play three games in three nights this weekend, went into the Christmas break on a high note with back-to-back wins over the Vancouver Giants on home ice. The Cougars went into the break with three straight games against the Giants and will meet them again on Sunday. The Cougars are 12-18-1-3 on the season and only four of their 16 games against BC division teams. Tonight is the fourth game of eight straight against division rivals for the Cougars. Forward Colin Jacobs leads the Cougars with 11 goals and 26 points on the season and recently returned to the line-up after he served a six game suspension for a check to the head penalty against the Royals on November 30.
Puck drop is 7:05pm Friday and Saturday. The Royals and Cougars will finish their season series with back-to-back games in Prince George February 1 and 2. Season tickets, mini packs and single game tickets are still available. Guarantee yourself the best seats by visiting www.victoriaroyals.com, calling 250-220-7889, or emailing [email protected] before it’s too late!
