The outcome of Tuesday鈥檚 hockey game was a keen disappointment for players and fans, but the Victoria Royals deserve thanks and a hearty round of applause for a great season.
In the deciding game of the Western Conference semifinals, the Royals lost 3-2 to the Kelowna Rockets, the defending Western Hockey League champions who will go on to play the Seattle Thunderbirds in the conference finals.
Except for the minor matter of the final score in Tuesday鈥檚 nail-biter of a game, it doesn鈥檛 get much better than this: Game 7 in the series, a last-second score to tie the game and send it into overtime, a capacity crowd of more than 7,000 rooting for the hometown team.
Sure, a victory would have topped it off perfectly, but it鈥檚 the uncertainty of the outcome that gets the adrenalin going. A series fought to the bitter end is far more captivating than a four-game rout.
The last time hockey saw a Game 7 in Victoria was in 1981, when little-known forward Terry Sydoryk of the Victoria Cougars slipped a puck past Mike Vernon of the Calgary Wranglers, propelling the Cougars to the league title.
This was supposed to be a building year for a young team, but the Royals exceeded expectations, fighting their way to become the first-place WHL team in the regular season.
Armchair coaches are no doubt dissecting the series, expounding on what the Royals should and shouldn鈥檛 have done, but no more so than the players themselves, yet that doesn鈥檛 detract from the fact that they played well.
There鈥檚 no doubt considerable sting to losing the final game 鈥� particularly after coming within less than a second of victory 鈥� but there鈥檚 no shame.
This is an active town, known for more participating in recreation than supporting spectator sports. Yet on an evening more suited for running along Dallas Road or cycling along the Galloping Goose than sitting around a hockey rink, the Royals drew a sellout crowd.
If this was a building year for the Royals, it bodes well for the next season. We wish them the best.
