VICTORIA 7
VANCOUVER 3
听
The Vancouver Giants threw a spanner on the tracks for nearly two periods Saturday night. But it鈥檚 going to take more than that, apparently, to derail this relentless freight express known as the Victoria Royals. It keeps barrelling unabated toward the first WHL regular-season title in the 10-year history of the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals franchise.
Victoria鈥檚 7-3 victory, before 6,311 fans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, was its eighth in a row and established a franchise record for most home wins in a season with 23.
The Royals (45-16-6) are five points clear of Kelowna for the most points in the league with time now not the friend of the Rockets in the ever-diminishing season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for us to continue to stay in the moment and continue to win games,鈥� said Royals coach Dave Lowry.
Vancouver had it tied at 3-3.
鈥淚f we didn鈥檛 get to work, we certainly would this week [in practice]. There is a price to be paid,鈥� said Lowry.
He needed say no more.
鈥淥ur conditioning in the third period was the difference,鈥� said Lowry.
Victoria forward Vladimir Bobylev, a steal last summer from the Giants, coolly shifted around Vancouver goaltender Jake Morrissey to score the winning goal on a penalty shot with 40 seconds remaining in the second period. The Russian import smashed home a slap shot for good measure to make it 5-3 early in the third. And with two assists, he also had a hand in the final four Victoria goals.
鈥淚 am getting more ice time and have good linemates,鈥� said Bobylev of his jump from three goals with the Giants last season to 25 this season in Victoria.
Tyler Soy scored twice to extend his team-leading total to 40 goals, which is the most in a single season in the five years the franchise has played in Victoria.
鈥淚t feels special, but I have to give credit to the guys I鈥檓 playing with,鈥� said Soy.
鈥淚 had a frustrating first half of the season, but I stuck with it.鈥�
Alex Forsberg, on the power play with his 25th of the season, Jack Walker, with his 31st, and Ethan Price, with his 10th, scored the other Royals goals.
The dismal Giants (23-37-8), meanwhile, have lost 13 of their past 16 games.
There was a brief burst of good news for the languishing squad as 20-year-old forward Trevor Cox, a former Medicine Hat star, assisted to record his 300th career WHL point.
Former Royals forward Taylor Crunk of the Giants was awarded the game third star in the 20-year-old鈥檚 final appearance on Blanshard.
Victoria won the 10-game series against its cross-strait rivals 7-3.
The Prince George Cougars, a trendy team that many in the pre-season had projected to be in the position Victoria is now, make the trek down to the Island for games Friday night and Sunday afternoon.
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This story has been updated to correct the dates for the next games.
