The importance of goaltending in the post-season can not be overestimated.
Both Cole Cheveldave of the Kamloops Blazers and Patrik Polivka of the Victoria Royals turned in tremendous performances Friday night but it was Cheveldave who came away with the win.
The 3-2 Kamloops victory gave the host Blazers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round Western Hockey League playoff series.
JC Lipon, who represented sa国际传媒 at the world junior championship earlier this year in Ufa, Russia, broke a tie with his second goal of the night to give Kamloops the winner at 4:37 of the third period before 4,638 fans at the Interior Savings Centre.
Cheveldave, named the first-star, had only 22 saves but several were high quality. Cheveldave denied forwards Mitch Deacon, Jamie Crooks and twice Logan Nelson on excellent chances in the third period. And defenceman Keegan Kanzig rattled a shot off the post, as Victoria pressed for an equalizer that never came.
鈥淥ur guys played hard and deserved a better fate tonight,鈥� said Royals head coach Dave Lowry.
鈥淲e generated all kinds of chances but came up short. [Cheveldave] made some big saves with the game on the line.鈥�
Polivka, making his first start in eight games due to a lower-body issue, had earlier held the Royals in it with several stellar stops in the opening two periods and finished with 33 saves.
鈥淲e knew Patrik would do well and he did,鈥� said Lowry.
The Western Conference sixth-seed Royals (35-30-7 in the regular season) and third-seed Blazers (47-20-5) are meeting in the first round for the second consecutive season after the Blazers swept the Royals 4-0 last year.
The second game is tonight in Kamloops before the series swings to the capital region Tuesday and Thursday at Bear Mountain Arena.
A back-hander by Florida Panthers prospect Steven Hodges gave Victoria the lead at 12:25 of the opening period Friday. But the Royals were punished by Kamloops鈥� high-calibre power play moments later when 20-year-old Phoenix Coyotes-prospect Kale Kessy tied the game 1-1 at 12:59.
The Royals continued playing with fire, taking the first five penalties of the game. They were again made to pay as Lipon scored on the power play at 17:44 of the second period as the Kamloops鈥� odd-man went 2-6 overall.
鈥淪ome of the [penalties] were part of a highly physical playoff game,鈥� said Lowry.
Hodges struck with his second goal as Victoria tied it 2-2 at 18:48 of the second period on just its first power-play of the evening as the Royals odd-man went 1-3.
ICE CHIPS: Injured Royals captain, defenceman Tyler Stahl, skated in the pre-game warm-up but then didn鈥檛 play to miss his ninth straight game.
