PRINCE GEORGE 9 - VICTORIA 1
The injury-ravaged Victoria Royals were forced into an array of changes to the lineup Friday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. It amounted to the same desultory result as the flailing Royals fell to 3-15-3 on the Western Hockey League season with their winless run extending to six games at 0-5-1.
The Prince George Cougars (11-9) defeated the Royals, missing nine regulars, 9-1 before 2,792 fans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Rookie Logan Cunningham started in goal for Victoria with veteran Tyler Palmer away on personal leave.
Cunningham allowed five goals on 19 shots before being replaced by affiliate call-up Jayden Kraus, who allowed two goals on his first eight shots on his 16th birthday, before making some flashy saves.
Centre Alex Thacker, acquired Thursday from the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a trade for a draft pick, made his Royals debut with the 20-year-old doing well in the face-off circle while getting two shots on net.
The depleted Royals called up two 15-year-old skaters they hope become big parts of the offence in future years. Grant Reid of Yale Hockey Academy in Abbotsford was taken in the third round by the Royals in the 2022 WHL prospects draft and got a shot on net. Touted Cole Reschny of the Saskatoon Blazers U-18 Triple-AA team, selected by Victoria in the first round as the third overall pick in the 2022 WHL draft, did not play but might tonight when the Royals and Cougars meet again at the Memorial Centre.
Prince George had scored six times before Royals breakout forward Jake Poole, a rare bright spark in a dark season, scored his 12th goal to get Victoria on the board at 18:16 of the third period
Prince George got a big offensive night from its blueline with Hudson Thornton recording the hat trick on a six-point night and Keaton Dowhaniuk scoring twice for the franchise that was located in Victoria from 1971-72 to 1993-94.
Undersized but crafty-quick Riley Heidt, ranked for the first round of the 2023 NHL draft, extended his points streak to six games with three assists. Five of those six games have been multi-point games. Koehn Ziemmer, ranked for the second or third rounds of the 2023 NHL draft, had an assist to extend his points streak to 12 games.
