No Dave Lowry, no problem.
At least that was the case on Wednesday as assistant coach Enio Sacilotto filled in admirably with the big boss away scouting the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior League games against the Russians as part of his duties as Canadian head coach duties for the 2016 world junior championship.
Sacilotto and the Royals defeated the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings 6-3 before an announced crowd of 3,783 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
鈥淭he last time you guys talked to me was last December. You guys never want to talk to me,鈥� joked Sacilotto, referring to Lowry鈥檚 stint as an assistant last year with sa国际传媒.
鈥淚 think it was just a continuation of what we鈥檝e been doing here all the time,鈥� he added in a more serious tone. 鈥淲e had a setback last weekend, we needed to bounce back and that鈥檚 what we did.鈥�
Of course, it helps when someone jumps out to record a hat trick as Matthew Phillips did, making Sacilotto look like a genius.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a great guy and a great coach,鈥� Phillips said. 鈥淥bviously, it鈥檚 a bit different having Dave away, but we didn鈥檛 want to change anything.鈥�
The Royals scored four third-period goals to do it, with two from Phillips and one from linemate Dante Hannoun. Logan Fisher and Regan Nagy had the others for Victoria, which led 2-1 after one, but trailed 3-2 after 40 minutes.
The Phillips, Hannoun and Alex Forsberg line collected seven points on the night.
鈥淗e鈥檚 playing well,鈥� Sacilotto said of Phillips. 鈥淏oth our little guys [Phillips and Hannoun] are playing well and that鈥檚 good to see.鈥�
It was just the Royals鈥� sixth win at home, which is startling considering they鈥檙e 9-3 on the road. Overall, Victoria is 15-7-0-1, while the Oil Kings are 8-12-3-0.
A pair of power-play markers by Victoria product Dysin Mayo and Kobe Mohr, 1:59 apart early in the second period, lifted Edmonton to the 3-2 lead. The Royals failed to cash in on a two-man advantage for 1:27 midway through the second, but it mattered not in the third.
Lane Bauer did open the scoring at 6:49 for the Oil Kings when he roofed one over Coleman Vollrath鈥檚 left shoulder.
Mayo, selected in the fifth round and 133rd overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2014, scored his first of the season and is eating up big minutes on the Oil Kings鈥� blue line. He played in his 200th Western Hockey League game on Wednesday.
His close Victoria companion Alec Dillon, on the other hand, is on the Oil Kings鈥� long-term injury list with what is being described as a lower-body injury.
