Government House wasn't the only crib the Royals and Prince George rocked Saturday night. Prince George and the Royals were also gigging the big house on Blanshard.
But if the Royals had a nice evening on Rockland, the other Royals sure didn鈥檛 before 3,795 fans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. But Prince George was quite content at both places.
After all the play on words was exhausted, the hockey Royals found themselves 5-1 losers to the Prince George Cougars.
That means the defending Western Hockey League regular-season champions, who dropped their opener 3-1 Friday against Prince George, are off to a 0-2 start.
鈥淚鈥檓 not going to lose too much sleep because of starting 0-2,鈥� said Victoria head coach Dave Lowry.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e 0-15, give me a call.鈥�
The Cougars scored on three of their first six shots Saturday before the game was 10 minutes old. That was it for sophomore Victoria starting goaltender Griffen Outhouse, who was pulled in favour of rookie Dylan Myskiw.
You could blame the Royals鈥� slow start on the season to having Tyler Soy (Ducks), Matthew Phillips (Flames), Jack Walker (Maple Leafs) and Chaz Reddekopp (Kings) away at NHL training camps. But that is tempered by the fact the Cougars have Sam Ruopp (Blue Jackets), Tate Olson (Canucks), Jenson Harkins (Jets), Jesse Gabrielle (Bruins), Brogan O'Brien, and Duncan鈥檚 Josh Anderson (Avalanche) also away at NHL camps. So, no excuse there.
Kody McDonald, recently back from the NHL rookie camp of the New York Islanders, scored twice for Prince George. Brad Morrison, returned from the New York Rangers rookie camp, and Jared Bethune had four assists each.
Veteran Ethan Price scored for Victoria.
The Royals have nine new faces on the roster, six of them rookies.
鈥淚 believe we over-achieved last season. We still have a young team. We鈥檒l be OK,鈥� said Lowry.
鈥淎nd this Prince George team is built for this season,鈥� said Lowry, about a Cougars squad that boasts nine 19-year-old players.
There was again no captain selected for Victoria, which was ranked No. 8 in the pre-season Canadian Hockey League top-10 poll. Forward Dante Hannoun and defencemen Ryan Gagnon and Ralph Jarratt, the latter recently returned from the camp of the New Jersey Devils, skated as assistant captains.
鈥淲e definitely learned a lot of things this weekend,鈥� said Gagnon.
鈥淚t can definitely be fixed over a week of practice. We have to clean up a few things.鈥�
Lowry echoed those thoughts.
鈥淲e have a full week of practice [before facing the Kamloops Blazers at home next Friday and Saturday] and a lot of stuff to work on,鈥� said the Victoria bench boss.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to get our compete going and score on the power play [the Victoria odd-man went 0-14 over the weekend].鈥�
Over-age 20-year-old goaltender Ty Edmonds, the first star and difference maker on Friday night, was given Saturday off by Prince George. In his place, 19-year-old Nick McBride, made 36 saves.
Myskiw finished with 20 saves on 22 shots for Victoria in his first WHL game. That added to Outhouse鈥檚 three saves and three goals allowed in the first period.
Outhouse is 18 and Myskiw 17. The Cougars鈥� veteran edge in goal can鈥檛 be overstated.
鈥淭hey have 19- and 20-year-old goaltenders and that's an advantage right there for them [Cougars],鈥� said Lowry.
ICE CHIPS: Some of the Island鈥檚 Olympians from this summer in Rio were honoured Saturday by the Royals in a pre-game tribute . . . A crew from Sky News in Britain, here for the other Royals, was at Friday鈥檚 game to capture some authentic Canadiana for their broadcasts.
