Just nine days previous, the Royals felt their smaller, gifted forwards were taken advantage of in a 3-0 win at home against these same Cougars.
Matthew Phillips specifically was the target of a number of hits that evening. Tempers flared late and the two teams racked up 158 penalty minutes in the feisty affair, which included four fights.
Prince George also lost the opener of that set 5-1 the night previous, so there was definitely a burr in their backsides toward the tail end of the follow-up as they were shut out by the hosts.
Could the animosity spill over into tonight?
鈥淲hy wouldn鈥檛 there be?鈥� said Royals head coach Dave Lowry. 鈥淚 think the big thing is, we like to play the game the right way. We like to play it hard and every once in a while, things happen.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 like the way they brought their game. I really felt that there were some serious liberties taken that last game and I think the intent wasn鈥檛 to be physical, but more to hurt.鈥�
In particular, Lowry was upset with the hit Brad Morrison tried to throw at Phillips late in the game that caused a ruckus.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not a hockey hit. That鈥檚 intent to try and injure someone and for me, that鈥檚 crossing the line. But, that鈥檚 the game.鈥�
Asked if he thought those emotions might spill over, Lowry replied: 鈥淚 expect us to have an enormous amount of discipline and play the game the right way, the way we always do.鈥�
The matchup is the first of two in a row in P.G. for the Royals, who are on a four-game winning streak since returning from the Christmas break. Victoria has outscored the opposition 16-3 over that stretch as goalie Griffen Outhouse and the veteran leadership has jumped to the fore.
鈥淲e recognized the position where we were in the standings and were not overly pleased with where we were. Our veteran guys figured it out and came to the conclusion that we have to work hard as a group and do things a certain way to give us a chance to win,鈥� said Lowry.
The Royals aim at not only moving up the standings, but improving their game to the level that will be required for the post-season.
The end of the Royals-Cougars clash two Wednesdays ago brought the team that much closer.
鈥淚t was a divisional team, which at some point could be a playoff matchup. Obviously, it鈥檚 going to be heated. The guys stick up for each other and that鈥檚 the way it is,鈥� said Outhouse, who was named the Western Hockey League goaltender of the week on Monday and followed that up with the same Canadian Hockey League honours on Tuesday.
Outhouse stopped 138 of 141 shots over the four wins, including 40 in the shutout victory over the Cougars.
Royals defenceman Chaz Reddekopp is also on an 11-game point-scoring streak in which he has four goals and 10 assists.
鈥淲e had just come off the Christmas break, we knew how important it was to step up and play,鈥� Reddekopp said of the scrappy wins over P.G.
鈥淲e needed all 24 guys and I thought we did a good job of making sure we were ready to play,鈥� added Reddekopp, who finished with a goal, a plus-1 rating and 17 minutes in penalties (including one of the fights in the last minute) in the 3-0 victory.
