The Victoria Royals (3-16-2) will finish a distant last in the sa国际传媒 Division of the Western Hockey League. But not all is lost for the Island as goaltender Dylan Garand of Langford and defencemen Sean Strange of Saanich and Ethan Brandwood of Victoria helped the Kamloops Blazers (17-4) clinch the divisional title.
Everybody is now just playing out the strands of the season. The Vancouver Giants won for only the third time in their last 10 games in beating the Royals 6-1 on Tuesday night at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops. The Royals close out their 22-game pandemic-reduced season tonight in Kelowna against the Rockets (9-5-1).
Zack Ostapchuk short-handed and Marko Stracha, with his first career WHL goal, scored for the Giants (12-10) in the first period before Swiss world junior championship player Keanu Derungs brought Victoria to within one on the power play at 19:29. Justin Sourdif, a third-round NHL draft pick of the Florida Panthers, scored his 11th of the season at 15:07 of the second period to restore Vancouver’s two-goal cushion.
“We were chasing the game,” said Royals GM and head coach Dan Price.
Veteran Alex Kannok Leipert, in his final junior game, Justin Lies and Bryce Bader, the latter on the power play, put it out of reach in the third period.
The Royals were outshot 20-2 in the second period and 37-13 overall. Rookie Giants goaltender Drew Sim had a pretty easy time of it in recording the win. Victoria goaltender Adam Evanoff was denied his 50th career WHL victory.
There were four fights in the testy affair as the coastal rivals bid an irascible goodbye to each other until the fall.
“This is a fierce, bitter rivalry and it spilled over,” said Price.
Tonight in Kelowna will be the final junior game for Royals 20-year-olds Evanoff, defenceman Matthew Smith and forward Brandon Cutler.
