It was only fitting that Victoria Royals interim captain Jordan Fransoo was wearing an old-school Victoria Salmon Kings ECHL cap after practice Monday at Bear Mountain Arena.
The Royals, forced out of their regular venue because of the upcoming Ford World Men鈥檚 Curling Championship at the 7,006-seat Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, will be looking to climb back into their opening-round Western Hockey League series against the Kamloops Blazers at the smaller Colwood facility.
The Blazers lead the best-of-seven 2-0 with the third game tonight at the Bear and fourth game Thursday.
RG Properties, owner of the Royals, has been here before when it owned the minor-pro Salmon Kings during an losing inaugural season that was vividly memorable for all the wrong reasons.
鈥淚鈥檓 riding my skateboard back to the future,鈥� quipped Royals president Dave Dakers, who was also president of the Salmon Kings during that wildly uneven season at Bear Mountain while the Memorial Centre was still under construction.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a negative. We鈥檙e looking forward to it.鈥�
Take away the trappings and both the Bear Mountain and Memorial Centre ice sheets are an identical 85x200 feet. It鈥檚 that space, not the surrounding stands, in which the Western Conference sixth-seed Royals must handle the third-seed Blazers.
鈥淚t [setting] might be a little different but we鈥檙e still sleeping at home and eating home meals,鈥� said Fransoo.
Royals forward Jamie Crooks concurred.
鈥淚t still feels like a home game. It鈥檒l be good 鈥� full and loud,鈥� said the 33-goal regular-season gunner, who scored in Saturday鈥檚 6-4 loss in Game 2 at Kamloops.
Bear Mountain Arena seats 2,871 with room for several hundred standing. Dakers said about 300 tickets remain for each of tonight and Thursday and tickets will be available at the door because league rules allow the release of tickets at game time that beforehand must be held back for the opposing team.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be a cool atmosphere,鈥� predicted Royals forward Steven Hodges, the Florida Panthers prospect, who scored both goals in the 3-2 loss in Game 1 at Kamloops.
鈥淣o matter the change of building, the fans will still all be cheering for us. Hopefully, we can get this back to Kamloops. The first two games were essentially one-goal games [Saturday鈥檚 included a Kamloops empty-net goal]. All the pressure is on them [Blazers] because nobody gave us a chance. We want to prove all those people wrong. We鈥檝e got to not look at the big picture but take it one goal, one period at a time.鈥�
The Blazers, who have now twice recorded 99-point seasons under head coach Guy Charron, are the eighth-ranked major-junior team in the Canadian Hockey League.
Going back to last year鈥檚 4-0 first-round sweep, the Blazers are 6-0 over two seasons against Victoria in the playoffs.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e a good team but we can鈥檛 be afraid of anyone,鈥� said Crooks.
鈥淚t takes four games to win a series. They鈥檙e up 2-0 after their home games like they were supposed to be. It鈥檚 our turn now.鈥�
Everything telescopes down to the bare essentials this time of year in hockey.
鈥淲e have to win a game,鈥� said Royals head coach Dave Lowry.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a clich茅, but it鈥檚 one game [at a time]. That鈥檚 what the playoffs are about. [Getting] and staying with the momentum. We鈥檝e got to stay with the moment.鈥�
Goaltending is crucial in the playoffs and both Kamloops鈥檚 Cole Cheveldave and Victoria鈥檚 Patrik Polivka have had their moments over the first two games. If not for Cheveldave鈥檚 game-saving theatrics in the first game, this would be a 1-1 series.
鈥淜amloops is a strong team and my job is to stop the puck,鈥� said Polivka.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to be playing here [Bear Mountain]. It鈥檚 smaller but it鈥檚 going to be loud. We鈥檙e hoping to beat them twice at home like they did to us.鈥�
LOOSE PUCKS: Royals captain and defenceman Tyler Stahl and winger Trent Lofthouse remain day-to-day with undisclosed injuries.
