Victoria Royals head coach James Patrick warned his charges about complacency heading into Accesso ShoWare Centre in Kent, Washington, for a Western Hockey league game on Tuesday night. The Royals met the Western Conference last-place Seattle Thunderbirds after having swept the WHL-leading Everett Silvertips in a heady two-game weekend set.
His players did well to listen as the Thunderbirds gave the Royals all they could handle over two periods, leading 1-0 after the first period and tied 1-1 after the second period, before the Royals scored three unanswered goals in the third period to pull out a 4-1 victory before 3,224 fans.
Simon Lovsin scored short-handed for the 2023 league-champion and now-rebuilding Thunderbirds in the first period before Logan Pickford tied the game for Victoria at 9:37 of the second period. Teydon Trembecky gave the Royals the lead at 4:43 of the third period. WHL-veteran Brandon Lisowsky, with his 23rd goal of the season and first for Victoria since being acquired in a trade from the Saskatoon Blades last week, made it a two-goal lead at 8:14 as he showed his high-end offensive touch with a quick laser to the twine for the insurance tally. Trembecky’s 22nd goal of his breakout season pulled Victoria three goals to the good.
The Royals moved to 21-11-7 as they remained undefeated in regulation time over their last five five games in garnering nine of a possible 10 points in that stretch. The Thunderbirds feature former BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals forward Arjun Bawa, son of former NHLer Robin Bawa from Duncan, and fell to 12-24-3.
Scott Ratzlaff from Irma, Alta., among the goaltenders invited to the sa国际传媒 selection camp for the 2025 world junior championship but not picked, made 39 saves for the Thunderbirds. Jayden Kraus made 29 saves for Victoria. In what could be a telling scenario, the Royals dressed recently-signed goalkeeper Johnny Hicks to back-up Kraus on Tuesday. Victoria signed the sa国际传媒 Hockey League all-star goaltender Hicks, who had a stingy 1.37 goals-against average and .943 save percentage in 21 games this season for the Brooks Bandits, over the weekend. The 19-year-old is committed to NCAA Div. 1 Tennessee State. The Royals now have three goaltenders on the roster with Kraus, Spencer Michnik and Hicks. Where that leaves former Thunderbirds netminder Michnik is the question.
The Royals complete their U.S. Division swing Friday night in Wenatchee against the Wild (15-18-4) and Saturday in Tri-City against the Americans (20-12-3) before returning to Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre to play the Brandon Wheat Kings on Jan. 15.
ICE CHIPS: This season’s contenders continued to buy and the also-rans continued to sell, in order to build for the future, ahead of Thursday’s WHL trade deadline. Defencemen Caden Price and Tanner Molendyk departed the 2025 world junior championship tournament in Ottawa after representing fifth-place sa国际传媒 but did not return to their old WHL teams. Seattle Kraken NHL-prospect Price went to the Lethbridge Hurricanes after the Kelowna Rockets flipped him for five WHL prospects draft picks, including a first-rounder in 2026, and two young players. Nashville Predators first-round NHL draft-pick Molendyk went to the Medicine Hat Tigers from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for five draft picks, including first and second rounders this year, and two 17-year-old players.
The Royals and Thunderbirds were also part of the trading frenzy as Seattle earlier sent Vancouver Canucks blue line prospect Sawyer Mynio to contending Calgary in return for the Hitmen’s first-round picks in 2025 and 2026 and the fourth-round picks in 2025 and 2026 along with young players Linden Burrett and Sawyer Mayes. Although not in that blockbuster category, the Royals went all-in for this season by giving up a total of three second-round WHL prospects draft selectons, and a third-rounder, last week in order to get 20-year-old WHL veterans Lisowsky and Kenta Isogai.
