Goaltender Patrik Polivka from the Czech Republic made a strong case to be in the Victoria Royals' lineup when the team opens the Western Hockey League season on Sept. 21 in Vancouver.
Polivka came into Saturday's exhibition game in the second period with his team trailing 2-0 but he stopped all 28 shots and another two in the shootout as the Royals earned a 3-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets before 2,167 fans at Prospera Place.
"He [Patrik] came in and gave us the opportunity to win the game,'' said coach Dave Lowry. "He made some big saves when we needed them.
"Tonight, we weren't that sharp but we found a way to come back and win a hockey game. We will now evaluate these games and within the next few days, we will make some decisions about our roster.''
Zack Franko and Tyson Baillie gave the Rockets a 2-0 first-period lead. The Royals, who now have a 2-2 exhibition record, stormed back to tie the contest on goals by Jordan Fransoo and Luke Harrison.
In the shootout, veterans Logan Nelson and Brandon Magee both scored for Victoria while Myles Bell and Baillie were both stopped by Polivka.
Kelowna outshot Victoria 41-21. Victoria starter Keith Hamilton made 11 saves while Jackson Whistle, who went the distance for Kelowna, stopped 19.
For the next two weeks, the Royals will have a heavy dose of the Vancouver Giants. The Royals close out the six-game exhibition schedule with a game Friday in Vancouver and then the teams meet again on Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Game time is 2 p.m.
After the game on Sept. 21 in Vancouver, the home opener for the Royals is Sept. 22 at Save-on-Foods against the Giants. Game time is 7 p.m.
