SEATTLE 4
VICTORIA 2
The Royals overcame a 3-0 deficit on Saturday. Unfortunately, for most Island sports fans, that happened on a baseball diamond in Kansas City.
On the ice in Kent, Washington, the Seattle Thunderbirds built up a 3-0 lead en route to a 4-2 Western Hockey League victory over the Victoria Royals before 3,009 fans at ShoWare Center.
Reality may be intruding on Victoria鈥檚 early-season magic as the Royals (7-3) lost for the second time in as many days.
Seattle (5-1-1), meanwhile, is living up to its pre-season hype as an elite team and won its fourth consecutive game.
The Thunderbirds鈥� elusive forward Mathew Barzal showed why the New York Islanders selected him 16th overall this year in the NHL draft with a goal and two assists.
Six-foot-two winger Keegan Kolesar, third-round NHL draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets, also had a goal and two assists for Seattle.
鈥淭hey are good players who had good games, but that doesn鈥檛 take anything away from our group. We played well in the third period and played them even over good portions of the game,鈥� said Royals head coach Dave Lowry, giving his team credit in defeat.
Ethan Price, with his second goal of the season, and Jared Dmytriw, with his first, scored for Victoria in the third period.
Victoria was pressing for the equalizer at 3-2 when a strange series of bounces allowed Nolan Volcan to notch the insurance goal for Seattle at 15:16 of the third.
Coleman Vollrath, making his 10th straight start in the crease for Victoria, allowed three goals on 25 shots over the first two periods. Rookie Griffen Outhouse made his WHL debut in the third period and allowed a goal on 14 shots.
The game began a stretch in which Victoria is on the road for four consecutive games and 10 of the next 11.
The Royal Tour continues Wednesday in Kamloops against the Blazers (2-7).
