Victoria Royals coach Dave Lowry isn鈥檛 one for hockey superstitions, like the one that unofficially states you should not touch the regular-season championship trophy.
鈥淲hat? If you touch it you lose [in the playoffs]?鈥� he scoffed.
The Royals may get that chance to touch or not touch, after tonight. A win in Kelowna against the Rockets (46-19-4) will give the Royals (47-16-6) the first Scotty Munro Trophy for the WHL regular-season title in the 10-season history of the Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals franchise. It would be the first Scotty Munro Trophy for the city since the 1980-81 Victoria Cougars and third overall for Victoria, along with the 1974-75 Cougars.
It would be Lowry鈥檚 second WHL regular-season title as a head coach, to go with the Scotty Munro Trophy he won at the helm of the 2008-09 Calgary Hitmen.
鈥淲e have been extremely consistent the whole season 鈥� but we have not won it yet,鈥� Lowry added.
True, yet it鈥檚 imminent, barring a 0-3 Royals collapse over their remaining three games that would also require Kelowna or Brandon to win out. Basically, one more Royals victory 鈥� or any losses by Kelowna and Brandon 鈥� will clinch it for Victoria. And this is a team that has won 10 consecutive games and is 23-1-2 over its last 25.
鈥淲e have three games remaining and have to be prepared. We are not going to change anything in the way we prepare or play,鈥� said Lowry.
His message remains simple enough to his players: Just keep doing the basic things that got you into this position.
The biggest perk of winning the Scotty Munro Trophy is that it guarantees home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs. But even that appears to have its limitations. Only three of the last 12 WHL regular-season champions have gone on to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as league playoff champions. Lowry鈥檚 2008-09 Hitmen, despite their 59 wins, were among those teams unable to pull off the difficult Munro-Chynoweth double.
The playoff journey begins next week with a first-round matchup against the probable Western Conference eighth-seed Spokane Chiefs looking increasingly likely. But Lowry is more concerned right now about finishing the regular season strongly and with style.
鈥淓very point is still critical,鈥� he maintains.
That is the mantra of the final week, which concludes with a two-game set against the Silvertips on Friday in Everett, Washington, and Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long year, we can鈥檛 look too far ahead, especially with three tough games to close out the regular season,鈥� said Victoria forward Regan Nagy.
The 18-year-old sophomore is the kind of unsung player on which the Royals鈥� have built their foundation of success this season.
鈥淲e can roll four lines that can all play 鈥� that gives our top guys some rest and support,鈥� said the native of Ogema, Sask., who has only eight goals and 18 points, but a plus-13 rating.
鈥淎ll four of our lines are all about speed.鈥�
The Rockets, meanwhile, have predictably levelled off since losing starting goaltender Jackson Whistle (hip surgery) and star forward and first-round NHL draft pick Nick Merkley (torn ACL), both to season-ending injuries.
