GAME DAY: VICTORIA VS. PORTLAND
7 p.m. at the Rose Garden Radio: The Zone 91.3 FM / TV: None
Three's Company may have been amusing as a 1970s sitcom. But three is not company - it's an inconvenient crowd - when it comes to the crease in hockey.
Yet, the Victoria Royals (9-6) continue to carry three goaltenders into November as their Western Hockey League season continues with challenging games tonight and Saturday in Portland against the Winterhawks (10-3-1).
"Some may call it unusual and tough but it really makes us push ourselves harder in practice because we're all competing for jobs," said rookie Coleman Vollrath, who is 1-0 and has appeared in three games for 100 minutes with a 3.00 goals-against average and .909 save percentage.
"I don't find it tough. I just focus on what I can control. I have to be ready when I get the call. That's what is expected of me. I always have to be prepared like I'm going to play."
Czech import Patrik Polivka has seen the most work in the Victoria nets and is 6-4 in 10 appearances. But he is also proving a bit mercurial, with a 3.08 goals-against average and .887 save percentage, and has yet to nail the starter's job down tight.
"I'm not thinking about that," he said.
"I just keep working hard and do my best every game. But you want to be the starter. That's the point of being a goalie."
The third goaltender in the mix is returnee Jared Rathjen, who is 2-2 with a team-best 2.92 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.
"Obviously, all three of us want to be in the nets," said the native of Prince George.
But at some point, the hammer must come down on one of them.
"You don't think about leaving. You think about staying and doing all you can to make sure you stay," said Rathjen.
The remarkable thing is that despite the unspoken, yet unavoidable, tension of the situation, the three have become tight. Maybe it's because they see that they have more in common, even as rivals, than they have differences.
"They are all good guys and we're all three friends," said Polivka.
Echoed Vollrath: "We're competing for the same jobs but we have become a tight group."
Royals head coach Dave Lowry said the situation will persist as long as it takes to make a decision and he won't put a timeline on it.
"We didn't expect to be in this position," he admitted.
"But it's a battle and they continue to battle. We'll continue with the status quo until it plays itself out."
LOOSE PUCKS: Following this weekend's games in Portland, the Royals head north to Alberta for games in Lethbridge (Wednesday), Calgary (Nov. 9) and Medicine Hat (Nov. 10).
