The offensively challenged Everett Silvertips were just what the doctor ordered for the depleted and struggling Victoria Royals.
Despite a strong performance from Silvertips goaltender Austin Lotz, the Royals bested Everett 4-1 in front of 6,707 fans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. It was just the second win in their last 16 games for the Royals, who improved to 34-30-2-5 on the season and remain in sixth place in the Western Hockey League鈥檚 Western Conference, with a first-round playoff date with the third-place Kamloops Blazers on the horizon.
The Royals鈥� victory also sets a franchise record for wins and points in a season as the 34 wins and 75 points surpasses the marks set by the 2010-11 Chilliwack Bruins team.
鈥淚 thought our guys played a real strong game tonight and were finally rewarded,鈥� Royals head coach Dave Lowry said. 鈥淲e played attention to a lot of good things that we鈥檝e talked about as a team and it paid off.鈥�
The news wasn鈥檛 all bad for the Silvertips, who came into the game as the lowest scoring team in the WHL having tallied just 161 goals in 69 games. Thanks to the Prince George Cougars鈥� 5-2 loss in Kamloops on Friday night, Everett officially clinches the eighth-and-final playoff spot in the West.
The Royals, who will open the post-season next Friday in Kamloops, knew the Silvertips would come out gunning from the start, and after weathering the early storm, the Royals began to fire back. Still without injured leading scorer Alex Gogolev and captain Tyler Stahl, the Royals鈥� next wave of veterans started to crank it up.
鈥淲e knew they were going to have a real strong push at the start. They were a desperate hockey team,鈥� Lowry added. 鈥淔ortunately our goalie [Coleman Vollrath] made some big saves early when he needed to, and then we started to push back and create some chances and we took over from there.鈥�
After a scoreless opening period, Steven Hodges, a Florida Panthers draft pick last spring, set up defencemen Jordan Fransoo and Joe Hicketts for goals in the second period as the Royals went into the second intermission with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Fransoo, playing in his 200th WHL game, added another goal early in the third 鈥� on another setup from Hodges 鈥� bringing his season total to eight.
鈥淏een a while since I got a pair [in one game]. Probably back in midget,鈥� laughed Fransoo, who hails from North Battleford, Sask.
鈥淏ut it was nice to finally get that record win in front of our fans. They鈥檝e been great all year and it was great to reward them.鈥�
The two teams now travel to Everett for the back half of their home-and-home set today. Puck drops at 7 p.m. at Comcast Arena. It鈥檚 the final regular-season game for the Royals, but the Silvertips will finish the season Sunday against Tri-City.
