TRI-CITY聽 4
VICTORIA聽 1
Tri-City leads series 2-0
It was a sombre day for hockey. But the sport goes on.
The Tri-City Americans defeated the Victoria Royals, with a comprehensive 4-1 scoreline to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven WHL second-round Western Conference series, before 5,918 fans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Before the puck dropped Saturday night, the Royals and Americans put aside their playoff rivalry for a moment. The teams intermingled, gathering together in a circle at centre ice, in a moving tribute to the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
The Americans, who swept the Kelowna Rockets in the first round, then went out and won their sixth consecutive game to remain unbeaten in the post-season.
The Amerks look simply too big and too good as they not only stole home-ice advantage, they plundered it.
The third and fourth games are Tuesday and Wednesday in Kennewick, Washington. If the Royals somehow manage to bring it back to Blanshard for a fifth game, it would be played Friday.
鈥淲e've got to get wins on the road. That鈥檚 just the reality,鈥� said Royals captain Matthew Phillips.
That was a familiar refrain.
鈥淎nytime you lose the first two games at home, it鈥檚 tough,鈥� said fifth-year Royals defenceman Chaz Reddekopp, who may have played his final game on Blanshard.
鈥淲e're not happy with how these two games went, but we have to put them behind us. You need to have short-term memory in the playoffs. We are still confident.鈥�
As is Royals coach Dan Price: 鈥淲e believe we can play to a higher standard. We鈥檝e challenged our group to do that.鈥�
Detroit Red Wings prospect Michael Rasmussen, a 2017 top-10 NHL draft-pick, opened scoring at 48 seconds of the second period by deflecting home a point shot by former Royals defenceman Anthony Bishop. It鈥檚 becoming a habit as Rasmussen also opened scoring in Tri-City鈥檚 7-0 victory in Game 1 on Friday.
The Royals scored their first and only goal of the series when Dante Hannoun found the top corner on the power play at 6:59 of the second period. It was the only highlight of the night for a Victoria power play that went 1-5.
Rasmussen pinged in the puck off the post, and Victoria goalie Griffen Outhouse鈥檚 back, at 16:05 as the Americans鈥� blistering power play, operating at a 50 percent-plus pace heading into the night, connected again. Third-round Carolina Hurricanes selection Morgan Geekie made it 3-1 in the third period with his 11th goal in six playoff games. Rasmussen completed his hat trick into an empty net.
The Royals, much smaller and injury depleted, had no counter punch against a Tri-City defence that includes NHL first-rounders Jake Bean and Juuso Valimaki, along with Las Vegas Golden Knights-signed Dylan Coghlan from Nanaimo.
Tri-City goaltender Patrick Dea was there when needed in a 25-save performance. Outhouse made 37 saves for the Royals.
ICE CHIPS: It was reported in Saturday鈥檚 edition that Royals forward Igor Martynov had an ankle injury. He was fine. But Victoria鈥檚 dire injury situation might have got worse when centre Jeff de Wit went out in the first period and did not return. That makes it five Royals out, including three NHL draft picks in Tyler Soy, Tanner Kaspick and Scott Walford.
