It鈥檚 a homecoming tonight and Saturday for the Victoria Royals following their tire-bursting, once-every-two-seasons 5,500-kilometre road trip through the East Division of the Western Hockey League.
Not that there weren鈥檛 more than a few homecomings on the trek itself. Royals forward Gary Haden played his old Blades team and defenceman Matthew Smith returned to his hometown in Saskatoon. Royals forward Brayden Tracey and goaltender Adam Evanoff played their old Warriors teammates in Moose Jaw and Royals forward Carson Miller met his former Raiders team in Prince Albert.
鈥淭here was lots of emotion, which made it a very interesting road trip on several levels,鈥� said Haden.
Tracey concurred: 鈥淕oing back to Moose Jaw was a special moment for Adam [Evanoff] and I, and one we will cherish for the rest of our lives.鈥�
Now it鈥檚 back to home 鈥� with home obviously being a relative term in the nomadic careers of hockey players.
The 1-3-2 swing ended with a marathon bus drive from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, to Tsawwassen, followed by the ferry. All told, it took 24 hours to get back to the Barn on Blanshard.
鈥淲e arrived back Sunday night and used Monday and Tuesday as recovery days, went half on Wednesday, and back to full bore [Thursday] with guys and pucks flying,鈥� said Victoria head coach Dan Price.
This weekend gets back to divisional play with the visiting Kamloops Blazers (32-13-4) leading the sa国际传媒 Division, 11 points ahead of the second-place Royals (26-18-5), who in turn lead the third-place Vancouver Giants by six points. The jockeying for playoff positions is on.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great time of the season, when the league schedules so many divisional games down the stretch,鈥� said Price.
Tracey, the 2019 first-round NHL draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks, said the Blazers are 鈥渉ighly skilled with a lot of good pieces . . . but we feel we have those things, too.鈥�
Haden has six goals and eight points in his past seven games.
鈥淜amloops has skilled, fast forwards and we have to be physical on them,鈥� he said.
Crease play will be under scrutiny in the Royals-Blazers set with both regular starters 鈥� Shane Farkas of the Royals and Dylan Garand of the Blazers 鈥� likely out. Juan de Fuca product Garand is out for sure with a lower-body injury. Farkas is listed as day-to-day. He was named WHL goaltender of the month for a January in which he went 5-0 with a 1.12 goals-against average and .964 save percentage with two shutouts. But Farkas has missed the last four games. So expect to see a starting crease match-up between Victoria鈥檚 Evanoff and Kamloops鈥� Rayce Ramsay.
This is nothing new for Evanoff, who has carried the recent load in fellow Penticton native Farkas鈥� absence.
鈥淚 played a lot in Moose Jaw [before the trade last month to Victoria] so I鈥檓 used to it,鈥� said Evanoff.
And that wasn鈥檛 always a treat on a struggling Warriors team.
鈥淚 saw a lot of rubber,鈥� said Evanoff.
鈥淚 try to battle hard every night.鈥�
Backing up Evanoff, if Farkas again doesn鈥檛 dress, will be affiliated call-up Keegan Maddocks.
Two Royals rookie forwards, Riley Gannon and Alex Bolshakov, scored their first career WHL goals on the recent road trip.
鈥淚t was nice to get. It took a long time but it鈥檚 off my back now,鈥� said Nanaimo product Gannon, who has played 39 games for the Royals.
鈥淚t was a long trip and it鈥檚 nice to be back home again.鈥�
