This is becoming downright predictable. Another night, another win, and another avalanche of records came howling down the turrets for the WHL regular-season champion Victoria Royals.
The Royals defeated the Everett Silvertips (38-25-8) 4-2 on Friday to disappoint a large crowd of 6,875 fans who came out to XFinity Arena for the 鈥橳ips regular-season home finale.
The Royals (49-16-6) with the result, broke the 10-season Chilliwack Bruins/Victoria Royals franchise record for victories, which was previously 48, and set by Dave Lowry鈥檚 2013-14 Royals.
The Royals also established a new franchise record for consecutive wins at 12.
Unlike some teams this final weekend, the Royals did not sit out key players Friday.
鈥淥ur mindset is that we are getting ready for the playoffs and are playing to win. That鈥檚 why we have our full lineup.鈥�
Tyler Soy extended his season goals total to 44 by popping home two just 13 seconds apart in the first period. That one-man flurry negated the opening-goal lead that Carson Stadnyk had given Everett at 5:34 with his 21st of the season. Soy has the most goals in a season by a player in the five years the team has played in Victoria. But with only one game remaining, the all-time Bruins/Royals franchise record of 51 set in 2010-11 by former Chilliwack forward Ryan Howse, will continue to stand.
For now.
鈥淭hat record will be broken at some point,鈥� predicted Lowry, who knows he has Soy returning next season.
Jack Walker, the native of Minnesota with his 36th goal of the season and 23rd point in his last 11 games, struck early in the second period at 1:36 to extend Victoria鈥檚 lead to two. That it was it for scoring until late in the third period when Alex Forsberg鈥檚 31st of the season went into an empty net to make it 4-1 before Devon Skoleski of Everett closed scoring.
鈥淚t was a fast, clean game that still had big hits,鈥� said Lowry.
Rookie Griffen Outhouse, who leads the WHL with a 1.84 goals-against average, made 22 saves for Victoria. The Silvertips sat out Carter Hart, the top-ranked North American goaltender for the 2016 NHL draft, and second behind Outhouse in the league with a 2.14 GAA. Mario Petit made 27 saves in the Everett crease.
Meanwhile, the Tri-City Americans were eliminated from the playoffs Friday, meaning the Royals will play either Spokane or Portland in the first round beginning next Friday and Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
The 鈥橳ips and Royals close out the regular season with the 2015-16 curtain-dropper tonight at the Memorial Centre.
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