VICTORIA聽 5
VANCOUVER聽 4
Series tied at 1-1
It was a sporting war on ice Saturday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre as the Victoria Royals grimly hung on for a 5-4 WHL victory over the Vancouver Giants to tie their Western Conference quarter-final series 1-1.
Royals defenceman Chaz Reddekopp twice threw himself at the puck in the waning moments to block Vancouver shots as the Giants pressed relentlessly looking for an equalizer.
鈥淚t was the shot blocking, it was the sticks in the lane, it was guys doing whatever they could to keep the puck out of the net,鈥� said Royals head coach Dan Price.
It left the crowd of 5,217 nearly hoarse in the hectic final moments.
鈥淭hey took it to us in the third period. It wasn鈥檛 pretty, but we [pulled it out],鈥� said Royals captain Matthew Phillips. 鈥淵ou had two teams really battling.鈥�
Giants head coach Jason McKee said he thought his club played better than it did in Friday鈥檚 2-1 victory to open the series.
鈥淚t was competitive, it was physical and it was emotional,鈥� added Price. 鈥淭he intensity was ramped up for both teams.鈥�
Victoria goaltender Griffen Outhouse, who seemed to be fighting the puck early, made several stunning saves in the third period to preserve the victory.
The Royals got Trent Miner out of their heads with five goals on the Giants 17-year-old rookie goaltender, who stole Game 1.
鈥淲e had to fight for every inch tonight," said Royals defenceman Ralph Jarratt, who returned from injury.
Victoria checking-forward Kaid Oliver stripped the puck from Edmonton Oilers-signed Tyler Benson behind the net and fed Braydon Buziak for the opening goal.
It keyed a 3-1 period first period as other goals by Noah Gregor and rookie Tarun Fizer were answered by Vancouver Dawson Holt, the latter controversial.
But two Victoria miscues early in the second period, one by Outhouse and the other by Jarratt, and suddenly it was 3-3. Victoria鈥檚 power play finally connected for the first time in eight chances in the series when Jared Freadrich found the inside of the post and in from the point at 12:01.
But it took the Giants just 17聽seconds to tie it from a tipped point shot by Holt. The Giants have put on a point-shot deflection clinic in this series.
Jeff de Wit put Victoria in the lead again at 18:02 of the second period with the final goal of the game, pin-point to the top corner, off a two-on-one saucer pass from Phillips.
鈥淲e took off on the counter attack and got some speed going and I was able to get it across to Jeff,鈥� Phillips said of the two-on-one break that accounted for the winning goal.
The sa国际传媒 Division third-seed Giants now head home to the Langley Events Centre to face the second-seed Royals for the third and fourth games Tuesday and Thursday. The fifth game will be back on Blanshard next Saturday.
Victoria is facing an injury situation that is turning dire.
Although Jarratt returned from the injury list Saturday, the Royals were still missing second-leading scorer Tyler Soy, useful role-forward Dino Kambeitz and third-round draft pick Montreal Canadiens blueliner Scott Walford.
Then forward Tanner Kaspick鈥檚 head hit the boards in the third period Saturday and he left the game and did not return. That would be a major blow.
The Royals can ill afford to lose the St. Louis Blues-signed prospect, who has played with the heart of a lion since joining the Royals mid-season.
The Giants are down to 10 forwards in what is becoming a battle of attrition.
鈥淚t was a matter of who鈥檚 willing to step up, and we have guys willing to step up,鈥� said Jarratt.
