In any other season, the Victoria Royals and Medicine Hat Tigers might be receiving more championship talk. But teams with seriously-scary talent run deep this season in the Western Hockey League.
The Royals and Tigers, two squads considered in the second-tier of contenders, meet tonight at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
The Tigers (26-21-6) lead the Central Division of the Eastern Conference, but they would only be in fourth place behind Moose Jaw, Swift Current and Brandon in the scorching East Division.
The hobbled Tigers come to Blanshard Street missing four players to injury, which helps account for the losses in the last two games and tepid 3-4-3 record over the last 10 games.
Royals head coach Dan Price, however, remains wary.
鈥淭he Tigers have a lot of speed and they play extremely fast and like to attack,鈥� he said.
Starting it from the back end is defenceman David Quenneville, the New York Islanders draft pick, who leads the WHL in blue-line points with 59, including 21 goals. Tigers forward Mark Rassell is third in league goals with 42.
鈥淢edicine Hat鈥檚 power play is very good, so discipline will be key for us,鈥� said Price.
That was an issue in Victoria鈥檚 7-1 loss on Wednesday in Tri-City as the Americans鈥� power play went 3-6 against the Royals in building a 3-0 lead before the game was seven minutes old.
The loss snapped an 11-game stretch in which the Royals (30-18-4) went 9-2 by scoring four or more goals in every game.
鈥淗aving a better start than we did Wednesday, obviously, puts us in a stronger position,鈥� said Price, who wants to see more energy from the get-go tonight from the WHL鈥檚 second-ranked offence.
鈥淲e are off to Seattle for a game Saturday, so consistency will be very important for us this weekend.鈥�
The Royals recorded the second-best January in franchise history by going 9-4, behind only the 10-2-1 January record recorded by the 2015-16 Royals team which won the Scotty Munro Trophy as WHL regular-season champions.
The Royals were missing Tanner Kaspick in Tri-City but Price said he is probable for this weekend. The St. Louis Blues-signed forward has been a catalyst for the Royals since being acquired from the Brandon Wheat Kings at the WHL trade deadline.
Victoria captain Matthew Phillips will be looking to extend his 12-game points streak. The undersized but darting Calgary Flames-signed forward has seven goals and 22 points in that stretch. Also working on a streak is Noah Gregor, who has two goals and eight points over seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Royals forward Tyler Soy is two goals shy of tying the all-time career franchise record for goals, held by former Chilliwack Bruins star Ryan Howse with 140. Soy earlier this season eclipsed the all-time franchise record for points, previously held by Bruins-Royals dynamo Brandon Magee.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a cool feeling, but I don鈥檛 think about [career records] too much. I just go out and play my game,鈥� said Soy.
鈥淚t was not just me doing the work, but my teammates too, who helped me get there.鈥�
ICE CHIPS: The legendary Bob Ridley, who remembers the old Memorial Arena and Victoria Cougars of the WHL, returns to Blanshard Street tonight. Ridley is the only radio play-by-play announcer in the 48-year history of the Tigers. He has only missed one game and has seen it all 鈥� from former Tigers greats Lanny McDonald, Tom Lysiak, Don Murdoch and Trevor Linden to former Cougars stars Grant Fuhr, Barry Pederson, Mel Bridgman, Curt Fraser and Gary Lupul. Ridley only stopped driving the Tigers team bus a few seasons ago.
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