Back from exchanging gifts, chomping back turkey, ham and all the fixings, the Victoria Royals now focus on the task at hand as the second half of the Western Hockey League season resumes tonight and Thursday against the visiting Prince George Cougars.
Having lost three straight games and 10 of their last 16, the Royals can fix their eyes on one very telling stat as they recorded a 20-13-3-0 record over the first half.
Victoria has been outshot in 10 of its last 12 outings and 27 of the first 36 of the year, which automatically puts you at a disadvantage.
To have 20 wins at this point, with those type of numbers, tells you just how capable they are of scoring themselves (having tallied 150 times, second best in the league). But you can only dodge so many bullets before the odd one knicks you.
鈥淚t does have to change,鈥� said captain Matthew Phillips when apprised of the stat. 鈥淲e can only get lucky so often.
鈥淕riff鈥檚 been outstanding every night, but the more you get outshot, you鈥檙e playing with fire and eventually they鈥檙e going to start going in,鈥� he added of goalie Griffen Outhouse鈥檚 outstanding contribution in the first half.
鈥淲e need to tighten up and when we鈥檙e in the offensive zone we have to look for the simpler play and getting it on the net because that鈥檚 what they鈥檙e doing and it鈥檚 working,鈥� he said, referring to the Vancouver Giants鈥� recent strong play, which included back-to-back wins over Victoria just prior to the break.
Penalties have also been costly for the Royals, who have allowed 22 man-advantage goals in 78 opportunities over the last 16 games, which included two overtime losses.
鈥淭he ice tends to tilt in the other team鈥檚 favour when you鈥檙e short-handed and, obviously, when you take too many penalties and if you turn the puck over in the neutral zone or in your defensive zone,鈥� said head coach Dan Price.
鈥淲e are seeing that a little bit in the last few games so we want to make sure we stay out of the box, manage the puck well and put it in good spots so we go get it and again, that鈥檚 something that young players learn with experience.鈥�
A younger, lesser-experienced roster has also been costly, but it鈥檚 also time that defensive stalwarts like Chaz Reddekopp, Scott Walford (both NHL draft selections), Ralph Jarratt and Mitchell Prowse start to play bigger factors.
Forwards are not exempt either in their own zone as costly errors have killed the Royals the last month.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the end of the first half,鈥� said Phillips. 鈥淚t鈥檚 come by pretty quick and we realize what works and what doesn鈥檛 and sometimes you have to adjust your game to find success.鈥�
The adjustment needs to come defensively as Outhouse has been the busiest goaltender in the WHL, facing 1,032 shots in his 30 games played. That鈥檚 34.4 per outing, which any coach will tell you is too many.
Victoria was outshot 44-27 by Vancouver in the last game prior to the break, a 6-2 loss that got away late. That included 19 shots in the opening period after a loss the night before against the Giants. Outhouse thwarted all 19, with a handful in spectacular fashion, but the Giants eventually got to him with some traffic in front and an ability to pounce on mistakes.
With a personal record of 18-8-3-0, Outhouse鈥檚 performance is one of the highlights in the first half. His .915 save percentage is stellar, considering the amount of shots faced. Included in the stretch of 27 games in which they were outshot is an 11-straight run from Oct. 11-Nov. 3, in which they were 5-6.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a little inconsistent, up-and-down at times,鈥� Price added of the first half. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had tremendous stretches where we鈥檝e played fast and with good structure and physicality. But we鈥檝e had some stretches where we haven鈥檛 managed the puck as well as we need to where our discipline hasn鈥檛 been as good as it needs to be.
鈥淚f we can learn those lessons, take those from the first half and apply them to the second, that鈥檚 what wins in the second half and heading into the spring 鈥� puck management, discipline, fundamentals.鈥�
