Everybody thought it would be the natural cross-strait rivalry against the Vancouver Giants.
But there remains little doubt the Victoria Royals鈥� greatest rivals in the Western Hockey League have turned out to be the Kelowna Rockets. Two playoff series against Kelowna in the Royals鈥� six season-history 鈥� both won by the Rockets 鈥� would give any organization and fan base that added sense of animosity.
The Royals and Rockets renew acquaintances tonight and Saturday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in a two-game set that could go a long way in settling the sa国际传媒 Division regular-season crown. Kelowna defeated the Giants 4-1 Wednesday to move two points ahead of Victoria atop the division but the Rockets hold two games in hand.
鈥淲e are jockeying [for playoff position] so both teams are excited by this matchup,鈥� said Victoria head coach Dan Price.
鈥淏ut every game we play is valuable in the standings.鈥�
Yet, a Kelowna sweep this weekend would leave the Rockets six points up on the Royals, with two games in hand, and realistically end any hopes the Royals had of taking the sa国际传媒 Division regular season crown.
It鈥檚 perhaps over their shoulders the Royals should be looking, where the Giants lurk just four points behind with two games in hand. Vancouver is almost assured of making the playoffs after missing the post-season for the past three seasons and four of the last five. What is likely shaping up as 2-3 Victoria-Vancouver placing in the sa国际传媒 Division would mean a first-round playoff matchup between the teams. So that elusive Royals-Giants rivalry may yet ignite after all.
But first up are the Rockets, who feature forwards and NHL second-round draft picks Kole Lind of the Vancouver Canucks and Dillon Dube of the Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning first-round blue-liner Cal Foote.
Dube and Foote were members of the gold-medallist Canadian team at the 2018 world junior championship in Buffalo. The Rockets also feature forwards Kyle Brennan from Victoria and Kyle Topping of Salt Spring Island and defenceman Kyle Pow of Nanaimo.
鈥淭hese are two teams that like to play fast and physical,鈥� said Price.
鈥淜elowna uses its speed through the neutral zone, so we need to confront them in the neutral zone.鈥�
Royals captain Phillips is looking to extend his 15-game points streak, in which the Calgary Flames-signed forward has 11 goals and 29 points.
Meanwhile, every goal and point 20-year-old forward Tyler Soy records from now to the end of the season will be a record setter. The Anaheim Ducks prospect scored a hat-trick in Wednesday鈥檚 8-5 loss in Portland to eclipse the all-time Victoria Royals/Chilliwack Bruins franchise record for goals and has 142 in his career. Soy, the first Royals player to record 300 points in his career, earlier in the season became the all-time franchise points leader.
OLYMPICS BOUND: A total of 26 WHL alumni will represent 10 countries, including six for sa国际传媒, at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. The Czech Republic clocks in with five former WHLers and Germany with four. The only Royals franchise connection is former Chilliwack forward Oscar Moller for Sweden.
