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There wasn鈥檛 quite the compelling atmosphere, nor the stakes, on Saturday night compared with the previous meeting between the Victoria Royals and Kelowna Rockets.
The result was the same, if not the intensity, as the Rockets skated to a 6-5 WHL exhibition victory in the Okanagan.
The previous meeting between the clubs, on the Island in Game 7 of their playoff series in April, is seared in the memories of Royals fans and probably will be for a long time. It鈥檚 not the sort of loss from which a franchise easily recovers. Few times will you see an arena full of people on their feet anticipating victory with a standing ovation only to have it taken away with milliseconds remaining as the Rockets snatched victory from what appeared sure defeat in one of the most lacerating and sudden swings of emotion in WHL history.
Both teams return with large swaths of last season鈥檚 rosters and both will again be vying for the WHL regular-season crown Victoria captured in 2015-16.
Dante Hannoun has been eclipsed in many ways by Matthew Phillips, the fellow small forward selected after him by the Royals in the 2013 bantam draft. Hannoun had a good 2015-16, but Phillips had a spectacular one and was named WHL rookie of the year. Yet Hannoun continues his emergence on his own timetable, and on Saturday scored again and added two assists after recording the hat-trick in the 5-3 opening exhibition win in Kamloops Friday.
Also scoring for Victoria on Saturday were Phillips, Blake Bargar, Arjun Atwal and 2015 first-round bantam draft pick Eric Florchuk. The Victoria power play went 2-7. Defenceman Ralph Jarratt had three assists. Royals rookie goaltender Dylan Myskiw allowed five goals and made 20 saves over the first two periods and veteran Griffen Outhouse blocked all nine shots he faced in the third period. Kelowna scored its sixth goal into an empty net.
The Royals鈥� preseason continues today in Everett, Washington, against the Tri City Americans.
