VICTORIA 8
MEDICINE HAT 2
He鈥檚 probably heard the lines a few times in his hockey career, but the Price was indeed right. How about he was the Price of admission?
Ethan Price might have heard them more if he was a flashier player, instead of a tenaciously diligent role forward not generally known for his scoring. But it was the night to pull out the obvious word play as Price counted his fourth and fifth goals of the season to key the Victoria Royals to an 8-2 WHL victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday before 3,243 fans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
They were Price鈥檚 first goals since scoring the Teddy Bear toss goal Dec. 12.
鈥淵eah, I鈥檝e heard the Price is right line a few times,鈥� said the native of Lincoln, Nebraska, with a chuckle. 鈥淲hen you throw pucks to the net and crash the paint, good things happen.鈥�
Victoria head coach Dave Lowry likes Price鈥檚 versatility.
鈥淵ou can move him up and down the line-up, from an energy player to the power play,鈥� said Lowry, whose club improves to 27-15-5).
Medicine Hat鈥檚 Mason Shaw opened scoring at 12:55 of the first period. Victoria levelled at 37 seconds of the second period with Regan Nagy staying with a loose puck in the crease. Alex Mowbray redirected the puck at 2:18 to restore the Tigers鈥� lead, only to see the Royals again tie it as Price counted on the odd man at 7:35. Lowry shook up the power play, which went 0-8 in a 2-1 overtime loss to Kelowna on Saturday, and it worked with Price an unlikely trigger puller. That was the only power play goal on the night, however, as Victoria finished 1-5.
Dante Hounnan, on a three-point night, found the top corner for his 18th goal at 10:16 of the second period to give Victoria its first lead at 3-2. Price then knocked in the puck at 18:45 to push the lead to two in a dominating second period in which Victoria outshot the Tigers 24-2.
The goals kept coming from unusual sources when Royals sophomore Russian defenceman Marsel Ibragimov scored his first career WHL goal in the third period on a deceptively deft move. Rookie Victoria defenceman Scott Walford added to the theme. Returning from injury after 23 games, Walford picked up an assist for his first WHL point in his 13th career game.
鈥淚t was exciting to get my feet under me again,鈥� said Walford.
In further playing on the note of the night, forward Ty Westgard also recorded his first career WHL point after 11 games and defenceman Ralph Jarratt scored his third goal of the season.
Tyler Soy scored short-handed for his 22nd goal of the season. Matthew Phillips scored his team-leading 24th goal to eclipse the former record for Royals rookies held by Logan Nelson. Phillips is now chasing the franchise record of 32 set by Oscar Moller when the club was located in Chilliwack.
Veteran goaltender Coleman Vollrath held sway in the Victoria crease, made 16 saves. The harried Medicine Hat duo of Nick Schneider and Mack Shields combined to make 36.
The Tigers (18-23-4) have rookie Tyler Preziuso out of Juan de Fuca and the South Island Royals midgets playing right wing and called up Nanaimo鈥檚 Dawson Heathcote from the midget North Island Silvertips.
