Destiny couldn’t have provided the Victoria Royals with a more daunting weekend path in which to try to end an 11-game Western Hockey League winless streak.
The Royals (12-23-5) are in Everett, Washington, tonight to meet the Western Conference-leading Silvertips (30-7-4) at Angel of the Winds Arena. That will be followed by two home games Saturday and Sunday against the Western Conference second-place Kamloops Blazers (28-11-1) at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
The Silvertips are ranked No. 3 and Blazers No. 8 in the WHL-dominated Canadian Hockey League top-10 poll, which includes the Winnipeg Ice at No. 1, Edmonton Oil Kings at No. 2 and Portland Winterhawks at No. 5. The Kelowna Rockets are an honourable mention.
The Royals are a long way from that level and are more concerned about their flank near the bottom of the table. The Royals’ hold on the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference is tenuous at best. Victoria leads both Tri-City and Spokane by one point with the Americans and Chiefs each holding a game in hand on the Royals.
“January was challenging but the guys are excited to get a fresh start for February,” said Royals GM and head coach Dan Price.
The Silvertips are on a five-game winning streak heading into tonight’s matchup and are 16-2-2 at home. Victoria’s 12 wins are split evenly between six home and away.
“It’s a great challenge to play three games from Friday night to a Sunday late afternoon,” said Price.
With travel thrown in and injured captain Tarun Fizer still day-to-day.
