The Victoria Royals were less than a minute from victory Friday night in Portland before a late goal in regulation and Ryan Hughes鈥� overtime winner gave the Winterhawks a 5-4 victory before 4,231 fans at the venerable, glass-clad Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
鈥淲e have to start locking these games down when we have the lead,鈥� said Royals coach Dave Lowry. 鈥淭his is the second game in a row in which we have given up a goal in the last minute to let the other team tie it [including in the 6-5 Royals overtime victory Wednesday in Spokane].鈥�
The Royals (16-13-3), however, have still managed to answer a four-game Western Hockey League losing streak by picking up points in three consecutive games with two wins and overtime loss.
Portland (17-13-1) is also a team of swings, having survived a nine-game losing streak earlier this season to now go on a 9-1-1 roll.
鈥淲e generated enough chances to win tonight,鈥� said Lowry.
鈥淏ut we can鈥檛 be giving up 40-plus shots on our own goal.鈥�
Victoria starter Griffen Outhouse was indeed harried in facing 51 shots in goal for Victoria, while Cole Kehler faced 37 shots for Portland.
The Royals fell behind 3-1 in the first minute of the second period before goals by Dante Hannoun and Ryan Peckford levelled the score less than six minutes later. A two-on-one break, with Jack Walker feeding goal-scorer Regan Nagy, gave Victoria the 4-3 lead at 5:52 of the third period. Henri Jokiharju tied it for Portland with just 54 seconds remaining in regulation time with their goaltender pulled for an extra attacker.
Defenceman Chaz Reddekopp scored Victoria鈥檚 first goal, on a power play in the first period.
Hannoun had a three-point night, while Matthew Phillips picked up two assists for Victoria despite being stopped on three clear breakaways.
Cody Glass of the Winterhawks, projected for the first round of the 2017 NHL draft, had a goal and two assists for Portland.
The Royals play a Tri-City Americans club tonight in Kennewick, Washington, that includes defenceman Juuso Valimaki, ranked 11th by Sportsnet for the 2017 NHL draft, and also forward Jordan Topping from Salt Spring Island. The Cowichan Valley Capitals product Topping is finally back with Tri-City after missing 29 games due to a lower-body injury incurred while in Dallas Stars training camp. The six-foot-one 19-year-old is showing why he scored 33 goals and added 34 assists last year for the Americans by recording two goals and two assists for four points in his first two games back for Tri-City.
The Royals continued light on the blue line with Scott Walford injured and captain Ryan Gagnon sitting out the second game of a four-game suspension for a charging major and game misconduct incurred last weekend in Prince George.
The Royals return from their wide-ranging five-game road trip, which spanned from Prince George to Oregon and Washington, for a three-game homestand with games against the Winterhawks on Tuesday and Wednesday and Vancouver Giants next Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
