GAME DAY: VANCOUVER VS. VICTORIA
7 p.m. at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre Radio: The Zone 91.3 FM / TV: Shaw
There is no higher honour in sport than to get an opportunity to represent your country on the international rinks, fields or courts of play.
That won't be happening this year for Victoria Royals forwards Steven Hodges and Logan Nelson, but both are taking a philosophic approach to being left off the respective Canadian and American camp-invite lists for the world junior hockey championships next month in Ufa, Russia.
Of more immediate concern is club play with the Royals (15-12-1) and tonight's WHL game against the Vancouver Giants (7-20) at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
But the world juniors weren't far from mind as the Royals practised Tuesday morning at Bear Mountain Arena because of the Journey/Loverboy concert in the Memorial Centre.
"It's a bummer not to be going to Russia," said Nelson, the Rogers, Minnesota, native selected in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL draft by the Buffalo Sabres.
"But being invited to the earlier [USA Hockey tryout camp in Lake Placid] was a good opportunity for me," added the pile-driving centre, who is on point-a-game pace for the Royals with six goals and 28 points in 28 games.
"I am going to use this whole experience to my advantage and as motivation to get better in the years ahead up to the Winter Olympics level."
The 'm' word, aka motivation, also wasn't far from Hodges' lips Tuesday.
Injuries have limited the crafty 2012 third-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers to six goals and 12 points in 16 games for Victoria. But the Delta product was still selected to the WHL all-star team that faced the Russian juniors last month in the Subway Super Series game at the Memorial Centre, which was a key selection fixture for Canadian junior national team scouts.
"That [Canadian junior] is a tough team to make," said Hodges.
"But I'm going to use this as motivation and come back again next year and see what happens. I'm young and I've still got a chance at it again next season."
Asked if he had any words of advice for his two potential, but overlooked, world junior prospects, Royals head coach Dave Lowry again mentioned the 'm' word.
"Make use of the experiences they had in trying to make [the respective Canadian and U.S. teams] and also use it as motivation [for next time or for the things they want to accomplish in their careers]," said Lowry.
The Royals' bench boss may have also privately echoed the same sentiments to his son.
One of the big surprise omissions from sa国际传媒's 37-player invite list for the upcoming world junior camp in Calgary was six-foot-five forward Adam Lowry, who looked crisp and emphatic in captaining the WHL team and scoring a goal in the Subway Super Series game at the Memorial Centre.
Lowry, who captains the Swift Current Broncos, will be in town Saturday night to take on his dad's Royals in the final home date for the Victoria club before the Christmas break.
But tonight is about the lowly Giants, who the Royals are 3-1 against this regular season. The once-mighty Vancouver franchise is laid low this season, but the Royals haven't forgotten that the Giants beat them 4-1 in their last meeting, Oct. 26 at the Pacific Coliseum.
"That started our skid [six straight losses from Oct. 26 to Nov. 9]," noted Lowry.
"It's more about us. We have to make sure we're ready against them."
Hodges said no teams can be taken lightly.
"[Giants head coach] Don Hay teaches his teams to always work hard, night in and night out," said the Royals forward.
"We have to match that work ethic against them." [email protected] Twitter.com/tc_vicsports
