Royals welcome Regina Pats on Canadian Forces Appreciation night.
By Justis Doucet, The Zone’s Hockey Intern
In the 6th game of the Victoria Royals franchise record 8 game home stand, the Regina Pats march into town as the number one ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League.
The Pats, led by Sam Steel’s 37 points in just 17 games, are undefeated in regulation this season, sporting a 15-0-3-0 record, and winners of their last 11.
Meanwhile the Victoria Royals found themselves back in the win column after a 3-1 win against the Prince Albert Raiders Tuesday night.
Matthew Phillips redirected a Brayden Pachal point shot early in the 3rd, and Tyler Soy added an empty netter to tie the franchise record for career goals. Soy’s next marker will put him at the top of the list, passing Brandon Magee’s 101 goals.
This is the second straight non conference game, a team that Victoria will only see once this season. Royals defensemen Scott Walford believes that these games are easy to prepare for.
“Personally, I have no issue getting up for every game, and we’ve got the best team in the country coming in, you can not take them lightly. It’s a very easy game to get up for and we just have to play our game.”
Carter Folk will be looking for revenge against his hometown team, as the Pats knocked out his Lethbridge Hurricanes in last years Western Hockey League playoffs.
“You want to be that first team to beat them, its a huge challenge, everyone knows what’s ahead, and how skilled they are, but everyone here is excited for the challenge to see where we stack up against them.”
Royals bench boss Dave Lowry is looking forward to the challenge, but knows the work doesn’t end there.
“(A win) might garner some respect, this is a game where it’s no different for the other 21 teams in the league, you get a chance to knock off the top team, you better be prepared for it, and you better bring your best. (A win) would be a nice accomplishment, but it’s not only what you do that day, but the next as well.”
Like most games, special teams is sure to be a big factor, Victoria comes in with the most power play attempts in the league with 117, while the Pats have tallied 12 shorthanded goals to go along with their 32% power play efficiency.
Victoria will be wearing the red and white Canadian forces jerseys for the final time as they will be auctioned off following the game and throughout the season. Saturday also marks the start of 3 games in 4 nights for the Royals, who welcome division rival Kelowna Sunday and Tuesday, the Rockets first visit to the B.C. capital since last years playoffs. Puck drop for all 3 games is 7:05.
Team Leaders:
Regular Season Team Comparison
Regina
Victoria
Record
15-0-3-0
12-8-2-0
Goals For/Against
104/57 (+47)
73/62 (+11)
Powerplay
31.8% (28/88)
18.8% (22/117)
Penalty Kill
79.0% (79/100)
82.3% (79/96)
Team Save Percentage
0.898
0.909
Leading Scorer
Sam Steel (17-20-37)
Tyler Soy (11-13-24)
Leading Scorer (Defence)
Connor Hobbs (7-17-24)
Chaz Reddekopp (2-12-14)