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CdnSailor
09-10-2011, 10:36 PM
If there is anything making Victoria Royals GM and head coach Marc Habscheid feel blue this preseason, it’s that line on the ice painted blue and those players who defend it.

With the start of the Western Hockey League regular season less than two weeks away, the Royals have two of their projected top-four defencemen in the infirmary. Tyler Stahl, a 2010 sixth-round draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, and Zach Habscheid, the coach’s son, have both suffered upper-body injuries in training camp or during exhibition games. Habscheid could be out up to six weeks, while Stahl’s injury has cost him a trip to Hurricanes NHL rookie camp.

“Those are veterans and top-four guys on our blue line,” said Marc Habscheid, following Saturday’s 5-1 exhibition loss to the Vancouver Giants in Maple Ridge.

Throw in veteran Royals forward Brendan Persley, suffering from mono, and there could be some players on the Victoria bubble who get to stick around a bit longer until the injury situation eases. The Royals are

1-3 in the preseason and the Giants 2-0-2. Victoria defeated Vancouver 4-3 in overtime Friday in Ladner to split the weekend series. Not that it means much, not only because of the Royals injuries, but also because both clubs were missing key players to NHL rookie camps.

Third-round unsigned draft pick Kevin Sundher is at the Buffalo Sabres camp and fellow Royals forward Curt Gogol, a free agent signing of San Jose, at the Sharks’ camp.

The land of the Giants was feeling kind of vacated over the weekend, too. Montreal Canadiens draft pick Brendan Gallagher, Detroit Red Wings pick Marek Tvrdon and Edmonton Oilers selection David Musil were off to pro camps along with free agents Nathan Burns, Brendan Jensen and Wes Vannieuwenhuizen in the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks and Oilers camps, respectively. None of those Giants players have yet signed pro contracts.

“It gives [WHL] teams a chance to give younger players extended ice time,” said Marc Habscheid.

Royals forward Steve Hodges, who was a rookie revelation last season when the franchise played in Chilliwack as the Bruins, scored Victoria’s lone goal Saturday.

Victoria-native Teal Burns scored twice for the Giants. The former Nanaimo Clippers and Victoria Grizzlies BCHL forward then went out with some physical fireworks, earning a minor penalty for cross-checking, a major for fighting and a game misconduct all at 14:56 of the third period. Burns traded punches with Royals prospect Taylor Crunk of San Jacinto, Calif., who received five for fighting and a game misconduct.

Keith Hamilton started in the nets for the Royals and allowed two goals on 18 shots. Hamilton was replaced just past the mid-way point of the second period by 17-year-old Jared Rathjen, who allowed three goals on just nine shots.

The Royals conclude their preseason schedule Friday against Kelowna at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

Victoria opens the regular season Sept. 23 against the Giants at the Pacific Coliseum before raising the curtain at home the following night at the Memorial Centre against the Giants.



Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/sports/Royals+feeling+pinch+from+injuries/5383856/story.html#ixzz1XcDVvDUt