pontcanna
09-18-2011, 12:37 AM
Royals lineup still not final
BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMES COLONIST SEPTEMBER 17, 2011 10:05 PM
Next stop, the regular season.
The Victoria Royals’ Western Hockey League pre-season ended with a 3-2 loss to the Kelowna Rockets on Friday that contained at least one Royals victory with Jesse Zgraggen raining blows to the head of Rockets forward Carter Rigby in a third-period unanimous decision.
The Royals were 1-4 in the exhibition campaign, not that it will mean anything when things start for real Friday at the Pacific Coliseum against the Vancouver Giants before the home opener Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre against the Giants.
Victoria has three goalies and 27 skaters remaining, including forwards Kevin Sundher and Curt Gogol who are at NHL camps, and can carry 25 players.
Marc Habscheid, GM and head coach, is mulling over those final decisions but did not make any cuts Saturday.
Habscheid did not tip his hand about goaltending — 20-year-old Braden Gamble, 19-year-old Keith Hamilton and 17-year-old Jared Rathjen are fighting for two spots — nor if six-foot-four defenceman Kade Pilton from Parksville, who turns 17 in November, will become the lone Island player on the team.
“Friday perhaps wasn’t his best game but Kade has played well in camp and the other exhibitions,” said Habscheid.
Among the juggling acts in junior hockey is finding the right balance of age groups.
“We’re going to be young [several 16- and 17-year olds] and we want to build from that to the future,” said Habscheid.
“But we want to protect those young guys this season with veterans who can lead.”
Defenceman Hayden Rintoul, a steady 20-year-old acquired over the summer from the defending WHL champion Kootenay Ice, wore the captain’s “C” Friday for Victoria.
Habscheid, however, said not to read anything into it and that he has yet to make his decision about who will captain the squad.
Habscheid and Vancouver Giants coach Don Hay are known for producing teams that sweat, so the opening weekend won’t lack for hustle.
“Don Hay always has teams that work hard . . . that’s the one part of this game that you can control,” said Habscheid.
BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMES COLONIST SEPTEMBER 17, 2011 10:05 PM
Next stop, the regular season.
The Victoria Royals’ Western Hockey League pre-season ended with a 3-2 loss to the Kelowna Rockets on Friday that contained at least one Royals victory with Jesse Zgraggen raining blows to the head of Rockets forward Carter Rigby in a third-period unanimous decision.
The Royals were 1-4 in the exhibition campaign, not that it will mean anything when things start for real Friday at the Pacific Coliseum against the Vancouver Giants before the home opener Saturday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre against the Giants.
Victoria has three goalies and 27 skaters remaining, including forwards Kevin Sundher and Curt Gogol who are at NHL camps, and can carry 25 players.
Marc Habscheid, GM and head coach, is mulling over those final decisions but did not make any cuts Saturday.
Habscheid did not tip his hand about goaltending — 20-year-old Braden Gamble, 19-year-old Keith Hamilton and 17-year-old Jared Rathjen are fighting for two spots — nor if six-foot-four defenceman Kade Pilton from Parksville, who turns 17 in November, will become the lone Island player on the team.
“Friday perhaps wasn’t his best game but Kade has played well in camp and the other exhibitions,” said Habscheid.
Among the juggling acts in junior hockey is finding the right balance of age groups.
“We’re going to be young [several 16- and 17-year olds] and we want to build from that to the future,” said Habscheid.
“But we want to protect those young guys this season with veterans who can lead.”
Defenceman Hayden Rintoul, a steady 20-year-old acquired over the summer from the defending WHL champion Kootenay Ice, wore the captain’s “C” Friday for Victoria.
Habscheid, however, said not to read anything into it and that he has yet to make his decision about who will captain the squad.
Habscheid and Vancouver Giants coach Don Hay are known for producing teams that sweat, so the opening weekend won’t lack for hustle.
“Don Hay always has teams that work hard . . . that’s the one part of this game that you can control,” said Habscheid.