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CdnSailor
10-27-2011, 11:38 AM
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k29/cdnsailor/SeattleThunderbirds.gif at http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k29/cdnsailor/VictoriaRoyals.gif

Seattle and Victoria meets 4 times this season. There first game was a 5-4 win for Seattle in Seattle.
Victoria is coming off a 4 game road trip taking 2 of the 4.
Victoria is currently in second 1 point ahead of Vancouver who has a game in hand as well.
Seattle is currently in 4 spot in the US Division, 8 pts behind second place Portland.

Victoria 15 8 7 0 0 = 16 PTS 0-1-0-0 STK 5-5-0-0 P10 304 PIM #1

Seattle 9 4 5 0 0 = 8 PTS 0-1-0-0 STK 4-5-0-0 P10 139 PIM

pontcanna
10-28-2011, 12:04 AM
Defence becoming a Royal concern

BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMESCOLONIST.COM OCTOBER 27, 2011 10:26 PM

The Victoria Royals have so far managed to cover over the not inconsiderable losses of veteran 19-year-old blue-liners Zach Habscheid and Tyler Stahl, out much of the early season with concussions.

But their absence is telling in one regard. Heading into tonight’s start of a back-to-back set against the Seattle Thunderbirds at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, the Royals have managed to stitch together an 8-7 record despite allowing the most goals against in the Western Hockey League.

Not only do the Royals bottom out in the department, they do so glaringly with 71 goals allowed in 15 games.

“That’s not something we’re proud of, that’s for sure,” said Royals forward Kevin Sundher.

“That’s not a category we want to be leading. There’s no doubt there’s a lot of room for improvement in that category.”

But whatever Victoria has been doing to maintain an even keel despite allowing so many goals might be a case study in how to stay afloat.

When you’re letting in the number of goals Victoria has been, it helps being currently tied for fourth with most goals scored in the league at 53.

“We’ve managed to put together some wins despite the high number of goals we’ve allowed,” added Sundher.

“But we definitely need to tighten up, including me. Our defence is very young at the moment, with key veterans out with injures, and the forwards have to do a better job of getting back to help out our young D men.”

Royals GM and head coach Marc Habscheid isn’t overly concerned.

“When we lose, we lose big. We don’t win as big,” he noted.

“But we obviously want to bring that [goals against] down. With our injuries back there [on defence], we have young guys playing good, crucial minutes. But they are still young and still learning their trade.”

And the coach isn’t about to compromise his offence by sacrificing for what appears to be a bigger defensive problem on paper than it actually is on the ice.

“I’m not going to quash our offence by trapping or anything like that,” said Habscheid.

The Thunderbirds come in at 4-5. The star of this show is in the crease. Colorado Avalanche second-round draft pick Calvin Pickard, taken 49th overall in 2010, gives Seattle a chance every night.

“He’s a world-class goalie and their key guy,” said Sundher.

“We have to put as many pucks on Pickard, and get as many bodies in front of him, as we can because he is capable of stealing a game by himself.”

Tonight begins a seven-game Royals homestand which continues against Seattle on Saturday, following up next weekend with a two-game set against Vancouver, against Edmonton on Nov. 8 and finally Red Deer on Nov. 12-13.

pontcanna
10-28-2011, 11:13 PM
What a snooze-fest for the best part of 40 minutes, followed by a crazy exciting third period. As Sundher said during the first intermission interview, "we need to get our legs moving". I think said legs were left by the side of the highway someplace between Spokane and Tsawwassen early Thursday morning and returned to the locker room a bit late for the start of the game.

However, one would have thought two third period shorthanded goals on the same penalty would be a spirit-crusher for the Birds and (with the way the game was going) would be enough for all the points. But as post-game interviews made clear, our lads also thought that would be enough to win and they lost their focus for a few crucial minutes.

Gotta love our developing "tradition" of late game dramatics...and almost won it when First Star Seattle Minder got caught out of position with about 9 seconds to go. What can you do in a shootout, it's a roll of the dice. But we got a point out of it, which will add up at the end of the season. We pull even further ahead of the COUGARS (poetic justice if they end up last, the position we were predicted to occupy in the BC Division). Decent crowd on what is likely a party night for many people, not to mention Game 7 of the World Series.

CdnSailor
10-29-2011, 12:19 AM
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k29/cdnsailor/SeattleThunderbirds.gif 4 http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k29/cdnsailor/VictoriaRoyals.gif 3 (SO)

You Tube Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhmehw7xjVQ

1st Period
No Goals

2nd Period
No Goals

3rd Period
Royals 1st goal by Kevin Sundher (SH) 1:37
Royals 2nd goal by Tim Traber (SH) 2:20 same penalty
Thunderbirds 1st goal by Brad Deagle 2:40
Thunderbirds 2nd goal by Connor Sanvido 3:02
Thunderbirds 3rd goal by Burke Gallimore no video
No goal allowed by Thunderbirds 4:27
Royals 3rd goal by Kevin Sundher 4:44

Overtime
No goals

Shootout

Won by Thunderbirds 7:38

Attendance
5309

SHOTS 1 2 3 OT SO Total
Seattle Thunderbirds 12 6 12 2 1 33
Victoria Royals 5 16 15 1 0 37

3 Stars
1. SEA - 1 Calvin Pickard
2. VIC - 9 Kevin Sundher
3. SEA - 15 Marcel Noebels

Game Summary
http://www.whl.ca/schedule/show/game/59545

pontcanna
10-29-2011, 12:26 AM
Sundher heroics not enough for Royals

BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMESCOLONIST.COM OCTOBER 28, 2011 11:06 PM


The one thing about junior hockey is that the few true potential NHLers invariably separate themselves from the pack with an exclamation mark on most nights.

So it was Friday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre as the Seattle Thunderbirds defeated the Victoria Royals 4-3 in a shootout in a Western Hockey League game before 5,309 fans.

Luke Lockhart’s shootout goal settled matters for Seattle but the stars shone brightest in other uniforms.

Third-round draft pick Kevin Sundher of the Royals showed why he is a potential Canada forward for the 2012 world juniors, if not a possible future Buffalo Sabre pro, with two goals.

But he was only the second star.

The first star award went to second-round draft pick Calvin Pickard of the Thunderbirds, who flashed the kinds of moves with 34 saves that have him pencilled in as the Colorado Avalanche goaltender of the future.

The contest took awhile to get interesting through two turgid and scoreless periods. But it warmed up enough to provide for a riveting ending.

The Thunderbirds (5-5) eclipsed a 2-0 Royals advantage to pull into a 3-2 lead before Sundher’s second goal of the game tied it 3-3 at 18:35. The overtime settled nothing — although Steve Hodges of Victoria missed the whole empty side of the Seattle net and Burke Gallimore of Seattle hit the Victoria post — before Lockhart finally did decide the issue in the shootout.

“It was a good finish but we were lackadaisical to start the game,” said Sundher.

“We didn’t have enough emotion at the start but we found it later. Yet we need to play the full 60 minutes to win. We let them hang around. I thought we deserved to win but a few bounces went the other way.”

Not to mention the Pickard factor.

“He’s a top-notch goalie, for sure and we need to get more bodies in front of him,” said Sundher.

“But it’s a good challenge. It’s always fun to play against the best.”

The Thunderbirds should have just declined the penalty to Victoria defenceman Keegan Kanzig at 13 seconds of the third period.

The game was scoreless when the Royals scored two shorthanded goals on that Kanzig penalty kill, unassisted by Sundher at 23 seconds and another by Tim Traber on his first of the season at 1:37.

Seattle defenceman Brad Deagle’s first goal of the season pulled Seattle to within one at 4:22 before forward Connor Sanvido, also with his first of the year, tied it at 6:24. Then came the go-ahead counter by Gallimore at 6:37. It took Sundher’s late heroics to sent it to extra time and salvage a point for the Royals (8-7-1).

In terms of pure geography, and regardless of border, the Thunderbirds and Everett Silvertips are more natural rivals for the Royals than B.C. Division opponents Kamloops, Kelowna or Prince George.

Only the Vancouver Giants are a more obvious rival for Victoria than the two teams from metro Seattle, so it’s rather lamentable that because of divisional scheduling considerations, the Thunderbirds are making their only two appearances of the season at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. That’s too bad because this has all the makings of a compelling hockey match-up.

The hard-digging Royals face the big, strong Thunderbirds squad in the second game of the back-to-back set tonight at 7.

ICE CHIPS: Seattle’s NHL draft picks on the roster include Pickard, Sabres fourth-rounder Colin Jacobs and Flyers fourth-rounder Marcel Noebels.

pontcanna
10-29-2011, 10:53 PM
Well, it was all over in a few minutes of the second period...chasing the Seattle star goalie after he let in a howler from way out. Basically waved at it as it flew past him :)

We had our patented slow start (shots 9-1 Seattle at one point) which definitely has to be addressed sooner rather than later, on the road that ratio has us falling behind by two or more before we get started. A treat listening to all the Big Ben gongs. Must have given the fairly numerous T-Bird fans a headache. The third was watching the clock run down, too bad about the two late goals (especially their second, made our d-man look very bad, but good hands on Deagle to roof the sucker from in close).

Sundher is going crazy these days. The Tweet that informed me this was the first hat trick of his Dub career was rather surprising, given what a powerhouse he has been lately. I hope to see more from the secondary lines...

Hoped for a bit better attendance tonight, but I guess lots of competing events for people. At least the stay-at-homes got the Canuck result they've been looking for :)

Six days till the next game, a welcome (and well-earned) respite to heal up and practice a few things. Still wondering about Carroll's suspension from last night. Anybody know the full story?

pontcanna
10-29-2011, 11:49 PM
Sundher, Royals thump T-Birds

BY RON RAUCH, TIMES COLONIST OCTOBER 29, 2011 10:32 PM

Kevin Sundher of the Victoria Royals felt he was a little bit snake-bitten around the net early in this Western Hockey League season.

After his two-game performance against the Seattle Thunderbirds, that is no longer the case. Sundher collected four goals and one assist Saturday as the Royals thumped the Thunderbirds 7-3 before 4,858 fans at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

In the two games against Seattle, Sundher had six goals and one assist as Victoria took three points from the T-Birds.

“That was a fun game to play in,’’ said Sundher, who now has seven goals and four assists in his last five games. “I have to give a lot of credit to my linemates [Robin Soudek and Brandon Magee] for working so hard and getting me the puck. I was getting chances at the start of the year but they weren’t going in. I have started to turn it around.

“The team worked hard for 60 minutes and if we keep doing that, the results will come.’’

Soudek also had a big night with a goal and four assists. Magee was credited with two assists.

“The Sundher line is in a groove,’’ said Royals coach and general manager Marc Habscheid. “The puck seems to be following them around and they are making things happen. Overall, that was one of our best efforts of the year.’’

Victoria dismantled the Thunderbirds in the second period with four consecutive goals, including three on the power play.

In Friday’s 4-3 Seattle shootout win over the Royals, the teams waited until the third period to do all the scoring.

That was not the case Saturday, as many of the fans were still looking for their seats when Sundher scored at 1:01. Less than four minutes later, on the power play, Seattle countered when Branden Troock fired a shot behind Royals netminder Keith Hamilton. Brad Deagle and Luke Lockhart had Seattle’s other goals in the third period.

Then Sundher restored Victoria’s one-goal lead with a power-play marker from the slot. Sundher tallied his hat trick goal on the power play early in the third and then capped off the night with his fourth early in the third when the puck appeared to bounce off his body and into the net. It was Sundher’s first four-goal performance of his career.

Steven Hodges, Soudek and Hayden Rintoul also scored for Victoria.

ICE CHIPS: The Royals continue their seven-game home stand on Friday and Saturday against the Vancouver Giants. Game time both nights at the Memorial Centre is 7 p.m. . . .

Josh Aspenlind, the first captain of the Royals franchise when it started out five years ago as the Chilliwack Bruins, was honoured in a ceremony before Saturday night’s game. Aspenlind, named Bruins’ captain in 2006-07 as a 20-year-old to cap his 257-game WHL career, went on to play for the Victoria Salmon Kings of the ECHL in a four-season pro career.

CdnSailor
10-29-2011, 11:51 PM
Thunderbirds Austin Carroll is being suspended for his charging last night.
Just wonder if he never dressed. :confused:

CdnSailor
10-30-2011, 12:38 AM
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k29/cdnsailor/VictoriaRoyals.gif 7 http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k29/cdnsailor/SeattleThunderbirds.gif 3

Youtube Summary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3EnHiHo5SA

1st Period

Royals 1st goal by Kevin Sundahr 0:15
Thunderbirds 1st goal by Branden Troock (PP) 1:05
Royals 2nd goal by Kevin Sundahr (PP) 1:10

2nd Period

Royals 3rd goal by Steven Hodges (PP) 2:09
Royals 4th goal by Kevin Sundahr (PP) 2:33
Royals 5th goal by Robin Soudek 2:55
Royals 6th goal by Hayden Rintoul (PP) 3:15

3rd Period

Royals 7th goal by Kevin Sundahr 4:21
Thunderbirds 2nd goal by Brad Deagle 5:02
Fight between Royals Kade Pilton and Thunderbirds Mitch Elliot 5:14
Thunderbirds 3rd goal by Luke Lockhart 7:05

Attendance: 4858

SHOTS 1 2 3 Total
Seattle Thunderbirds 14 7 6 27
Victoria Royals 8 16 9 33

3 Stars
1. VIC - 9 Kevin Sundher
2. VIC - 25 Robin Soudek
3. VIC - 2 Hayden Rintou

Game Summary
http://www.whl.ca/schedule/show/game/59556

fatshad
10-31-2011, 11:22 AM
The Victoria Royals have been very interesting to watch so far this year that is for sure. Being 9 - 7 -1 is very interesting when you look at team stats to this point. They lead the league in goals but also lead the league in goals allowed , which believe me is no reflection on Goaltender Keith Hamilton as he has been great. They are also second in the league in PMs trailing the Giants by 1 min. Although the young Royal defenseman are gaining valuable experience they are missing 19 year old d-men Stahl and Habscheide who possess defense first portfolios. I hope they are back sooner rather than later as they will surely help in lowering shots on goal by opponents specifically in the area of second and third chances around the net. This is where I see the young guys struggling. The Royals are being led by seasoned vets Sundher, Soudek, Crooks, Rintoul, Hamilton as well as youngsters Hodges, Magee, Nelson, and Pilton. If the Royals can address the Pms issue and tighten up on defense they could surprise this year. Having only two 20 yr olds on the roster a 20 yr old defense first dman would help immensely. But where do you find one ! Jr A maybe !

Go Royals Go :groovy: :clap: