pontcanna
12-11-2011, 01:32 AM
Royals rally falls just short
BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMES COLONIST DECEMBER 10, 2011 11:06 PM
The Victoria Royals sort of channelled John Belushi this weekend and his amusingly famous speech in Animal House about not quitting.
The Royals saved the best for last over their last two Western Hockey League games — outscoring the opposition by a combined 7-0 in the third periods in gaining three of a possible four points.
A goal by Colin Jacobs in the shootout gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Royals on Saturday night in Kent, Washington, after Victoria scored three unanswered goals in the third period to tie the game 3-3 and send it to overtime and shootout.
The Royals scored four unanswered goals in the final period on Friday night in defeating the Lethbridge Hurricanes 8-5 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Goals by Sean Aschim, Tyler Alos and Colin Jacobs had spotted the Thunderbirds to a 3-0 lead after two periods Saturday. But three power-play goals by the Royals within two minutes and 19 seconds, all on the same Seattle major penalty to Justin Hickman in the third period, knotted matters 3-3.
Logan Nelson and defencemen Kade Pilton and Hayden Rintoul rifled shots over Seattle goaltender Calvin Pickard’s catching glove to stun the Thunderbirds, who looked to be in cruise control up to that point.
Storming back like that on Pickard, who was signed to a three-year entry level NHL contract earlier this year by the Colorado Avalanche, is easier contemplated than done.
But the Royals found a way.
“We put ourselves behind the eight-ball,” said Victoria GM and head coach Marc Habscheid, about the deficit heading into the final frame.
“But then, after tying it, we should have won it in regulation time. That Pickard is a great goalie and kept them [Thunderbirds] in it.”
League top-10 scorer Kevin Sundher picked up two assists on those three third-period power-play goals to boost his Royals-leading points total to 52 on the season.
The Royals have spiralled to 2-8-2 in their last 12 games and to 13-18-3 overall. Seattle snapped a three-game losing streak and moved to 12-15-1.
Victoria concludes the calendar year with five more road games, including a Shaw TV-telecast encounter Wednesday night in Edmonton against the Oil Kings, mixed in with the Christmas break.
BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMES COLONIST DECEMBER 10, 2011 11:06 PM
The Victoria Royals sort of channelled John Belushi this weekend and his amusingly famous speech in Animal House about not quitting.
The Royals saved the best for last over their last two Western Hockey League games — outscoring the opposition by a combined 7-0 in the third periods in gaining three of a possible four points.
A goal by Colin Jacobs in the shootout gave the Seattle Thunderbirds a 4-3 victory over the Royals on Saturday night in Kent, Washington, after Victoria scored three unanswered goals in the third period to tie the game 3-3 and send it to overtime and shootout.
The Royals scored four unanswered goals in the final period on Friday night in defeating the Lethbridge Hurricanes 8-5 at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.
Goals by Sean Aschim, Tyler Alos and Colin Jacobs had spotted the Thunderbirds to a 3-0 lead after two periods Saturday. But three power-play goals by the Royals within two minutes and 19 seconds, all on the same Seattle major penalty to Justin Hickman in the third period, knotted matters 3-3.
Logan Nelson and defencemen Kade Pilton and Hayden Rintoul rifled shots over Seattle goaltender Calvin Pickard’s catching glove to stun the Thunderbirds, who looked to be in cruise control up to that point.
Storming back like that on Pickard, who was signed to a three-year entry level NHL contract earlier this year by the Colorado Avalanche, is easier contemplated than done.
But the Royals found a way.
“We put ourselves behind the eight-ball,” said Victoria GM and head coach Marc Habscheid, about the deficit heading into the final frame.
“But then, after tying it, we should have won it in regulation time. That Pickard is a great goalie and kept them [Thunderbirds] in it.”
League top-10 scorer Kevin Sundher picked up two assists on those three third-period power-play goals to boost his Royals-leading points total to 52 on the season.
The Royals have spiralled to 2-8-2 in their last 12 games and to 13-18-3 overall. Seattle snapped a three-game losing streak and moved to 12-15-1.
Victoria concludes the calendar year with five more road games, including a Shaw TV-telecast encounter Wednesday night in Edmonton against the Oil Kings, mixed in with the Christmas break.