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CdnSailor
01-13-2012, 12:29 AM
12 Jan 2012

Even by the wearying standards of Western Hockey League bus travel, this trip is a tire-busting asphalt grinder.

The Victoria Royals play the first tilt of a 14-day, six-game sojourn through Saskatchewan and Manitoba tonight in Regina against the Eastern Conference fifth-place Pats (24-16-4).

“Road trips bring a team together,” said Victoria captain Hayden Rintoul, on the day the Royals bus pulled out for the marathon drive across Western Canada.

“It’s 24/7.”

Which may be just what this team needs because it is certainly in need of something after having gone winless in its last nine games.

“I thought we played well in our last two games by keeping it simple,” said Rintoul.

“I think we’re moving forward.”

Victoria’s hold on the eighth and final playoff slot in the Western Conference is tenuous, making the accumulation of points on this road swing a necessity not a luxury. The Royals lead the ninth-place Prince George Cougars by three points with the Cougars holding a game in hand. Victoria trails seventh-place Seattle by two points but the Thunderbirds hold four games in hand.

The Royals problems are obviously on the backside. Victoria is a respectable 10th in league scoring with 145 goals, but has allowed 212, a league worst by a whopping 30 goals. And while Victoria is an OK 12th in the league on the power play with a 21.2 per cent success rate, it is second-worst in penalty killing with only a 74.2 per cent success rate.

Jordan Weal, who is the big wheel for Regina, could stress that creaky Victoria defence. The third-round Los Angeles Kings draft pick from North Vancouver has 26 goals and 70 points in 43 games and is second in WHL scoring, six points adrift of leader Ty Rattie of Portland. No other player on the Pats is even close to that. The second-leading scorer is defenceman and Edmonton Oilers prospect Brandon Davidson, who was never drafted out of bantam, and has 32 points. This is a Regina team that likes to play it tight with players such as Delta-native defenceman Colton Jobke, a former Penticton BCHL player who was undrafted but signed to a pro contract by the Minnesota Wild as a free agent.

The Pats bulked up even more on defence before this week’s trade deadline by acquiring blue-liners Martin Marincin, who played for Slovakia earlier this month at the world junior championship, from the Prince George Cougars and Penticton-native Luke Fenske from the Vancouver Giants.

Tonight’s game reunites Regina head coach Pat Conacher and Victoria head coach and GM Marc Habscheid, although on opposite benches. Conacher was Habscheid’s assistant GM and coach last season when the Royals were located in Chilliwack.

The Royals, however, can be excused if they look past tonight’s game to Saturday’s contest in Brandon against the Wheat Kings. Originally just another fixture on the calendar, that game has suddenly taken on an intriguing subtext after Royals leading scorer Kevin Sundher was traded this week to the Wheat Kings for defenceman Jordan Fransoo and forward Dakota Conroy.

Saturday’s game now promises to be super-charged with emotion for those three players and their respective former teammates on both sides.

“It’s going to be a different feeling, for sure, being in the visitors dressing in what used to be my home rink and seeing old friends in the stands,” said Fransoo.

Conroy admitted it will be “weird” going out to hit his former friends and teammates.

The Royals roll into Swift Current on Tuesday, Moose Jaw on Wednesday, Prince Albert next Friday and Saskatoon next Saturday



Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/Trip+East+could+beast+Royals/5988637/story.html#ixzz1jJjDHmb2

rednex50
01-13-2012, 10:06 AM
The game against Brandon will be interesting...

the Royal Flush
01-13-2012, 10:38 AM
i love the prairie towns...real nice people and nothing gets in the way of the view...

rednex50
01-13-2012, 12:17 PM
Are you going out there?? I've seen Kelowna/Kamloops/Calgary/Speedy Creek/Crushed Can rinks (besides Chilliwack and Pacific Colesium of course).

A buddy of mine (and most of Chilliwack) now lives out there and works for the Warriors so it would be awesome to go see the new rink there....

chalk_one_up
01-13-2012, 01:59 PM
Anyone making the trip out East here?

I'm kind of excited to see the Royals, even if they are struggling.

the Royal Flush
01-14-2012, 10:50 AM
i was considering going...but...the middle of winter on the prairies...did that once in Cold Lake Alberta...never again...i will make the trip next time ,provided it doesnt happen in January or February...a nice mid November trip to the "big flat" would be fun...cant miss the mineral pools in Moose Jaw or the WW1 training trenches in Hughes,Manitoba...

The crushed can is the funniest damn thing I have seen. Looks like a place where the Charlestown Chiefs would play.

i am looking to spending 10 days in Saskatoon(personal favourite town in Canada) for Memorial Cup 2013...

JMoney1988
01-14-2012, 11:38 AM
Well, the way the weather has been going in Saskatchewan, we usually are minus 30, -40 with the wind chill, but this year, its been like plus 5 or minus 2, I'm excitied to see you guys too. We know what you mean by roadtrips, I think it will make or break your season, but according to your coach you have given up already, keep fighting guys, who knows maybe we will meet in the finals.....

JMoney1988
01-14-2012, 11:40 AM
and Kudos to royal flush, I'm glad your coming for the memorial cup next year, I being a season ticket holder will also be there.......