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Amazingly Victoria is now in 7th place 2 points ahead of Seattle who has three games in hand. Victoria is currently 3 - 7 P10
Royals are playing the Silvertips for the first time this season for a total of 4 games. The last two will be in Everett first week March.
The Silvertips are 4 -6 P10 and is currently in 10 place, 5 points behind and 2 games in hand.
so who starts between the pipes...backup A or backup B...:D
Hamilton has to start the Last 18 games if we want to play a few playoff games !!:)Quote:
Originally Posted by the Royal Flush
Stahl closing in on return
BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMESCOLONIST.COM FEBRUARY 6, 2012 10:07 PM
The hockey gods give and the hockey gods take away.
The Victoria Royals blue-line has discovered this week that fate can be as benevolent as it is fickle.
The return of Carolina Hurricanes 2010 sixth-round draft pick Tyler Stahl, out with a concussion since the fourth game of the season, appears imminent and could come as soon as the two-game Western Hockey League set tonight and Wednesday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre against the Everett Silvertips.
But that news was tempered by the loss of Zach Habscheid, possibly for the season, because of a freak off-ice accident. The six-foot-four rearguard rolled his ankle helping unload the team bus when the Royals returned Sunday from their weekend road trip to Spokane and Tri-City.
“It’s not good,” said Marc Habscheid, Royals GM and head coach, who is also Zach’s father.
“It might be the season [for Zach].”
The 19-year-old Zach Habscheid has five points and a minus-14 rating this season in 41 games.
The injury continues a turbulent season for the Victoria defensive corps, which also endured the retirement of Jesse Pauls in January.
“We’ve had only two games this season when all our defencemen have been healthy,” noted Marc Habscheid.
Which makes the possible return of Stahl all that more compelling for Victoria’s chances into the late season and playoffs.
“Tyler is day-to-day. He may or may not play [tonight or Wednesday],” said Habscheid, whose club is 17-31-6.
The six-foot-two native of Drumheller was hit by a high elbow along the corner boards by Cougars forward Charles Inglis and concussed in the fourth game of the season in Prince George.
“I feel good and have started contact. I’m really excited and ready to go,” said Stahl, after Monday’s practice in which he skated without wearing the no-hitting-allowed yellow jersey.
“But I still have to be cleared to play.”
He realizes practice speed is not game speed.
“We practice at a high tempo. But obviously, it’s different in a game,” said Stahl, who just turned 20.
“I’m a little nervous but that will pass quickly.”
The hardest thing about being out so long is the mental aspect.
“It’s tough just to be sitting around,” said Stahl.
Inglis, since traded to Red Deer, received a 10-game suspension for the hit. Asked if he bears any hard feelings toward Inglis for denying him most of this season, Stahl, replied: “I try not to think about it. It’s in the past. It’s a high-speed game. Let’s leave it at that. I’m just really excited about being close to coming back.”
Meanwhile, somebody who won’t be back is Doug Soetaert. He took the fall for Everett’s poor season (12-31-9) and was fired Thursday as Silvertips GM. It again showed just how little job security there is in this business.
“It’s an unfortunate part of the business,” noted Habscheid.
“But you know that when you sign up for it.”
The Silvertips are coached by Mark Ferner, who in his first season with last-place Everett has failed to replicate the phenomenal success he had in guiding the Vernon Vipers to three consecutive B.C. Hockey League championships and RBC Cup national Junior A titles in 2009 and 2010 and another RBC Cup national championship game appearance in 2011.
The outside of me says tough luck Habscheid on your ankle.....
but the inside says :clap::clap::clap: