Rockets spoil the party

BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMESCOLONIST.COM SEPTEMBER 16, 2011

The Victoria Royals came out 3-2 losers Friday night to the Kelowna Rockets but could count 5,396 reasons to be happy, none the less.

Attracted by cheap tickets ($5) and high interest in the return of the Western Hockey League to the capital after 17 years, that was the crowd count at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre for a mere pre-season game.

“The crowd was awesome and you could feel the energy,” said Royals GM and head coach Marc Habscheid.

“To have 5,300 people come out for an exhibition game says a lot. There was an electricity in the building and it created a great atmosphere.”

Nothing counted for the official books Friday, but officially or unofficially, Logan Nelson showed he’s a keeper for the Royals.

It took the American from Minnesota just four seconds to record the first shot on net by a Royals player at the Memorial Centre after winning the opening face-off.

After Filip Vasko of the Rockets scored the first WHL goal in the Memorial Centre at 10:22, albeit of the pre-season variety, Nelson scored the first goal by a Royals player at home by swooping down the left side on a fine move at 14:32. It was following that that game staff keyed what will apparently be the theme music after each Royals goal — a ginned-up version of Rule Britannia.

Nelson then assisted on Parksville-product Cade Pilton’s power-play goal from the point at 17:00 that gave Victoria a 2-1 lead entering the first break.

“It was a good crowd for a first night and that pumped us up,” said Nelson.

“A lot of guys, including me, haven’t played in front of a crowd that large before,” added the graduate of the Junior A U.S. Hockey League.

The Rockets tied it 2-2 in the second period through Colton Sissons, expected to be snapped up in the 2012 NHL draft, at 16:42 and took a 3-2 lead when Austin Ferguson counted the winner at 19:26 of the second.

The final minute of the game featured a two-man Victoria advantage that was made six-on-three with the goalie pulled, but the Royals couldn’t equalize.

“We need to work on our six-on-three drills,” deadpanned Habscheid.

Starter Keith Hamilton was solid in net for Victoria, making 35 saves in going all the way. Braden Gamble was dressed in reserve. Jordon Cooke made 29 saves for the Rockets.

“I tried to keep the guys in the game,” said Hamilton, acquired over the off-season from the Portland Winterhawks.

Habscheid said not to read too much into Hamilton’s start in the final pre-season game and that he hasn’t yet decided on his starter between the 19-year-old Hamilton, 20-year-old Gamble or 17-year-old Jared Rathjen.

It starts counting for real when the Royals open the regular season next Friday at the Pacific Coliseum against the Vancouver Giants, before opening at home next Saturday against the Giants.

The Rockets were bolstered by a couple of returnees from NHL rookie camps — forward Jessey Astles from the Penguins and goaltender Adam Brown, although the latter did not play Friday. Five other Rockets remain in NHL camps.

The Royals are missing two forwards to NHL camps — third-round draft pick Kevin Sundher with the Buffalo Sabres and free-agent signing Curt Gogol with the San Jose Sharks.

The Royals’ black exhibition jerseys were worn for the last time as they finished the pre-season at 1-4. The club’s official jerseys will be unveiled during next weekend’s regular-season away and home openers.