beats the hell outta me...
beats the hell outta me...
Bet the Wheat Kings were not to happy with Sundher at the beginning with two penalties in a row.
Allbeit he did get two assists and did score in the shootout. Glad that we were able to beat Brandon though.
Great to see #10 Ben Walker break the 10 game losing streak
Now to see what happens on our next leg of this road trip.
Victoria comes from behind for 4-3 shootout victory over Brandon.
For Immediate Release
Saturday, January 14th, 2012
Victoria, BC – In a Saturday night matchup at the Westman Communications Group Place, the Victoria Royals took on the Brandon Wheat Kings in the second of a six game road trip. The Royals gave Keith Hamilton the start in net, while the Wheat Kings countered with Curtis Honey.
Both teams exchanged quality scoring chances early as Brandon’s Michael Ferland got behind the Royals’ defense for a partial breakaway but was denied by the glove of Hamilton. Victoria would counter with a breakaway of their own as Robin Soudek was sprung in alone but was unable to beat the blocker of Honey. The Wheat Kings would get on the board at 13:28 when Dominick Favreau converted Bruno Mraz’s centering pass over top of Hamilton. Brandon would add to their lead in the final minute of the frame on the man-advantage. Forward Kevin Sundher circled at the right face-off circle and fed Mark Stone in the slot for a one-timer that beat Hamilton over the right shoulder. The first period concluded with the Wheat Kings leading 2-0.
Victoria would cut into Brandon’s lead on the power play at 7:32 of the middle frame. Royals’ forward Ben Walker burst down the right side and fed Dakota Conroy in the middle who beat Honey on the glove side for his first goal in a Victoria uniform. The Wheat Kings re-established a two-goal cushion at 12:45 when Ferland scored his second of the night off a tic-tac-toe play from Brendan Walker and Sundher. Hamilton was able to keep the Royals within two when he stopped Sundher on a breakaway attempt with a quick right pad save. Victoria responded at 16:56 when Logan Nelson fed Jamie Crooks in front who slapped home his 23rd of the season. After 40 minutes Brandon led 3-2.
Hamilton would continue his solid play to open the third period as he thwarted an odd-man rush from Brandon’s Stone and Brenden Walker. Victoria continued to push for the equalizer and found it at 13:43 when Steven Hodges fired a shot from the slot that rebounded onto the stick of Brandon Magee who made no mistake for his 13th goal of the season. At the end of regulation the game would remain tied 3-3.
A fast paced overtime would solve nothing as the game required a shootout. Stone would miss Brandon’s first attempt before Soudek beat Honey through the legs with a quick snap-shot to give Victoria the advantage. The Wheat Kings’ Alessio Bertaggia and the Royals’ Nelson both missed their respective shots before Sundher slid his forehand attempt under an outstretched Hamilton to even the shootout 1-1. Walker would shoot third for Victoria, firing a low, hard wrist-shot past Honey to secure the win. Royals 4 Wheat Kings 3 in a shootout.
Victoria went 1/4 = 25.0% on the power play, while Brandon was 2/2 = 100.0%. The Royals outshot the Wheat Kings 50-42.
4 3 (Shootout)
Game Highlights
http://youtu.be/VK_Ka0kSU3g
Royals snap winless streak
BY CLEVE DHEENSAW, TIMES COLONIST JANUARY 14, 2012 11:05 PM
Victoria Royals goaltender Keith Hamilton may have a rebuttal for those who don’t think practices matter.
With the Wheat Kings leading 3-1 Saturday in Brandon and looking to put away the Western Hockey League game against the struggling Victoria club, Hamilton stopped former teammate Kevin Sundher on a second-period breakaway in a play that turned the tide in the Royals’ 4-3 shootout victory.
Hamilton has to have banked a few mental notes after facing Sundher hundreds of times during practice earlier this season.
Instead of a three-goal deficit, the Royals went into the second break trailing by only one goal following Jamie Crooks scoring his 23rd of the season for Victoria less than a minute after Hamilton blocked Sundher on that crucial breakaway.
“That was big,” said Royals GM and head coach Marc Habscheid.
“Goaltending is the most important position in hockey and you need your goalie to make a save like that for you. It gave the bench life. And the guys kept rallying.”
The victory snapped a 10-game Royals winless streak.
“They had some losses mounting but they deserved this. They kept up the energy after falling behind.”
Hamilton was full value for his third-star selection in facing 50 Brandon shots.
“We got some saves tonight and that was the key,” reiterated Habscheid.
The game is the only date between the two teams this season who were involved in the blockbuster deal last Monday that sent Buffalo Sabres-contracted Sundher to the Wheat Kings in exchange for defenceman and late-round Ottawa Senators draft pick Jordan Fransoo and rookie forward Dakota Conroy.
Sundher finished with two assists and a shootout goal on the night and Conroy with a goal and Fransoo an assist.
“Kevin [Sundher] was very popular on our team and he threw no cheap shots in this game and our players threw no cheap shots at him,” said Habscheid.
“But we knew he would try to score 10 goals on us and our job was to stop him. I’m happy this game is over.”
Victoria forward Brandon Magee tied the game 3-3 at 13:43 of the third period.
Mark Stone, who earlier this month won bronze with Canada at the world junior championships, was among the Wheat King scorers.
Saturday’s Brandon fixture was the second in a six-game road trip for Victoria that will see the teams travel through Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
The Royals (14-25-5) are in Swift Current on Tuesday, Moose Jaw on Wednesday, Prince Albert on Friday and Saskatoon next Saturday.
Now to start to ride the wave that has begun.