Victoria tripped up by Kamloops 4-3; club plays Game 3 in Kamloops on Tuesday.


Victoria, BC – The Victoria Royals dropped Game 2 to the Kamloops Blazers 4-3 in overtime, on Saturday night at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. The best-of-seven series is now tied 1-1.

Game Summary:
Gamesheet – .
Game Galleries – .

Scoring:
Royals – Kody McDonald 2g-0a, Scott Walford 0g-2a, Phillip Schultz 0g-2a, Carson Miller 1g-0a, Tarun Fizer 0g-1a, Igor Martynov 0g-1a.

Kamloops – Kyrell Sopotyk 2g-0a, Brodi Stuart 1g-1a, Jermaine Loewen 1g-1a (Game Winner), Josh Pillar 0g-1a, Joonas Sillanpaa 0g-1a, Montana Onyebuchi 0g-1a, Logan Stankoven 0g-1a, Martin Lang 0g-1a, Sean Strange 0g-1a.

Goaltending:
Royals – Griffen Outhouse (L) – 65:14 mins, 31 saves on 35 shots.
Kamloops – Dylan Ferguson (W) – 65:14 mins, 39 saves on 42 shots.

Powerplay:
Royals – 2/5 = 40.0%.
Kamloops – 1/2 = 50.0%.
Notes:

Overtime Games: This evening marked the 12th time in Royals’ playoff history that the club has played in overtime. In those contests, Victoria is 6-6.

Game 2: The Victoria Royals’ overtime loss was the first time that they have been defeated in Game 2 of a first-round series since March 23, 2013.
Postseason Experience: This Round 1 series between the Victoria Royals and Kamloops Blazers has a combined 346 games worth of playoff experience. Victoria holds the edge with 242 games played. Meanwhile, the Blazers’ roster has 104 postseason appearances.

First Playoff Game: In tonight’s contest, Royals’ defencemen Carson Golder and Jameson Murray made their first WHL postseason appearances.
Island Connection: Kamloops Blazers’ goaltender Dylan Ferguson made his first career WHL playoff appearance and start. The native of Lantzville, BC was drafted by Kamloops in the eighth round, 166th overall, in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.

Up Next: The Royals continue their Round 1 match-up against the Kamloops Blazers on Tuesday, March 26th and Wednesday, March 27th at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, BC. Puck drop for both contests is at 7:00 p.m.

Back at the Barn: Victoria returns home on Saturday, March 30th for Game 5 against Kamloops. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Select Your Tickets box office, over the phone by calling 250-220-7777, or online at www.selectyourtickets.com.
Round 1 Playoff Schedule: The Royals’ first round playoff schedule against the Kamloops Blazers is as follows:

Game 3 – Tuesday, March 26th – Sandman Centre – 7:00 p.m.
Game 4 – Wednesday, March 27th – Sandman Centre – 7:00 p.m.
Game 5 – Saturday, March 30th – Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre – 7:05 p.m.
Game 6 – Monday, April 1st – Sandman Centre – 7:00 p.m. (If necessary)
Game 7 – Wednesday April 3rd – Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre – 7:05 p.m. (If necessary)

