The Victoria Royals were led offensively by forward Phillip Schultz, who collected a hat-trick and an assist, on their way to a 6-3 win over the Kamloops Blazers. The Royals now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2.
Scoring:
Royals – Phillip Schultz 3g-1a (Game Winner), D-Jay Jerome 1g-0a, Noah Lamb 1g-0a, Tanner Sidaway 1g-0a, Scott Walford 0g-1a, Igor Martynov 0g-1a, Logan Doust 0g-1a, Jameson Murray 0g-1a, Dino Kambeitz 0g-1a.
Kamloops – Ryley Appelt 1g-0a, Logan Stankoven 1g-0a, Jermaine Loewen 1g-0a, Zane Frankin 0g-1a, Sean Strange 0g-1a, Orrin Centazzo 0g-1a, Connor Zary 0g-1a.
Goaltending:
Royals – Griffen Outhouse (W) – 60:00 mins, 27 saves on 30 shots.
Kamloops – Dylan Ferguson (L) – 35:30 mins, 10 saves on 14 shots.
Dylan Garand – 23:15 mins, stopped all nine shots he faced.
Powerplay:
Royals – 1/2 = 50.0%.
Kamloops – 0/3 = 0.0%.
Notes:
Striking First: In their victory tonight, the Royals scored the game’s first goal. In doing so, the team that records the opening goal has gone undefeated in the series so far.
Hat-Trick Hero: With his three goals tonight, Victoria forward Phillip Schultz became the first import-player in team history to record a hat-trick in the playoffs. Additionally, Schultz is now one of four players in Royals’ history to tally a playoff hat-trick (Tyler Soy 2018, Brandon Magee 2015, and Jamie Crooks 2012).
Career Firsts: Royals’ forward’s Tanner Sidaway and D-Jay Jerome, as well as defenceman Noah Lamb each recorded their first career WHL playoff goals. For Lamb, the goal was the first of his WHL career. Kamloops’ forward Logan Stankoven also scored his first career WHL goal.
Returning Player: In tonight’s contest, Royals’ defenceman Mitchell Prowse made his return to the line-up after a two-game absence.
A Royal Playoff Debut: Tonight, Royals’ forward Alex Bolshakov made his first career WHL playoff appearance. The product of Seattle, WA played in five regular season games for the Royals. He was selected by the club in the fourth round, 69th overall, in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.
Up Next: The Royals continue their Round 1 match-up against the Kamloops Blazers on Monday, April 1 with Game 6 at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, BC. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m.
Back at the Barn: If necessary, Victoria will return home on Wednesday, April 3rd for Game 7 against Kamloops. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.
