The Prince George Cougars pushed past the Royals 5-3 powered by a hat trick by forward Connor Bowie. The teams combined for eight goals on a Monday Night special that served as Victoria’s “home opener.” The Royals were bolstered by captain Tarun Fizer’s goal and two assists.
Gamesheet – https://whl.ca/gamecentre/1017480/boxscore
Scoring:
Royals – Tarun Fizer 1g-2a, Brayden Tracey 2a, Brandon Cutler 1g, Keanu Derungs 1g, Gannon Laroque 1a, Jason Spizawka 1a
Prince George – Connor Bowie 3g, Ethan Samson 2a, Tyson Upper 2a, Ethan Browne 1g, Riley Heidt 1g, Koehn Ziemmer 1a, Jack Sander 1a, Jonny Hooker 1a, Craig Armstrong 1a, Kyren Gronick 1a, Blake Eastman 1a
Goaltending:
Royals – Adam Evanoff (L) – 57:47 min, 34 saves on 39 shots.
Prince George- Tyler Brennan (W) – 60:00 min, 29 saves on 32 shots.
Powerplay:
Royals – 1/4 – 25.0%.
Prince George – 2/5 – 20.0%.
Firsts in the Dub: The Royals had a trio of players get their first taste of WHL game action on Monday. Kalem Parker, Tanner Scott and Lucas Shipley all made their debuts. Jason Pizawka, who played his first league game on Friday, along with Gannon Laroque, a veteran of five WHL games, each collected their first WHL points on Monday when they assisted on Tarun Fizer’s second period goal.
Haven’t We Seen You Here Before?: Tonight marked the fourth time in the last five years that the Royals have opened the home portion of their schedule versus Prince George. The teams have split the four contests with each side winning twice.
Youth Movement – Tonight’s game saw the two youngest squads in the WHL battle it out. Victoria’s roster is the youngest with an average age of 17.64, while Prince George’s roster averages 17.85 years old.
