Kamloops beats Victoria for second day in a row.
Kamloops Blazers goaltender Dylan Ernst made 29 of 31 saves in a close 3-2 victory over the Victoria Royals on Sunday.
Teammate Luke Toporowski also had a strong game, recording two points on a goal and an assist. The Bettendorf, Iowa native now has seven goals in five games against the Royals this season.
Victoria (12-26-4-1) goaltender Campbell Arnold put in a bounce back performance after allowing eight goals on Saturday, stopping 32 of 35 shots in the contest, and not allowing a goal for the final 27 minutes of the game.
Defenceman Gannon Laroque added a goal and an assist in the loss, while Keanu Derungs capped off a strong weekend with a goal of his own.
“That game was a very accurate reflection of what our team is.” Said Royals Head Coach Dan Price postgame. “That level of execution, effort, offensive and defensive play–that’s our team…it’s going to be a really fun second half of the year, there’s your evidence right there.”
Kamloops (31-11-1-0) picked up right where they left off on Saturday scoring a pair of goals to open the game, the first by forward Logan Stankoven (25) at 3:59 and the second by forward Connor Levis (13) at 14:44.
However, the Royals would score to make it 2-1 on a powerplay goal by Keanu Derungs (13) at 16:55. The Swiss-born forward now has goals in back-to-back games and has registered seven points in nine games against the Blazers this season.
The second period saw Kamloops would carry a 3-1 lead into the third after a second period goal scored on the powerplay by Luke Toporowski at 12:26 (26).
The Royals found the back of the net for the second time on a goal by Gannon Laroque (7) at 12:35 of the third, pulling them within one with just under eight minutes remaining. The next few minutes saw Victoria gain a number of prime chances, including a two-on-one opportunity that nearly had Tanner Scott tie the game at 3-3 but Kamloops goaltender Dylan Ernst would turn away the shot to keep his team up by one.
The Royals would pull goaltender Campbell Arnold in the final minute in a last-ditch attempt to tie the game, however the clock became Victoria’s enemy, expiring with the score standing at 3-2 for the Blazers. The loss extends the Royals losing streak to a season-high 14 games.
The Blazers will head back to Kamloops for a mid-week set against the Tri-City Americans on Feb. 9 and 11, while the Royals will have four days off before welcoming the Seattle Thunderbirds to town for a pair of games on Feb. 11 and 12.
On Friday, Feb. 11, the Royals will bring back fan favourite Pink in the Rink presented by Mayfair Optometric. Saturday’s game will be a Valentine’s Day themed Swipe Right Night presented by Bell.
