Royals look for season sweep of Hurricanes
The Victoria Royals hope short history can repeat itself tonight. The Royals face-off with the Lethbridge Hurricanes in their second meeting in a week, after the Royals defeated the Hurricanes 8-5 in Victoria last Friday.
Tonight is game three of a four game road trip for the Royals that will take them to the Christmas break. Victoria comes off a 6-3 loss in Edmonton Wednesday. It was a game that saw the Royals strike first and hold two first period leads against the best team in the Eastern Conference. The Royals are in search of their sixth road victory of the season tonight.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, have won their last two games, including a wild 6-5 overtime victory over the Calgary Hitmen Wednesday. The Hurricanes relinquished a 4-2 third period lead to the Hitmen, only to tie it in the final minute of the third and then win the game in the opening minute of overtime.
Tonight is the mid-way point of the season for the Royals, who go into the game with a record of 13-19-1-2, fourth in the BC division and currently seventh in the Western Conference. The Prince George Cougars are three points back of the Royals in ninth spot, while Seattle occupies the final playoff position, two behind Victoria. The Hurricanes, a team that had a disastrous start to the season, are 12-22-0-1 and are 12 points out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
On Wednesday, Kevin Sundher continued his scoring tear with an assist and has three goals and six helpers during his current five game point streak. Included during that run is a four point game against the Hurricanes last week at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Same for Jamie Crooks, who posted his second hat-trick of the season and added an assist against the Hurricanes. Crooks, who notched the opening goal against Edmonton Wednesday, has four goals and six points in the last four games. Cam Braes is not only the hottest Hurricanes’ player right now; he’s on as good a streak as anyone in the WHL has had this season. Braes has 13 goals in the last 12 games and has been held without a goal in only two games during that stretch.
The Royals open the second half of the season in Medicine Hat tomorrow night before the start of the Christmas break. Victoria comes back from the break in Portland for two games on December 28-30. The next home game for the Royals is their first in 2012 on Tuesday, January 3, against the Calgary Hitmen. For further details or to purchase your tickets today, visit the Victoria Royals Ticket Office, www.victoriaroyals.com, or call 250-220-7889.
