Royals Wrap-Up Road Trip with Two Games against Blazers
October 6, 2022 – Western Hockey League (WHL) – Victoria Royals News Release
Victoria Royals defenceman Luke Shipley
(Victoria Royals)
Victoria, B.C. – The Victoria Royals will wrap-up their five game road trip this weekend as they head north for a pair of matchups against the Kamloops Blazers.
Despite the early season woes for the Royals, there are some positive signs growing for the team as they welcomed back forward Matthew Hodson and defenceman Luke Shipley to the lineup on Wednesday against the Kelowna Rockets.
The club also added 2002-born forward Jake Poole, who was acquired in a trade with the Rockets earlier this week. The 20-year-old made his debut against his former team on Wednesday and should give the front-end a much-needed boost.
However, the team remains without several key pieces as defenceman Gannon Laroque, and forwards Brayden Schuurman, and Caleb Willms have yet to recover to full strength.
Additionally, defenceman Ryan Spizawka was the latest Royal to join the injured list as the team evaluates a lower-body injury suffered earlier this week.
They will look to get in the win column for the first time this season against the reigning BC Division Champion Kamloops Blazers (1-1-0-0), who have played just two games to this point of the season, dropping their season opener 3-0 to Portland before defeating the Spokane Chiefs on the road last weekend 4-2.
The Kamloops roster is missing some big names from their 2021-2022 roster as star goaltender (and Victoria native) Dylan Garand has moved on to the professional ranks and reigning WHL Player of the Year Logan Stankoven has yet to be released from the Dallas Stars roster.
Despite the absence of Stankoven and Garand, the Blazers retain several impact players on both sides of the rink. Forward Caeden Bankier currently leads the team in scoring, registering three points on a goal and an assist through the first two games of the season, while probable starting goaltender Dylan Ernst has been solid in his first two appearances, allowing five total goals to opposing teams.
The first game of the weekend will take place on Friday, Oct. 7, with the second game the following night, Saturday, Oct. 8.
Puck drop for both contests is set for 7 pm at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops.
Impact players to watch:
Victoria:
#13 Marcus Almquist (F) – 4 GP, 2 PTS (2 G)
#14 Carter Dereniwsky (F) – 5 GP, 4 PTS (1 G, 3 A)
#29 Teague Patton (F) – 5 GP, 3 PTS (3 A)
Kamloops:
#13 Matthew Seminoff (F) – 1 GP, 2 PTS (1 G, 1 A) | 2021-2022: 64 GP, 57 PTS (26 G, 31 A)
#15 Connor Levis (F) – 2 GP, 2 PTS (1 G, 1 A) | 2021-2022: 68 GP, 42 PTS (16 G, 26 A)
The next set of home games for the Royals will take place on October 11 and 12 against the Kelowna Rockets for Industry Night brought to you by Granville Island Brewing and will feature $5 beers all night. Tickets are available at selectyourtickets.com.
Follow the Royals on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, TikTok and visit victoriaroyals.com to find out more about ticket sales and to learn the latest news about the team.
Season Tickets Are On Sale Now
Season Ticket packages for the 2022-2023 season are on sale now. Benefits include access to our flexible “Never Wasted Ticket” exchange policy, first opportunity on giveaway items, choice of best seats, and much more! Call our ticket office at 250-220-7889 or send an email to [email protected] for more info or to set up an appointment to view availability.
About the Victoria Royals
The Victoria Royals are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) owned and operated by GSL Group. The Royals play all their home games at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre and have entered their 12th season of their existence.
About Save-On Foods Memorial Centre
Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre (SOFMC) is designed, constructed, developed and operated by GSL Group. SOFMC is Victoria’s premier entertainment facility and the largest arena in British Columbia outside Vancouver. The state-of-the-art 7,000 seat facility is home to the Victoria Royals of the Western Hockey League and regularly hosts large-scale concerts and other special events such as figure skating, curling, plays, trade shows and conferences. SOFMC also features a fine dining Lion’s Den Restaurant, as well as retail and meeting space.
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