Royals Blanked by Rockets 3-0 in Kelowna
October 6, 2022 – Western Hockey League (WHL) – Victoria Royals News Release
Victoria Royals’ Riley Gannon vs. Kelowna Rockets’ Ismail Abougouche
(Victoria Royals)
Kelowna, B.C. – Kelowna Rockets goaltender Jari Kyykanen saved all 20 shots faced on the way to recording his first shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory over the Victoria Royals at Prospera Place in Kelowna on Wednesday.
Kelowna (2-1-1-0) forward Adam Kydd led the way on offence with a two point performance with a goal and an assist.
Victoria (0-5-0-0) starting goalie Tyler Palmer put in a valiant effort in the defeat, saving 26 of the 29 shots he faced.
“Our third period was obviously our best period. It was much simpler, much grittier, much more aggressive,” said General Manager and Head Coach Dan Price. “That’s what we’re trying to get to consistently and it’s the coach’s job to make sure we do that. Our 12-3 shot advantage in the final period stemmed from attacking defensively as a group and taking the puck to the net. That’s the urgency we’ll need Friday, and as a staff we need to make sure the team has that level of energy and execution in all three periods.”
Kelowna got off to a fast start on Wednesday, scoring twice in the first period to take an early 2-0 advantage. The first came off the stick of forward Max Pacheco (2) on the powerplay at the 8:08 mark, and the second off a point shot by defenceman Caden Price (1) at 17:43.
The Royals could have easily been down 3-0 if not for a pair of heroic saves by goaltender Palmer near the end of the first, stabbing his left leg out to rob Rockets forward Andrew Cristall before flashing the leather on a slot chance by forward Adam Kydd.
However, Kydd (4) would get the last laugh, extending Kelowna’s advantage to three at 8:50 to hand Kelowna the 3-0 victory.
Both teams will be in action this weekend, with the Rockets hosting the Seattle Thunderbirds this Friday night at Prospera Place in Kelowna before travelling to the Island for a pair of matchups with the Royals after Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile the Royals will wrap up their road swing with two games against the Kamloops Blazers on Friday and Saturday night.
Puck drop for both those contests is set for 7 pm at the Sandman Centre in downtown Kamloops.
The next set of home games for the Royals will take place on October 11 and 12 against the Kelowna Rockets. 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.
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