Royals Fall to Rockets 2-1 Following Dach’s Overtime Winner
October 12, 2022 – Western Hockey League (WHL) – Victoria Royals News Release
Victoria Royals’ Kalem Parker in action
(Victoria Royals)
Victoria, B.C. – Forward Colton Dach scored one minute and four seconds into overtime to lead the Kelowna Rockets to a 2-1 victory over the Victoria Royals at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Tuesday.
It was the first game back in the Kelowna (3-2-1-0) lineup for the newly-minted captain after he spent the past month at training camp with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Forward Turner McMillen would count the other goal in the win for the Rockets, while starting goaltender Jari Kyykanen impressed once again with a 25 save performance.
It was the best performance of the season for Victoria (0-7-1-0), who picked up their first point of the season in spite of the unfortunate final result.
General Manager and Head Coach Dan Price believes his team is beginning to round into form and could be on the verge of turning things around:
“When we play that kind of style – aggressive, up in the neutral zone, taking it to the net consistently – that puts us in position to win,” said Price postgame. “We’re starting to find our identity in that way…a point is a good start but now the job is to close it out and get two tomorrow.”
Starting goaltender Tyler Palmer once again proved to be his team’s most valuable player, stopping 17 of 19 shots against in the loss. He has now allowed just four goals over his past two appearances.
Defenceman Justin Kipkie also had a quality performance on Tuesday, scoring his second goal of the season and recording two shots on net.
The game also saw forward Matthew Hodson bring his point streak to three games after recording an assist on the Kipkie goal. He now sits second on the team in points with three (two goals, one assist) on the season.
Hodson spoke postgame about the quiet confidence he has developed over the past few weeks:
“I put in a lot of work this summer and to see it paying off, I’m starting to feel confident again,” said Hodson. “It’s really nice when you have that little bit of confidence you didn’t have before. The puck is a bit easier to handle, you see the ice a little better and it makes it more fun.”
Fans would have to wait until the second period to see a goal on Tuesday after the first frame passed without incident, despite multiple opportunities from both teams.
Kelowna forward Turner McMillen (2) would be the first one to find the back of the net on the powerplay at the 7:26 mark of the second, giving the Rockets a 1-0 advantage.
That lead would hold until the 16:03 mark of the second, when Royals defenceman Justin Kipkie (2) would knot the game at 1-1 with his second of the year. Forwards Matthew Hodson and Jake Poole would count assists on the play.
Overtime would be required to settle this one after the third period passed without any goals, despite three powerplay opportunities for Victoria.
Rockets forward Colton Dach (1) would play the hero, putting the game away with a goal at 1:04 of the extra frame and securing a 2-1 victory in the first of a two-game set and denying the Royals their first victory of the season.
Victoria and Kelowna will reset for their second matchup of the week tomorrow night, Wednesday, Oct 12 during Industry Night brought to you by Granville Island Brewing and will feature $5 beers all night.
Puck drop is set for 7:05 pm at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria. 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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