Royals Battle Back to Snag Yet Another Shootout Win

The Victoria Royals picked up an electrifying win on Sunday, November 3 against the Eastern conference-leading Saskatoon Blades, and I'm here to break it down.

Coming off the heels of a disappointing loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors just two days prior, the Royals were looking for at least one win this weekend before facing off against their long-time rivals in the Kamloops Blazers. Sunday's contest, a game that saw both the debut of newly acquired forward Hayden Moore and the return of former Royal Ben Riche, was a velocious clash from the very beginning. The Blades, put simply, are really, really fast. Saskatoon move the puck quickly and their aggressive dump-and-chase style had the Royals on their heels early. The Royals would go to the locker room disappointed after a first period that saw them stuck in the defensive zone and giving up two goals as a result.

The Royals who took the ice for the middle frame, however, were an entirely different team. Victoria managed to tighten up their defensive play while simultaneously pouring on the pressure offensively, and would add another goal by the end of the period. In the third period, down by a score of 4-1, the Royals still wouldn't give up, putting in an explosive effort to tie the game, spearheaded by a Cole Reschny goal to even it up with 1:38 remaining.

Overtime saw several tantalizing chances for the Royals who were unable to pull the trigger, and the Boys in Blue would go to a shootout for the fourth time in 15 games this season. Following three nail-biting rounds of saves, Logan Pickford leaned into a laser of a snap shot to give Victoria the advantage, allowing Spencer Michnik, who put in an exceptional effort throughout the late stages of the game, to seal the deal and win it for the Royals. Victoria's four goals were split by gun-slinging forwards Cole Reschny and Markus Loponen, with Nate Misskey and Royals captain Justin Kipkie each notching a pair of apples. Reschny was happy with the team's performance and noted the importance of momentum going into the double-header, stating that this comeback win is "huge for Tuesday and Wednesday."