Royals Rock the Barn in Electric Home Opener

The Victoria Royals won their first game of the season in spectacular fashion on Friday night. Here's how it went down.

With a packed crowd, lots of new players, and all kinds of brand new fan experience features for this season, anticipation was high Friday night in Save-On Foods Memorial Centre. Sherwood Park's own Tanner Scott would get the crowd on their feet early with the opening goal of the season, coming in the first period off of a juicy rebound given up by Tri-City goaltender Lukas Matecha. The Royals would follow up with another goal before the end of the first period, on a backdoor tap-in off the rush scored by Czechia's Simon Pohludka, the first of his WHL career.

The second period would, as usual, prove to be a challenge for the Royals as energy began to dip and the lead was lost. However, they would tighten it up in the third frame before Fort Saskatchewan's Keaton Verhoeff would tie the game up at 4, and go on to win it in overtime.

If I could sum up the Royals' performance in one word, it would be speed. The Royals in Friday night's home opener were a completely different team than we saw at this time last year. They got to loose pucks quickly, they took the zone with authority, and they shut down Tri-City's chances where possible, controlling space in the D-zone. Victoria's forwards showed excellent rush capabilities and an aggressive forecheck, without sacrificing their defensive ability. On the back end, defensemen such as Seth Fryer and Keaton Verhoeff controlled space well, and allowed minimal truly dangerous chances. On the shots that did get through, goaltender Jayden Kraus handled himself well, and made a convincing case for the starter role this season.

The depth that Royals staff had mentioned entering the season was certainly apparent in Friday night's contest, particularly among blueliners. Royals were delivering up and down the lineup, and there wasn't a single player that I found disappointing. Mind you, this was still without two of Victoria's best defenders in Justin Kipkie and Nate Misskey, who are still away for NHL camp in Utah and San Jose respectively.

The Royals' team chemistry has also vastly improved from preseason, with their passes looking crisp, accurate, and smart, particularly on the forecheck to create scoring chances. This was best on display in Cole Reschny's immaculately executed backdoor pass to Verhoeff in overtime, cementing Verhoeff as the game's first star, and proving that he will be an exciting player to watch this season, showing skill and hockey IQ beyond his years.

The Victoria Royals put on an electric display of hockey in their home opener, and made a compelling case that this season could be a great time to be a Royals fan.