Royals Set Franchise Record in Blowout Victory Over Rockets

It was certainly a fun night for the Victoria Royals on Wednesday, January 29th. Kicking off a three-game road trip against their long-time B.C. division rival in the Kelowna Rockets after 2 disappointing home losses in a row against bottom-half teams, the Royals were looking for a bounce-back game to help get back in the swing of things. Boy, did they ever get one.

The Royals positively steamrolled the Rockets (who recently traded away their best forward, Andrew Cristall) in an explosive 11-1 victory. This cascade of red lights is a new Royals franchise record for most goals in a single game, topping the previous high of 10, set in a 7-goal victory over the Kootenay Ice on December 8, 2017. Nate Misskey and Kenta Isogai both got 1 goal in the onslaught, with Hayden Moore, Cole Reschny, and Brandon Lisowsky each double-dipping. Teydon Trembecky scored once in the first period and twice in the second for the big 3-piece combo, marking the Sherwood Park sniper's second hatty of the season.

New Royals goalie Johnny Hicks continued his hot start in this game, keeping his guard up no matter the score and stopping 28 of 29 shots to secure his second WHL win. Hicks has been as sharp as his impressive BCHL stats would suggest (18-3, .943 save percentage, 1.37 GAA with the Brooks Bandits this season), and he's looking like a great #2 in the Royals' robust goaltending system.

Victoria will meet presumably tougher matchups in their next 2 opponents on the road, the Spokane Chiefs and the Portland Winterhawks. The Chiefs are currently tied with the Royals for second place in the western conference with 60 points, and the Winterhawks sit just behind with 57. Needless to say, these 2 games will be critical for the Royals to maintain second place, and hopefully the momentum gained from beating Kelowna is exactly what they need. If Victoria can replicate the same offensive skill showcased in Wednesday's game, expect the Royals to be a force of nature once playoffs come around.