Royals double up Winterhawks

The Victoria Royals scored two goals 48 seconds apart in the final frame and received a three-point performance from Matthew Phillips (1g-2a) to down the Portland Winterhawks 4-2 on Wednesday night.

Scoring:

Royals – Matthew Phillips 1g-2a, Matthew Smith 1g-1a, Tyler Soy 1g-0a, Tanner Kaspick 1g-0a (Game Winner), Jared Freadrich 0g-1a, Lane Zablocki 0g-1a, Dante Hannoun 0g-1a.

Portland – Henri Jokiharju 0g-2a, Dennis Cholowski 0g-2a, Skyler McKenzie 1g-0a, Cody Glass 1g-0a.

Goaltending:

Royals – Griffen Outhouse (W) – 60:00 Mins, 28 saves on 30 shots

Portland – Cole Kehler (L) – 56:50 Mins, 29 saves on 33 shots

Power Play:

Royals – 0/3=0.0%

Portland – 2/3=66.7%

Notes:

Record Watch – Registering his 135th career WHL goal in his 298th career contest, Tyler Soy is now five markers away from tying the franchise record for most goals. The mark is currently held by former Chilliwack Bruin Ryan Howse who tallied 140 goals in 262 contests from 2006-11.

Moving on Up – Matthew Phillips moved into second among all players in the Western Conference with 40 helpers. The Calgary Flames’ prospect is one of three skaters in the league with at least 30 goals and 40 assists.

First as a Royal – Newcomer Lane Zablocki tallied his first point in a Royals’ uniform with an assist on Tanner Kaspick’s game winner in the third period.

Goalie Battle – Tonight’s game featured two of the winningest goaltenders in the WHL. Victoria’s Griffen Outhouse ranks third in the WHL with 24 victories, while Portland’s Cole Kehler has earned 21 wins this season which places him with the fifth most.

Stretching it Out – Dante Hannoun, Phillips and Kaspick all extended their point streaks tonight. Phillips has found the scoresheet in six straight games and has registered 12 points (3g-9a) during that span, while Hannoun has five (4g-1a) in his past three contests. Recently acquired Kaspick has recorded a point (2g-1a) in each of his opening three games with Victoria.

Next Up:

The Royals continue their four-game road swing with contests on Friday and Saturday against the Vancouver Giants and Kelowna Rockets respectively. Friday’s puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m, while Saturday’scontest is slated for 7:05 p.m.

Victoria returns home for a weekend series with the Calgary Hitmen on Saturday, Jan. 27, and Sunday, Jan. 28, at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, and Sunday’s game will begin at 5:05 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the Select Your Tickets box office, over the phone by calling 250-220-7777, or online at www.selectyourtickets.com.