The Royals played a Thanksgiving matinee game in Vancouver yesterday. They were looking to get back on the winning track after losing 2 out of 3 games this past weekend. It would be a tough task as Vancouver had their top scorer from last year, Brendan Gallagher, back in the line up.
Keith Hamilton got the start in goal for the Royals, and Adam Morrison responded in goal for the Giants. It didn't take Gallagher long to make his first game against the Royals a good one. Brendan Gallagher scored just 32 seconds into the game, and the assists James Henry and Marek Tvrdon. Victoria had a hard time getting anything going for them in the first. The Giants would go up 2-0 on a goal by James Henry. The assists went to Brendan Gallagher and Tyler Hart, and the goal was scored at 4:13 mark of the first. The Royals were spending too much time in their own zone. Vancouver would make it 3-0 before the ten minute mark of the first. Marek Tvrdon would score the 3-0 goal at the 9:43 mark, with the only assist going to Brendan Gallagher. The Royals would stave off the Giants for the rest of the period and end the first down by three goals. Vancouver out shout Victoria 12-7 in the first.
The second period would start very much like the first. Brendan Gallagher would score his second of the night just 27 seconds into the second period. Vancouver would continue to push the pace of the game in the second. Keith Hamilton had a strong period in net for the Royals as he would only give up the Gallagher goal in the middle frame. Victoria would get on the board thanks to Lukas Kralik's first career WHL goal. The unassisted goal was scored at the 6:57 mark. The Giants would lead 4-1 after two periods of play. The Giants out shot the Royals 12-4 in the second period.
The third period saw the Royals mount a bit of a push back, but they were unable to get the puck past Morrison again. The third period was very low on notable moments. The only real highlight of the third was Brendan Gallagher finishing his hat trick. Marek Tvrdon and James Henry assisted on the goal scored at the 12:58 mark. The Giants would win 5-1. The Royals out shot Vancouver 8-6 in the final frame, but were out shot 30-19 after the full 60 minutes.
Top Two Royals Players
I've decided to pick only to this game as it was a very lackluster game for the Royals.
Lukas Kralik- Not only did he get the only goal, but it was also his first ever WHL goal. He supplied the only offense from Victoria, but was also very reliable in his own zone. He finished a +1 when most of his teammates were in the negatives. It was nice to see Kralik in the line up. He played a hard gritty game against the Giants, and was rewarded with his first career WHL goal.
Steven Hodges- Hodges has managed to fly under the radar so far this year, even though he is scoring at just under a point a game pace. He had another strong game against the Giants. He wasn't able to get on the score sheet but he was able to do the little things to impress enough.
The next Royals' games are this Thursday and Friday at home against the Kelowna Rockets.
No comments:
Post a Comment