Skip to content

Victoria Royals split weekend games against Kelowna, Kamloops

Teddy Bear Toss being hosted at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Friday
31277759_web1_221212-vne-royals-split--_1
Victoria Royals winger Jake Poole against the Kamloops Blazers on Dec. 10. (Courtesy of the Victoria Royals)

The Victoria Royals will host their annual Teddy Bear Toss on Friday night when the Tri-City Americans visit the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

Teddy Bear Tosses see those in attendance hurl flurries of plush toys onto the ice after the home team scores its first goal. The toys are then collected and donated to local charities.

Additional bears will be available for fans to purchase at the arena while families will also have the chance to take photos with Santa.

Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m. on Friday night.

The Royals dropped a midweek game 5-3 against the Vancouver Giants on Dec. 14 but strong performances from players going up against their former team helped them get one win in a trip to the Interior last weekend.

The capital city started with a 3-2 win over Kelowna on Friday, Dec. 9.

Jake Poole picked up a goal and an assist against his old club as he leads the Royals with 16 goals and 12 assists. Goaltender Nicholas Cristiano, another former Rocket, saved 31 of the 33 shots he faced.

The Royals jumped to a 3-0 lead through 20 minutes before Kelowna got one back in the second. A breakaway goal by the Rockets with under 10 to play set up an empty-net push to tie the game in the final minutes. However, Cristiano made some key saves down the stretch to seal the win for Victoria.

The victory marked the first time Victoria has won two straight in two months. The team was denied its first three-game win streak of the season on Saturday though as the Royals were bested 6-1 by Kamloops. The loss came just days after the Royals beat the Blazers, one of the top teams in the WHL’s Western Conference.

Daylan Kuefler earned the night’s first star as he led the Blazers with four assists in the one-sided win. Defenceman Kalem Parker, who is fourth in scoring on Victoria, got the lone goal for the Royals.

READ: Victoria Royals snap month-long losing streak with win over Kamloops


 

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroom@vicnews.com.

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.