Dante Hannoun scorches the Blazers in a Royals victory

Dante Hannoun

Victoria, BC –  Dante Hannoun looks primed for a giant season. Noticeably one of the best players in training camp and preseason, the Victoria Royals (4-0-0) dynamo has continued that solid play into the regular season. In a Sunday afternoon battle versus the Kamloops Blazers (0-5-0), Hannoun led the Royals past the Blazers for the second time in as many nights.  Hannoun had a hat-trick and an assist, which lifts him into an early tie for most WHL points with Swift Current’s Tyler Steenbergen at eleven. The game was pretty much back and forth until the third period where the Royals piled on three goals.

The Royals opened the scoring just 2:01 in as Eric Florchuk slipped past Blazers defenseman Sean Strange on the left side and went in uncontested to beat Kamloops goalie Max Palaga. Jeremy Masella set up the Florchuk goal to record his first point of the season.  Kamloops defenseman  Ondrej Vala had a strong game, and ripped a shot for a powerplay goal at 8:01 of the first. Both teams played a more solid defensive game than the night before and it appeared we were in for a close match by the end of the first.

The second period saw much of the same even play, tight-checking hockey that finished the first. After playing in his first WHL regular season game last night, Royals defenseman Matthew Smith scored his first ever WHL goal at 8:34.  The 17-year-old from Saskatoon, SK slapped in the rebound from a Jared Legien shot. Kamloops responded on the power play at 13:48 as Brodi Stuart deflected a Vala shot to go short-side over the blocker of Royals goalie Dean McNabb and tie the game 2-2. McNabb was playing in his first WHL game and was screened heavily by Stuart on the shot, giving him little chance.

 

Just 18 seconds later, Hannoun scored his first of the night, flashing some good hands to go top-shelf from the slot at 14:06 of the second.

The Royals game out flying in the third frame, with Spencer Gerth scoring on a feed from Yan Khomenko just twenty seconds in. The hard-charging Gerth was rewarded by charging to the net, scoring his first of the regular season and first as a Royal. Garrett Pilon pulled the Blazers to within one at 8:41, trickling a shot under McNabb’s pads. Hannoun then iced the game for the Royals, with back-to-back goals. At 12:50 a nice blue line steal by Jared Legien led him to feed Hannoun for a tip in goal.  On a Royals power play at 15:12, Hannoun from his knees, ripped a feed from Ryan Peckford to send the crowd of 3447 to their feet with hats flying.

The Royals prevailed 6-3 over the Blazers, outshooting them 30-26. Victoria never trailed in the game, and have yet to be behind in a game this season. Tonight’s result was worst-case scenario for Kamloops, dropping three games in three consecutive nights. Although they are winless in five games, the Blazers challenged the Royals in two entertaining contests. The 2015-16 Blazers started 0-6 but made the playoffs, there is a lot of hockey left for Kamloops to turn things around.

The Royals now travel to Kelowna for an Oct.4th match and then face the Blazers again Oct.6th in Kamloops.