DUBNetwork Game of the Night: Kamloops Blazers (32-13-3-1) @ Victoria Royals (26-18-4-1) 7:05 PM
As the teams head down the stretch, this is a battle to keep an eye on.
Victoria was quietly putting together a masterful season in which the team relied on its goalie, Shane Farkas, and a whole team effort to win games. In recent weeks, Farkas has been unable to play as much or as well as the team would have liked and the Royals struggled through their East Division road trip. They are 3-5-1-1 in their last ten games.
Kamloops has been in the driver’s seat of the BC Division since day one, leading the way towards the Ed Chynoweth Cup with consistent play, whether between the pipes or scoring all kinds of goals. The Blazers have an eleven-point lead in the BC Division over the Victoria Royals.
Neither team has created any separation when they meet as both teams have two regulation wins to show for their four previous games. To further muddle things, each team has won a game at home and on the road.
Tonight’s game has the opportunity to tell a story for either or both teams as they battle to March 22 and the end of the WHL regular season. Will the Blazers hold off the Royals and take the BC Division’s top seed, or will the Royals use the game tonight as a catalyst to complete the hard charge up the standings?
Victoria has not played in six days, which is good news as Shane Farkas was listed as day-to-day on Tuesday in the weekly report. I would expect to see him play in this important game if he is ready to go. He’s been outstanding this season for the Royals, currently fourth in the WHL in goals-against average at 2.20. His record is 18-7-1-0 and he also has a .929 save percentage.
The Blazers have themselves a very good goaltender in draft-eligible Dylan Garand. He’s been poised as the number one netminder for an extremely good offensively team. He has an excellent 26-9-2-1 record, which puts him tops in the WHL for wins with Joel Hofer of the Portland Winterhawks. His goals-against average is 2.23 and he has a .922 save percentage. His status for tonight’s game is unknown. If need be they will go with Rayce Ramsey. He is 6-4-1-0 this season in limited action.
It is the offensive side of the puck where Kamloops really excels. The team has scored the most goals in the WHL’s Western Conference (205) and also has the most per game (4.18), with three players in the top-six scorers in the WHL. 20-year-old Zane Franklin leads the march with 26 goals and 48 assists. The 48 assists lead the entire WHL. With 34 goals, Orrin Centazzo has lit the lamp more than everyone else in the WHL not named Adam Beckman. He also has contributed 32 assists. And last but not least is the draft-eligible sensation, Connor Zary. He’s got 31 goals and 34 assists this season, good for sixth overall.
Unfortunately for the Royals, they just haven’t been able to pot nearly as many goals as the Blazers. In fact, they score just 2.69 goals per game and only have two players inside the WHL’s top-50 point scorers. One of them, Brayden Tracey, hasn’t even been with the team for an entire month. His 18 goals and 31 assists are good for 32nd in the league. He has 11 points in 12 games with the Royals. Tarun Fizer has stepped up his game this season, long eclipsing last season’s point totals. He has 15 goals and 29 assists in just 46 games. Rounding out the top scorers for the Royals is 20-year-old “Uncle” Gary Haden. He has 20 goals and 22 assists in 47 games.
Mitch Prowse and Will Warm are the most prolific scorers among blueliners on the Royals. Prowse has two goals and 20 assists, with nine assists coming on the man advantage. Warm has contributed three goals and 11 assists. Warm is listed as out for one week with an upper-body injury.
Kamloops counters with one of the leading scoring defenseman in Max Martin. He has scored at just over a point-per-game pace this season as he has nine goals and 39 assists in 47 games. Quinn Schmiemann is nearing his career-best point totals with three goals and 21 assists. He had 28 points last year.
As expected, with the high goal-scoring totals, the Blazers are among the best in the WHL at scoring with the man advantage. Their 25.4% success rate is good for third. Victoria is in the top half of the league in ninth with a 21.6% success rate. Both teams also have success killing off penalties. Kamloops is second overall at 87.2% and Victoria is sixth at 82.4%
You can catch all the action on WHL Live. Victoria play-by-play man Marlon Martens can be heard HERE and Kamloops play-by-play man Jon Keen can be heard HERE.
In other WHL action:
Regina Pats (16-26-3-2) @ Swift Current Broncos (10-34-1-3) 7:00 PM
This is the fifth time the two teams will meet this season. Swift Current is 3-1-0-0 against Regina (1-2-0-1) on the season. Regina has won its last three games, and now sits two points behind the Red Deer Rebels as the teams jockey for draft lottery position.
Medicine Hat Tigers (32-15-2-1) @ Brandon Wheat Kings (27-19-2-2) 7:30 PM
The Wheat Kings have had the Tigers’ number this season as they have won all three contests in regulation despite being outshot in every game. Brandon has been one of the hottest teams in the new year with a 10-2-1-0 record. The team has won two in a row including its last game, a 4-3 win in Medicine Hat. The Tigers have lost two in a row.
Prince Albert Raiders (28-14-5-4) @ Calgary Hitmen (27-16-4-1) 7:00 PM
The Raiders are on a 12-game points streak, not losing since the game before the trade deadline (January 10). Each team has taken a victory so far in the season series. The Raiders required overtime to collect their extra point. Prince Albert will look to extend its four-point lead on the Winnipeg ICE in the East Division title race. Calgary is eight points out of third in the Central Division.
Red Deer Rebels (17-27-2-3) @ Edmonton Oil Kings (34-8-6-3) 7:00 PM
Edmonton has dominated Red Deer this season, winning all five previous contests by a combined score of 23-8. The Oil Kings are atop the Eastern Conference standings with an eight-point lead on the next closest team (Lethbridge Hurricanes). Red Deer has struggled all season. The team is 16 points out of a playoff spot and is more likely headed towards a lottery pick in the WHL Bantam Draft.
Portland Winterhawks (35-7-3-4) @ Kelowna Rockets (23-23-1-2) 7:05 PM
The WHL’s first team to clinch a playoff spot takes on the only team guaranteed a spot in the Memorial Cup presented by KIA. Both teams have lost their last three games, but the Winterhawks have collected points in two of their three losses. Portland won both previous meetings.
Everett Silvertips (32-11-3-1) @ Tri-City Americans (15-28-4-1) 7:05 PM
Aside from winning the teams’ opening matchup, the Tri-City Americans have struggled against the Everett Silvertips. Since September, they are 0-2-1-0 against Everett. They have also struggled in the standings this season as they are now last in the Western Conference, four points behind Prince George. Everett has collected at least a point in seven straight games and is nine points behind Portland for first in the US Division.
