February 15, 2012
ROYALS DEFEATED BY HITMEN.
Victoria’s Tim Traber records a goal and assist in 5-3 loss to Calgary.
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, February 15th, 2012
Victoria, BC – In a Wednesday night matchup at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, the Victoria Royals took on the Calgary Hitmen in the second and final meeting between the two teams this season. The Royals gave Keith Hamilton the start in net, while the Hitmen countered with Brandon Glover.
Victoria would get off to a blazing start with two goals in the first two minutes of the game. The first tally came after a hard forecheck by Jesse Zgraggen, which saw the defenseman free the puck from the left corner boards and feed an unmarked Tim Traber in the slot. The forward went to his backhand and roofed his third goal of the season over the left shoulder of Glover. A mere 16 seconds later, Traber picked the pocket of a Hitmen defender behind the net and found Mike Forsyth in front who backhanded the puck past the Calgary netminder. The Hitmen responded at 7:06 when Brady Brassart collected a bouncing puck in the Royals’ zone and snapped a quick shot from the slot that beat Hamilton to the glove side. Calgary tied the game after Victor Rask beat a Victoria defender wide along the left boards and drove hard to the net before he went to the backhand to beat the outstretched left pad of Hamilton at the 13:40 mark. After 20 minutes of play the score remained 2-2.
Calgary would go up 3-2 after Cody Cheek sprung free on a breakaway and beat Hamilton over the left pad at 3:37 of the second period. The Hitmen would add a fourth goal when Danny Gayle finished off a give and go play from Rob Trzonkowski at 5:17. Victoria would cut the visitor’s lead in half after Logan Nelson found Hayden Rintoul at the top of the right circle. The Royals’ captain slapped a shot that beat Glover to the near post at 14:26. Calgary’s Joe Kornelsen would add a late goal to give the Hitmen a 5-3 lead after two periods of play.
Just before the halfway mark of the third period, Victoria’s Traber and Calgary’s Brock Sutherland would bring a physical edge to the game as the two squared off in a spirited tilt that saw both combatants land some heavy blows. Both teams would exchange late chances, but the final frame would remain scorless. Calgary 5 Victoria 3.
Victoria went 0/1 = 0.0% on the power play, while Calgary was 0/0 = 0.0%. The Hitmen outshot the Royals 25-21.
Victoria’s next home game is on Friday, February 17th when they welcome the Prince George Cougars to the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre for a two-game weekend series. Game time is at 7:05 p.m. For further details or to purchase your tickets today, visit the Victoria Royals Ticket Office, www.victoriaroyals.com, or call 250-220-7889.
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