ROYALS FIGHT BACK TO DOWN ROCKETS

Coleman Vollrath earns first WHL win in 3-2 victory over Kelowna.

For Immediate Release

Saturday, October 13th, 2012

Victoria, BC – In a Saturday night contest at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, the Victoria Royals played host to the Kelowna Rockets for the second game in as many nights. The Royals gave Coleman Vollrath his first WHL start in net, while the Rockets went with Jordon Cooke.

Kelowna opened the scoring at 6:53 of the first period on a marker from Rourke Chartier. The Rockets’ forward deflected Riley Stadel’s point shot past Vollrath to give Kelowna a 1-0 lead. The two teams exchanged powerplay opportunities, but no goals were found and the Rockets kept their one-goal advantage after 20 minutes.

Ben Walker tied the game up at 3:31 of the middle frame. Alex Gogolev fought off two Rockets’ players on the left hashmark before Walker picked up the puck from the scrum. The Victoria forward then fired a shot from the slot that beat Cooke stick-side. Kelowna would regain the lead in the final minute of the period when they netted a goal with a two-man advantage. Myles Bell released a shot from the left point that beat a screened Vollrath over the glove.

The Royals pulled even once again when Jesse Zgraggen found the back of the net at 6:16 of the final frame. Walker broke out of the left corner and snapped a pass to the right point before Zgraggen buried a wrist shot past Cooke. Victoria then took their first lead of the game at 17:44 when Walker buried the game winner. Taylor Crunk redirected a Tyler Stahl point shot to Walker who snapped home the puck on Cooke’s stick side. The Rockets pulled Cooke for the extra attacker, but the Royals fought off the final Kelowna attack to preserve their seventh victory of the young season. Royals 3 Rockets 2.

Victoria went 1/5 = 20.0% on the powerplay, while Kelowna was 1/5 = 20.0%. The Rockets outshot the Royals 32-25.

The Royals’ next game is set for Thursday, October 18th when the Calgary Hitmen pay a visit to Victoria. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. Single game tickets and mini-packs are available now. Guarantee yourself the best seats by visiting www.victoriaroyals.com, calling 250-220-7889, or emailing tickets@victoriaroyals.com before it’s too late!

-30-