In the first of the two-game set between the Victoria Royals and Portland Winterhawks, the Royals left the rink victorious.
After being down 2-0, the Royals came back within the first 40 minutes. Scoring five unanswered goals in that time helped the team ultimately end the game at 7-4 over the Winterhawks.
Tarun Fizer scored not only the winning goal, but also his first hat-trick since joining the Western Hockey League.
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The win brought up the Royals’ record to 9-2-0-0. The game was the first contest the team has played since a road trip with least five games.
Forward Dante Hannoun is on a nine-game streak against the Winterhawks, extended by two goals and two assists on Dec. 11.
As for goaltender Griffen Outhouse — who made 35 saves on 39 shots — is one win away from 100 victories in his WHL career.
The second game, however, spelled defeat for the Royals. The Winterhawks swooped in to score 7-2 against the home team.
For some Royals players, there were still personal bests in the Dec. 12 game. Sixteen-year-old forward Ty Yoder scored his first goal for his WHL career.
There are two more games coming up for the Royals before they take some time off for the holidays. On Dec. 14, they’ll face off with the Prince George Cougars followed by a Dec. 15 showdown with the Vancouver Giants — featuring the teddy bear toss.
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