Victoria Royals blast past Blazers to take the series

The Victoria Royals blasted past the Kamloops Blazers Monday night to advance to the second round of Western Hockey League playoffs.

In Game 6 action, the Royals scored three goals in the second period leading to a 4- 1 victory over the Blazers to take the first round series.

Scoring for the Royals was Brandon Cutler with two goals, Ralph Jarratt and Carson Miller with one goal each and Phillip Schultz, Mitchell Prowse, Scott Walford, Dino Kambeitz and Jake Kustra assisting for the win.

In net, Griffin Outhouse made 34 saves on 35 shots.

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The Royals outscored Kamloops 23 to 16 over the course of the series. Schultz led the series in points with nine in six games. In this series, the team that scored the opening goal of each contest won that game.

The Royals will meet their coastal rival, the Vancouver Giants, in the second round with the first game on April 5 at the Langley Event Centre.

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Victoria will host the third and fourth games of the seven-game series at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Tuesday, April 9 and Thursday, April 11, respectively. If necessary, they’ll also host Game 6 on Monday, April 15.

After defeating the Blazers, the Victoria Royals are the second seed in the B.C. Division, while the Vancouver Giants finished as the top team in the Western Conference and B.C. Division. The Giants will have home-ice advantage after winning their first best-of-seven series against the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-2.

This series will mark the second time in the Royals’ eight-year history that these two teams have met in the WHL playoffs. Victoria defeated Vancouver in seven games in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

Round 2 Playoff Schedule:

Game 1 – Friday, April 5th – Langley Events Centre – 7:30 p.m.

Game 2 – Saturday, April 6th – Langley Events Centre – 7:00 p.m.

Game 3 – Tuesday, April 9th – Save On Foods Memorial Centre – 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – Thursday, April 11th – Save On Foods Memorial Centre – 7:05 p.m.

Game 5 – Saturday, April 13th – Langley Events Centre – 7:00 p.m. (If necessary)

Game 6 – Monday, April 15th – Save On Foods Memorial Centre – 7:05 p.m. (If necessary)

Game 7 – Saturday, April 17th – Langley Events Centre – 7:00 p.m. (If necessary)

Single game tickets for Round 2, starting at $22, will go on sale to the general public at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning at the Select Your Tickets Box Office and online. Tickets are available over the phone at 250-220-7777, or in-person at the Select Your Tickets Box Office.