The Victoria Royals’ leading scorers helped the team claim their fourth-straight win on Friday.
The 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Giants saw all four of Victoria’s top four point-getters reach the scoresheet.
The Giants opened the scoring halfway through the first as Fabian Lysell put a wrister home from the high slot. The home team’s first goal prompted the ice to be peppered with stuffed animals as Friday was Vancouver’s Teddy Bear Toss game. Victoria’s leading goal scorer Brayden Schuurman tied the game before the period’s end with a powerplay goal.
In the second period, Tarun Fizer left the box and received a pass at Vancouver’s blue line after the Royals killed a four-on-three Giants powerplay. Fizer put a pass under a reaching defender’s stick and found Bailey Peach, whose shot beat a sliding Giants goalie to make it 2-1.
Two goals scored 15 seconds apart flipped the lead to Vancouver midway through the second frame, but Victoria would get one back as Peach scored again to make it a 3-3 game going into the third.
The Royals were outscored in the third, but neither could get ahead for much of the period. Then, with just over two minutes left in the game, Gannon Laroque’s point shot just snuck through the Vancouver netminder and dribbled into the net. The San Jose Sharks prospect leads all Victoria defencemen in scoring, with Friday’s game-winner being his third goal in four games.
The 4-3 win also marked the Royals’ sixth win in their last seven contests.
Head coach Dan Price credited his team for fighting through ups and downs throughout the game.
“They stayed strong in all situations and it took everyone to win,” he said.
Victoria and Vancouver meet again on Saturday, this time at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. Puck drop is at 7:05 p.m.
READ: Revamped Royals take third overtime victory in four games
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