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Victoria Royals go down to Spokane Chiefs in overtime

SPOKANE 4 VICTORIA 3 (OT) It never hurts to have an NHL first-round draft pick on your team.
LOGO-Victoria Royals.jpg
Victoria Royals

SPOKANE  4
VICTORIA  3  (OT)

It never hurts to have an NHL first-round draft pick on your team. Mobile and swift Spokane defenceman Ty Smith, taken 17th overall in 2018 by the New Jersey Devils, assisted on third-period goals by Erik Atchison and Adam Beckman to tie the Victoria Royals 3-3. An overtime goal by Filip Kral, which bounced in off Royals defenceman Mitchell Prowse, then gave the Chiefs a 4-3 Western Hockey League victory Saturday night in Spokane.

It blunted the Royals’ torrid pace of late, but Victoria (13-8-2) still earned points for the eighth time in its past nine games.

Gary Haden, with his fourth goal in three games, and defenceman Jacob Herauf staked Victoria to a 2-0 lead in the first period.

Bear Hughes brought the Chiefs to within one at 15:32 of the second period before Tarun Fizer restored Victoria’s two-goal lead with his team-leading ninth goal. Assisting on Fizer’s goal was Royals captain Phillip Schultz, who will be dropped off at SeaTac Airport today for the trip to Minsk, Belarus, to play for Denmark in the IIHF Tier-2 junior hockey championships. Schultz will return to the Royals after Christmas.

With Sean Gulka and Kaid Oliver again missing Saturday to injuries and Schultz on national team assignment, Victoria’s forward depth might be in question as the team returns home to face the B.C. Division rival Vancouver Giants on Wednesday at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

Brock Gould made 30 saves in goal for Victoria and Campbell Arnold 19 for Spokane (13-9-3).

Victoria began its three-game excursion through the U.S. Division with a 4-2 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday in Kent, Washington, and a 3-1 win Friday against the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Washington.