Matthew Phillips scored his 2nd of the night short handed in overtime as the visiting Victoria Royals came from behind to beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 3-2 Saturday.
Trailing 2-0 going into the third Phillips snuck in alone to get the Royals to within one, before Jeff DeWit drove the net 1:16 later to force overtime.
In the extra frame, and down a man, Tyler Soy was denied on a 2 on 1 but quickly fed Phillips who executed for the extra point.
Phillips on the come from behind win:
Phillips becomes the first player in franchise history to end a game in overtime while shorthanded.
With the assist, Soy becomes the first player in franchise history to reach 300 points.
Victoria now has won back to back games, both come from behind victories after edging Medicine Hat 4-3 one night earlier at home.
Head Coach Dan Price on come from behind win:
Griffen Outhouse made 38 saves to earn the win, while Liam Hughes stopped 31 of 34 in the loss.
The Royals went 0 for 7 on the power play, while shutting down 7 of 8 T’Birds man advantages.
Price on how the club handled the big and physical Thunderbirds:
Victoria pulls into a tie for 1st in the BC Division with Kelowna whom they’ll face for 3 straight next weekend.
The Royals have now one 9 of 11 since the trade deadline.
Victoria sweeps Seattle in the season series with 4 wins.
The Royals were without Tanner Kaspick for a 3rd straight game, while Chaz Reddekopp remains sidelined another 4 weeks.
Up next Victoria visits Portland Wednesday night.
– Marlon Martens
T-Birds kick away game in overtime loss to Victoria https://t.co/QNhpKaziei #WHL
— Andy Eide (@AndyEide) February 4, 2018
Notes:
Making History – With an assist on the game winning goal, Royals’ forward Tyler Soy became the first player in franchise history to record 300 points (139g-161a). Soy is also one goal away from tying the all-time franchise record for most career goals. Former Chilliwack Bruin Ryan Howse currently holds the mark with 140 career goals.
Season Series – Tonight marked the fourth and final match-up of the season against Seattle. This season, the Royals have posted a record of 4-0-0-0 and outscored the Thunderbirds 15-7.
Milestone Night – Victoria blueliner Scott Walford, who tallied a helper on the overtime goal, skated in his 150th career WHL contest tonight. The Montreal Canadiens prospect has tallied 26 assists so far this season.
Extra Time – The Royals have taken part in nine contests that have required overtime this season and have posted a record of 6-3. Matthew Phillips is tied for the league lead in extra time markers with three.
On Fire – Phillips, who scored Victoria’s first and final goals, stretched his point streak to 14 straight games and has registered 26 points (10g-16a) in those contests.
Coming Up – The Royals will travel to Portland to battle the Winterhawks on Wednesday, February 7th. Victoria returns to the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Friday, February 9th and Saturday, February 10th when they take on BC Division rivals the Kelowna Rockets for a back-to-back series. Both contests are scheduled for 7:05 p.m starts. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Select Your Tickets box office, over the phone by calling 250-220-7777, or online at www.selectyourtickets.com.
TEXT SCORING SUMMARY
Victoria Royals 3 (OT) at Seattle Thunderbirds 2 – Status: Final OT
Saturday, February 3, 2018 – ShoWare Center – Kent, WA
Victoria 0 0 2 1 – 3
Seattle 1 1 0 0 – 2
1st Period-
1, Seattle, Wedman 12 (Ottenbreit, Neuls), 8:25 (PP).
Penalties-Hannoun Vic (tripping), 8:02; Hamaliuk Sea (hooking), 9:10; Freadrich Vic (interference), 16:30; Jensen Vic (10-minute misconduct), 17:32; MacLean Sea (boarding), 17:32; Walford Vic (interference), 20:00.
2nd Period-
2, Seattle, Strand 17 (Bargar), 16:36.
Penalties-Strand Sea (high sticking), 4:06; Neuls Sea (holding), 4:38; Buziak Vic (high sticking), 9:28; Walford Vic (roughing), 15:33; Volcan Sea (roughing), 15:33; Jarratt Vic (roughing), 17:27; Tyszka Sea (roughing), 17:27; served by Philp Sea (too many men), 18:21.
3rd Period-
3, Victoria, Phillips 37 (Jensen, Jarratt), 14:43.
4, Victoria, de Wit 10 (Grishakov, Buziak), 15:59.
Penalties-Buziak Vic (slashing), 1:12; Oliver Vic (major-fighting), 5:30; Tyszka Sea (major-fighting), 5:30; Williams Sea (interference), 7:36; Walford Vic (interference), 11:34; Freadrich Vic (cross checking), 16:53; MacLean Sea (holding), 18:53.
OT Period-
5, Victoria, Phillips 38 (Soy, Walford), 4:22 (SH).
Penalties-Jarratt Vic (inter. on goaltender), 2:45.
Shots on Goal-
Victoria 6-10-14-4-34.
Seattle 15-13-10-2-40.
Power Play Opportunities-
Victoria 0 / 7;
Seattle 1 / 8.
Goalies-
Victoria, Outhouse 28-12-3-1 (40 shots-38 saves).
Seattle, Hughes 9-6-2-1 (34 shots-31 saves).
A-5,356
Referees-Kevin Bennett (29), Mike Langin (67).
Linesmen-Nick Bilko (66), Michael Bean (148).
