VICTORIA 5 (SO) PRINCE GEORGE 4
CLEVE DHEENSAW
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The Victoria Royals did it the hard way Saturday night in Prince George.
Victoria twice gave up two-goal leads, of 3-1 and 4-2, in the third period before prevailing 5-4 in a Western Hockey League shootout. Villiam Kmec tied it for Prince George with 34 seconds remaining in regulation time. Overtime could not decide the issue but Logan Pickford of the Royals (8-3-2) did in the eighth round of the shootout at CN Centre between two of the top early teams in the Western Conference.
Royals captain Justin Kipkie, a blueliner and Utah HC prospect, had a goal and two assists. Reggie Newman, Teydon Trembecky and prize rookie blueliner Keaton Verhoeff, with his fourth counter of the season, scored the other Victoria goals in regulation time.
Riley Heidt scored twice for Prince George as the 2023 NHL second-round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild continued moving up the all-time Victoria/Prince George Cougars franchise points-scoring list.
Heidt, the leading scorer since the team moved to Prince George from Victoria in 1994-95, is 10th all-time in franchise history and stalking — all from the Victoria Cougars era from 1971-72 to 1993-94 — Mark Morrison, Barry Pederson, Rich Chernomaz, Curt Fraser, Simon Wheeldon, Ken Priestlay, Adam Morrison, Geordie Robertson and Gary Lupul.
Prince George (7-4-4) gave goalkeeper Joshua Ravensbergen, ranked for the first round of the 2025 NHL draft by Central Scouting, the night off. Back-up Cooper Michaluk made 23 saves for the Cougars. Jayden Kraus, ranked for the fourth/fifth rounds of the NHL draft by Central Scouting, made 30 saves for the Royals.
Victoria concluded its four-game road swing 2-2. The Royals will return to Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in a four-game home stand beginning against the defending WHL-champion but now-rebuilding Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday, this season’s Eastern Conference-powerhouse Saskatoon Blades on Nov. 3 and the Kamloops Blazers on Nov. 5-6.
