Moose Jaw, SK – For the second time in as many nights, the Victoria Royals (23-14-2-2) went into battle with an East Division opponent as Wednesday night brought them to Moose Jaw to square off with the Warriors (23-15-0-2). It was the third game of the Royals’ season-long road swing, which saw them drop the first two decisions in overtime. Most recently, it was a 3-2 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings on Tuesday night.
Jayden Kraus returned to the crease for Victoria as the 17-year-old aimed for his ninth victory of the season, while Jackson Unger continued to carry the load between the pipes for Moose Jaw with his 34th start of the season.
The game opened with a trio of early penalties as each side found their way into the penalty box in the early stages. Noah Degenstein and former Royal Kalem Parker made their way into the box for Moose Jaw, while Tanner Scott sat for a pair of minutes for Victoria. The shorthanded units prevailed on all three occasions to keep the game level in the first period as neither side was able to open the scoring. Late in the period, Royals blueliner Seth Fryer made his way to the penalty box as the Royals’ penalty-killing unit was once again tasked with an important kill, and they would do just that.
Shortly after the successful penalty kill for Victoria, the Warriors were able to break the tie in the final two minutes of the period. Pavel McKenzie entered the double-digit club as he notched his tenth of the season with assistance from Connor Schmidt and Rilen Kovacevic. The late tally was enough to propel the Warriors to a one-goal lead heading into the middle frame.
The home side would carry the momentum into the middle frame as Kalem Parker tallied his fourth of the season on the man advantage, extending the Warriors’ lead to a pair of goals. That was the first of two goals from Moose Jaw in the middle frame as just four minutes later, Rilen Kovacevic grabbed his second point of the evening, beating Jayden Kraus to extend the Warriors’ lead to three goals.
Moose Jaw continued their prowl in the final frame with a goal from Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick Denton Mateychuk, entering his name on the scoresheet as the Warriors made their lead four. The Warriors would strike again on the powerplay as the game neared the final five minutes. Brayden Yager tallied his eighteenth of the season with a wrist shot from the inside of the faceoff circle as Moose Jaw made it a five-goal game.
That would be all that Moose Jaw needed as they took down the Royals 5-0 on Wednesday evening.
Scoring Summary
1st Period
18:16 – Moose Jaw Warriors Goal
Pavel Mckenzie (10) assisted by Connor Schmidt and Rilen Kovacevic
2nd Period
7:58 – Moose Jaw Warriors Goal (PP)
Kalem Parker (4) assisted by Brayden Yager and Jagger Firkus
11:18 – Moose Jaw Warriors Goal
Rilen Kovacevic (14) assisted by Cosmo Wilson and Noah Degenstein
3rd Period
6:09 – Moose Jaw Warriors Goal
Denton Mateychuk (7) assisted by Cosmo Wilson and Jagger Firkus
14:06 – Moose Jaw Warriors Goal (PP)
Brayden Yager (18) assisted by Jagger Firkus and Denton Mateyechuk
Shots On Goal
Royals – 15
Warriors – 40
Powerplay
Royals – 0/4
Warriors – 2/5
Goalie Stats
Royals
Jayden Kraus – 35/40
Warriors
Jackson Unger – 15/15
What’s Next
Victoria will hop back on the bus and make their way into Prince Albert for a Friday night battle with the Raiders. The Royals and Raiders last met on January 31st, 2023, at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, where Prince Albert emerged victorious with a 6-3 score. Puck drop is slated for Friday night at 5:00 PM PST
