Thursday, March 28, 2024

Victoria Royals will be wearing these beauties for Don Cherry night this Friday

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Don’t worry, these jerseys aren’t permanent.

The Victoria Royals are switching up their style for “WHL Suits Up with Cherry”, a league-wide promotion for organ donation.

During the month of March, nine Canadian WHL clubs will be hosting their version of a Don Cherry night, with special promotions and fundraisers to complement the evening.

This Friday, the Royals will take on the Prince George Cougars, showcasing their… unusual jerseys and giving the first 1000 fans to arrive Don Cherry bobbleheads.

Can’t get to the game early? Don’t worry, remaining fans will each receive a limited edition Upper Deck Don Cherry trading card.

Plus, a life-size cutout of Cherry will be at the arena for fans to sharpen their selfie skills with.

The unique suit-inspired Royals jerseys will also be auctioned post-game and in future matches, including one jersey autographed by Mr Cherry himself.

It’s all an effort to support the Kidney Foundation of Canada, which will receive 100% of proceeds.

Get your tickets here!

Let the year of the franchise record continue

Earlier this year, we saw Tyler Soy take possession of the franchise lead in points, and eventually goals and assists, but he’s not the only Royals player who’s racking up records.

Matthew Phillips scored his 102nd, 103rd, and 104th points of the season with three assists against none other than the Prince George Cougars on March 3rd, giving him the single-season Victoria Royals franchise record for most points in a season.

Until that point, Mark Santorelli of the Chilliwack Bruins had held the mark with 102, set in the 2007-08 season.

Griffen Outhouse also snagged his own franchise record on Tuesday night against the Spokane Chiefs, backstopping the Royals to his 85th career WHL win. Outhouse made 28 saves in a 7-3 victory and passed former teammate Coleman Vollrath for the record.

B.C. Division Title all of a sudden within reach

The Royals have been trailing the Kelowna Rockets by at least 5 points for a while, but thanks to a 5-game losing streak by Okanagan nemesis, the Royals are now just 3 points behind.

However, Victoria hasn’t exactly been textbook, winning 3 of their last 10 (but picking up two extra points thanks to an overtime and shootout loss), and now have a realistic shot at snagging home-ice advantage for the first two playoff rounds.

Victoria has four games left in the regular season, while Kelowna has five, making this weekend’s Friday-Sunday set against the Prince George Cougars crucial.

Victoria Royals vs. Prince George Cougars breakdown

Victoria Royals

  • Record: 37-25-4-2
  • Ranking: 2nd in B.C. Division
  • Last 10: 3-5-1-1
  • Head-to-head: 3-2-1-0
  • Goals per game: 4.09, 2nd of 22
  • Goals against per game: 4.03, 17th of 22
  • Power play: 25.1%, 7th of 22
  • Penalty kill: 74.7%, 20th of 22
  • Goal leaders: Matthew Phillips (45), Tyler Soy (35), Noah Gregor (28)
  • Assist leaders: Matthew Phillips (62), Tyler Soy (52), Dante Hannoun (51)
  • Points leaders: Matthew Phillips (107), Tyler Soy (87), Dante Hannoun (74)
  • Last game: 7-3 win vs Spokane Chiefs

Prince George Cougars

  • Record: 23-36-4-4
  • Ranking: 5th in B.C. Division
  • Last 10: 4-6-0-0
  • Head-to-head: 3-2-1-0
  • Goals per game: 3.00, 19th of 22
  • Goals against per game: 4.03, 21st of 22
  • Power play: 15.9%, 22nd of 22
  • Penalty kill: 77.1%, 16th of 22
  • Goal leaders: Josh Maser (27), Jared Bethune (21), Brogan O’Brien (14)
  • Assist leaders: Jared Bethune (42), Joel Lakusta (32), Josh Curtis (26)
  • Points leaders: Jared Bethune (63), Josh Maser (46), Joel Lakusta (40)
  • Last game: 4-3 loss vs. Portland Winterhawks
Jeremy Weeres
Jeremy Weeres
Victoria Royals and hockey writer at Victoria Buzz

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