The Victoria Royals now know who stands in their way in Round 2 of the Western Hockey League playoffs—and it’s shaping up to be a serious test.
After days of waiting, the Royals’ second-round opponent was officially locked in Monday night when the Everett Silvertips eliminated the Seattle Thunderbirds in a dramatic 1–0 double-overtime win in Game 6.
With Everett advancing, the WHL’s re-seeding format slotted the Royals into a matchup with the Spokane Chiefs.
Unlike the first round against Tri-City, the Royals won’t have home-ice advantage this time around. While Victoria entered the playoffs as the BC Division champs, Spokane edged them in the regular season standings with 93 points to Victoria’s 91.
As a result, the Chiefs will be the number two seed, and the Royals the third.
Victoria earned their second-round berth by dispatching the Tri-City Americans in just five games, outscoring them 23–9 and looking dominant on both ends of the ice. Spokane was just as efficient in their first-round series, defeating the Vancouver Giants 4–1 with a goal differential of 28–15.
The matchup between the Royals and the Chiefs is expected to be tighter. The two teams met four times in the regular season, with two games needing overtime. Spokane took three of those four contests and outscored the Royals 20–9 overall.
One of the biggest names to watch will be Spokane’s Andrew Cristall, who currently leads the league in playoff goals with seven. His teammate and captain, Berkly Catton, is also tearing it up—second in playoff points with 14 and sitting third in assists.
On the Royals’ side, 18-year-old netminder Johnny Hicks has been absolutely lights out. Since arriving mid-season from the Brooks Bandits in Alberta, Hicks has provided calm, consistent goaltending. He leads all WHL playoff goalies with a .949 save percentage, is second in goals-against average at 1.58, and tops the league with two shutouts.
Up front, Cole Reschny has continued to be a force for Victoria’s top line, tallying 12 points in five playoff games.
Victoria also received some off-ice recognition this week with General Manager Jake Heisinger being named a finalist for the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy, awarded to the WHL Executive of the Year.
In his first season at the helm, Heisinger helped guide the Royals to a 40-17-4-7 regular season record and their first BC Division title since 2015-16.
It’s a special moment for the franchise, which hasn’t advanced past the second round in its history. Fans still remember the heartbreak of 2016, when the Royals came within 0.2 seconds of knocking out Kelowna in Game 7 before falling in overtime.
This year’s team is determined to write a different story.
Here’s the full schedule for the second-round series between the Royals and Chiefs:
- Game 1: Sunday, April 13th – 6:05 p.m. – Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
- Game 2: Monday, April 14th – 7:05 p.m. – Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
- Game 3: Wednesday, April 16th – 7:05 p.m. – Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
- Game 4: Friday, April 18th – 7:05 p.m. – Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
- Game 5: Saturday, April 19th – 6:05 p.m. – Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre (if necessary)
- Game 6: Tuesday, April 22nd – 7:05 p.m. – Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (if necessary)
- Game 7: Wednesday, April 23rd – 7:05 p.m. – Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (if necessary)
Victoria will have a few crucial days of practice at home before heading to Spokane for the weekend openers. With momentum, talent, and goaltending on their side, the Royals are ready to take their best shot at making franchise history.
Make sure to grab your playoff tickets online today—tickets go on sale at noon Tuesday, April 8th.
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