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KNOW YOUR OPPONENT: The Victoria Royals (and some other links)

Published 1:30 am Thursday, March 16, 2017

By Jesse Geleynse Herald Writer

The Everett Silvertips were in transit Thursday, but I managed to get in touch with both head coach Kevin Constantine and defenseman Aaron Irving for a mid-road trip update.

In case you missed it, Everett defenseman Kevin Davis scored on the power play and the Tips never trailed in a 4-1 win at Kelowna Wednesday:

The Tips take on the Victoria Royals Friday on Vancouver Island and Saturday back at Xfinity Arena (more on that below).

Everett’s schedule to end the year is particularly brutal. The Tips end with back-to-back weeks of four games in five nights. We’ve been saying for a month now about how so many of these games have a playoff atmosphere and Wednesday’s game in Kelowna was another example.

“(The Rockets) play a playoff type of hockey and getting used to that, it’s a whole other season going into the playoffs,” Irving said. “Just being able to get ourselves prepared for that sooner than later is definitely nice.”

Constantine did not have an update on Noah Juulsen’s status. The Tips captain reportedly hobbled off the ice in the final minutes Wednesday and did not return. Constantine said he hadn’t talked to Juulsen or trainer Rob Tagle as of Thursday morning, so we’ll see if Juulsen plays Friday.

Shifting gears, the eight-team University Cup Championship Tournament began Thursday in New Brunswick, and six players who ended their careers with Everett are competing in the event.

On Thursday the Arcadia Axemen, featuring former Tips defenseman Matthew Pufahl, defeated the Alberta Golden Bears, whose roster includes fellow former Everett blueliner Brennan Yadlowski by a 4-1 margin. Other former Tips competing in the tournament include defenseman Connor Cox and forwards Kohl Bauml and Carson Stadnyk (all with the Saskatchewan Huskies), and defenseman Cole MacDonald of St. Francis Xavier.

Now on to Friday’s (and Saturday’s) Know Your Opponent:

The Opponent

The Victoria Royals (37-27-5-1, 80 points) currently occupy the Western Conference’s first wild card spot and remain one point in front of the free-falling Tri-City Americans. Since seeing its five-game winning streak snapped (coinciding with some key injuries and an untimely mumps outbreak) Victoria is 0-4-1, so it’s not known for certain which players and coaches will participate this weekend.

Players to Watch

No. 9 Jack Walker (F): A sixth-round pick by Toronto in the 2016 NHL draft, Walker is Victoria’s second-leading scorer with 29 goals and 41 assists.

No. 11 Matthew Phillips (F): The diminutive dynamo (he’s 5-foot-6, 141 pounds) has 50 goals and 39 assists in 68 games. He was a sixth-round pick by Calgary in the 2016 NHL draft.

No. 12 Spencer Gerth (F): Gerth is a former Silvertip and arguably the most personable player I’ve ever interviewed. He has an assist and 32 penalty minutes in 45 games with the Royals since he was traded to Victoria in November.

No. 17 Tyler Soy (F): A seventh-round pick of Anaheim in the 2016 NHL draft, Soy has 25 goals and 30 assists in 42 games. However, Soy is listed as day-to-day with an upper body injury on ths week’s WHL report so his status is unknown.

For the latest Silvertips news follow Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.

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