The Kootenay Ice took to the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria - an arena many thought the club would call home at different points in their history in Cranbrook - and took it to the Royals in an 8-3 drubbing. The high-lights are up on the Royals website including a late penalty shot stop by Skapski, here.
Kootenay improved to 14-5-1-2 and 31 points and find themselves in a three-way logjam for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Ice got a hand from the Swift Current Broncos, who beat the conference-leading Brandon Wheat Kings 5-4 in regulation. The Wheaties sit one point up on the pack with 32. However the Saskatoon Blades, who beat the Rebels 2-1 last night, are the actual Eastern Conference leaders - and WHL leaders - but the WHL website has yet to show that.
For the Royals it was the club's second lopsided loss in as many nights, having being dropped 11-3 by the Vancouver Giants the night before.
Forward Elgin Pearce had a career night with his first-ever WHL hat-trick as well as adding an assist for a four point outing. Jesse Ismond, riding shotgun on the Pearce line with Dylen McKinley, outdid his linemate by a point with a five-point night (2g 3a), his best in his career. McKinley finished with two assists as did Sam Reinhart. Drew Czerwonka had a goal and two assists and Luke Paulsen had a goal and an assist.
Rookie Jaedon Descheneau had the other Ice goal as the club built up an 8-0 lead before letting off the gas and the Royals got the last three.
G Mackenzie Skapski got the win in the nets.
The biggest news of the night is that the club did it without the services of their leading scorer, Max Reinhart. Reinhart, who re-joined the club after playing for Team WHL in the CHL Super Series in Regina and Moose Jaw Wednesday and Thursday, along with five other members of the club were all suspended one game each for breaking team rules.
There isn't any indication what rule they broke or who the other five are as of yet. All six veterans will serve a game each on the road trip with Reinhart serving his tonight.
The club is in Vancouver to play the Giants tomorrow night. Gametime is 6PM Cranbrook time (102.9 The Drive) After a slow start the G-men are atop the BC Division standings with a 15-8-0-1 record and 31 points.
The Giants have landed former Trail Smoke Eaters D-man Eric Walker, 18, who should be in the line-up for the G-men Sunday night. Walker, a Castlegar product who received a full-ride scholarship to Northern Michigan, left the school this week after not getting into the team's first 12 games.
Should be interesting to see the crowd at the Giants-Ice game Sunday night as the city has the Canucks hosting the Senators and earlier in the afternoon, the BC Lions hosting the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL Western Final.
D Jeff Hubic and F Eric Benoit - who is out 1-2 weeks with an upper body injury - were the Ice scratches along with Max. F Brendan Hurley returned from a month off recovering from a knee injury.
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