Powell River Regals won both games of a weekend double-header over North Island Capitals in senior hockey action at Hap Parker Arena.
Chad Euverman scored the first and final goals of the Saturday, November 21 game and added an assist to lead Regals in a 7-5 win. John Coyle, Rick McLaren and Andy Welsh also recorded three-point nights for the home team.
Goaltender Ryan Fairgray stopped 54 of 59 shots directed his way, earning first-star honours. Regals fired 27 shots at the Capitals goaltender.
“Ryan was solid; he made some huge saves,” said Regals coach Tod English after the game. “It was close all night. You need your goalie to come up big in games like that.”
Euverman led the way again in Sunday’s rematch, scoring four times and adding two assists. Regals had a slow start, falling behind 3-0 before taking control of the game with three second-period goals and cruising to victory with seven more in the third.
Coyle added two more to his weekend goal total in the 10-5 win, while Welsh, McLaren, Drew Rowbotham and Cody Ketchum added singles. Fairgray stopped 27 of 32 shots to record the win, the fourth in a row for the Regals.
Saturday’s game scoring opened when Euverman held the puck on a two-on-one and then beat the Capitals goalie with a backhand deke at 8:31 of the first period.
After helping Trevor Burnett set up the first goal, Coyle scored his first of two on the night 41 seconds later on a shorthanded breakaway.
The Capitals jammed a rebound past Fairgray with five minutes remaining in the first, briefly cutting the lead in half until McLaren snuck in from the point at 16:29 and slapped in a pass from Coyle to restore the two-goal lead.
The teams traded chances in a wide open second period, each scoring twice, including a crowd-pleasing flurry of three goals in a span of 54 seconds in the final minutes.
Coyle, from Colby Sheldon and Rowbotham, knocked in his second of the game at 5:46 after a scramble in front of the Capitals’ net.
Welsh converted a pass from McLaren and beat the Capitals goalie with a low shot from a sharp angle at 17:54 to put the Regals up by two shortly after the visiting team had closed the gap by scoring twice in 15 seconds.
Capitals capitalized on an early chance just 19 seconds into the third period to come within a goal, however the visiting team’s momentum was short-lived.
Rowbotham redirected a cross-ice pass from Welsh 1:22 later for the game winner. Euverman scored his second of the game later in the period.
English was impressed with performances from younger roster players.
“It was great to see Jacob Harper, Dylan Messier, Colby Sheldon and Drew Rowbotham getting opportunities and contributing,” he said. “It’s important for them; they’re fighting for spots on the team and have to prove themselves so we can trust them come playoff time.”
In other Regals news, BC Hockey has awarded Coy Cup 2016 to Terrace River Kings. Regals’ management had also submitted a bid and plans to apply again in time for 2017.
Playoff qualification rounds for berths into the four-team tournament are still being determined. Regals last hosted and won the Coy Cup in 2010.
The team also announced plans are underway to host another four-on-four Boxing Day tournament on the heels of last year’s success. The inaugural event featured six local teams comprised of eight skaters and one goalie. This year, eight teams in two divisions will be involved with rosters expanded to include up to 12 skaters each.
Teams interested in entering the one-day tournament can email organizer Andy Welsh at [email protected] for more information.
Next game action for the Regals is December 11 and 12 in Port Hardy.
