Andrej Kukuca scored two goals but it wasn’t enough as the Seattle Thunderbirds fell to the Victoria Royals 5-3 in a Western Hockey League game Wednesday night at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena in British Columbia.<\/p>\n
This was the second of back-to-back games between the two teams. The T-Birds won 5-3 on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Seattle (20-25-5-1) remains one point ahead of the Kamloops Blazers for the second wild-card playoff spot in the Western Conference.<\/p>\n
Goalie Roddy Ross made 34 saves on 38 shots, improving to 7-3-0-1. Ross made 41 saves in Tuesday’s win.<\/p>\n
Seattle jumped out a to 1-0 lead 47 seconds into the first period. Tyler Carpendale intercepted a Victoria pass in the neutral and the sprung Henrik Rybinski on a partial breakaway. Rybinski skated at Victoria goalie Brock Gould and put a shot on net as he was being knocked down. Rybinski’s shot beat Gould through the legs just as Rybinski crashed into the net.<\/p>\n
Victoria (26-21-1-2) tied the game 1-1 with 2:51 left in the first period on a goal from Phillip Schultz. Scott Walford and D-Jay Jerome had the assists.<\/p>\n
The Royals went in front 3-1 in the second period on a power-play goal by Kaid Oliver at 3:52 and a goal from Schultz at 6:27.<\/p>\n
Kukuca cut the Royals’ lead to one goal at 4:44 of the third period. Noah Philp got the puck out of the right corner with a short pass to Tyler Carpendale. Carpendale found Kukuca in slot and he took a shot. Kukuca got his own rebound and snapped it over Gould’s right shoulder for his 15th goal of the season.<\/p>\n
Victoria took the two-goal lead back at 4:54 of the third on a goal from Dino Kambeitz.<\/p>\n
A high-sticking penalty on Victoria late in the third gave the T-Birds an opportunity to cut the Royals’ lead. They took advantage as Kukuca scored his second of the night, at 16:07, to make it a one-goal lead for Victoria. Philp and Matthew Wedman had the assists.<\/p>\n
The T-Birds pulled Ross for an extra attacker with 1:57 remaining in the game. Seattle pressed the play in the Victoria zone but Schultz hit the empty net with four seconds left to seal the win for the Royals.<\/p>\n
Victoria outshot Seattle 39-25 in the game.<\/p>\n
Gould had 22 saves on 25 shots.<\/p>\n