A last ditch effort see’s the “G-men” travel to Victoria to play a seventh and deciding game to decide the fate of this season’s Vancouver Giants.
Easter Monday saw most of the 4,344 onlookers cheer the Giants only to have them come up short in the extra period dropping a 4-3 overtime decision.
It was Royal’s forward Gregor who notched his fourth goal of the series came at 7:06 of the first overtime period forcing Game 7 back on the Island.
Matthew Phillips was the spark plug for the Royals as he managed to factor in on all four Royal’s goals, ending the game two goals and an assist.
Oilers prospect Ty Benson notched a pair of goals while Ty Ronning managed to grab his first of the series only to have the Giants fall in Game 6 despite outshooting the Royals 42-20.
Vancouver pressed from the opening face-off testing Likely BC goaltender Griffen Outhouse early and often jumping out to a 10-4 shot difference by the 7 minute mark that saw Vancouver get the first of the game on their ninth shot as Tyler Benson jumped on a Davis Koch pass and wired his second of the series.
The first saw Vancouver outshoot the Royals by a commanding lead in the shot department outshooting the Royals by a 15-9 drubbing.
Vancouver continued to press and outshoot the Royals 12-3 in the second only to come up empty on four consecutive PP opportunities.
Victoria had a chance to tie the score at 8:36 only to see rookie Tarun Fizer missed on a penalty shot attempt keeping the game at 1-0 for Vancouver.
The Royals evened the score at 14:57 when Royals snipper Dante Hannoun found open ice on the right-wing managing to redirect a Matthew Phillips pass over David Tendeck for his third of the series that saw the game tied at one after 40 minutes of play.
Victoria grabbed a pair within the first 2:15 of the final period. Royals captain Matthew Phillips struck twice in a span of a minute and 57 seconds to vault the Royals to a 3-1 cushion.
Phillips’ second goal game courtesy of the Royals first power play of the game. They’d finish the night one-for-two while the Giants went zero-for-five.
With the Giants trailing by a pair Ronning notched his first goal of the 2018 Playoffs at the 6:10 skating into the right-wing circle sending a well timed wrist-shot through traffic past Outhouse making it a 3-2 game and going down to the wire.
The Giants got even at 14:37 when Tyler Benson skated to the half-boards
sending a shot through several bodies collecting his third of the series and second of the night.
Shots through 60 minutes were 37-19 for the Giants.
Vancouver carried the play in OT outshooting the Royals at one point 6-0, but Victoria’s first and only shot in extra time was all they would need to pull out a win and tie the series at three heading to home ice.
Royals speedster Matthew Phillips entered the zone and delivered a pass to the middle to Gregor who skated in and snapped home his fourth of the series with the OT winner coming on only their 20th shot of the game.
The winner of this series will start Game 2 at home against the Tri-City Americans.
NOTES:
- Tuesday’s Game 7 marks the first time the G-Men will have played a Game 7 since Round 2 of the 2009 WHL Playoffs where they defeated the Spokane Chiefs.
- The G-Men have only played in two previous Game 7s in the history of their franchise going 1-1
- Tyler Benson and Ty Ronning have both recorded points in all six games of this series
- Two Giants: Brennan Riddle and Jared Dmytriw have played in WHL Game 7s. Riddle is 2-0 (twice last season with Lethbridge) and Dmytriw is 0-1 (2016 vs. Kelowna).
- The road team has won four of the six games so far in this series.
