The Western Hockey League (WHL) celebrates its 50th year this hockey season and the Victoria Royals will help celebrate with a special alumni game on Saturday, November 14.
The turn back the clock night will see the Royals face off against the Seattle Thunderbirds in regular WHL action and a special ceremony will honour alumni Grant Fuhr and Tyler Stahl.
Fuhr will be presented with the Professional Alumni Achievement Award and Stahl with the Scholastic Alumni Achievement Award.
Royals general manager Cameron Hope made the announcement during a 2015-16 season look ahead speech to local sports media.
Hope said the Royals will ice a young team this year with 10 new players on the team, seven who are rookies. He said “coaches will have their hands full” with the new inexperienced recruits.
Hope confirmed as well that the team will be going ahead with a bid for the 2019 Memorial Cup and the lead up to the cup will be ramp up years for the club.
The team started the 2015-16 season with a bang, defeating the Portland Winterhawks twice in two nights this past weekend. The Royals downed the ‘Hawks 4-1 Friday night in the home opener and then took down their Portland rivals 6-5 on Saturday night.
Victoria forward Alex Forsberg is off to a roaring start with one goal and five assists in the two games. Veteran goalie Coleman Vollrath was in the net for both games.
The Royals are back on the ice at home this Friday and Saturday to face the Kamloops Blazers at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre. The Blazers come to town having lost their two weekend games to the Kelowna Rockets.
