VICTORIA 4
SPOKANE 1
Griffen Outhouse was overlooked in Central Scouting’s preliminary ranking list for the 2017 NHL draft.
There is only one way to get yourself noticed and the 18-year-old Victoria Royals goaltender took a step along that path in providing the difference with a 34-save performance as the Royals defeated the Spokane Chiefs 4-1 in a WHL game Saturday night in eastern Washington state.
“[Outhouse] made some big saves for us and was the first star of the game [for a reason],” said Royals coach Dave Lowry.
The sophomore from tiny Likely, B.C., was back in his usual starter’s role in the Victoria crease after 17-year-old rookie Dylan Myskiw made his first career WHL start Friday night in a 3-1 loss in Seattle.
Tyler Soy, meanwhile, flashed the sly offensive prowess that netted him 46 goals last season and got him noticed by the Anaheim Ducks as a late seventh-round NHL draft pick.
The five-foot-11 centre from Cloverdale scored twice to pace Victoria on Saturday.
Soy’s first goal was a laser to the top corner to make it 2-0 at 4:12 of the second period after Jared Dmytriw opened scoring at 18:12 of the first period.
Soy put the Chiefs away with an empty-net goal late in the third period for his third goal in five games since returning from Anaheim training camp.
But the most important Victoria goal of the final period was the one on a breakaway by 2015-16 WHL rookie of the year Matthew Phillips, who took a razor of a lead pass from defenceman Ryan Gagnon to make it 3-1 at 14:44. That goal came after Ty Smith had pulled Spokane to within one at 6:22 of the third.
“We didn’t stop playing. That was an important goal,” said Lowry.
Spokane (1-3) decided not to start 20-year-old veteran and former Royals goalie Jayden Sittler against his old team.
The Chiefs went with six-foot-three, 17-year-old rookie Dawson Weatherill, who blocked 32 shots.
The Royals, the defending WHL regular-season champions, are now 3-4.
Victoria is 2-1 on its six-game road trip, which continues in Medicine Hat on Tuesday, Lethbridge on Wednesday and Edmonton on Friday.
