Victoria Royals Crush Tri-City in 7-0 Blowout to Advance in WHL Playoffs
What a night it was for the Victoria Royals! If you caught the game—or even just the highlights—you know exactly what I’m talking about. The Royals absolutely dominated the Tri-City Americans with a jaw-dropping 7-0 victory to close out their first-round WHL playoff series in five games. Talk about making a statement.
The game took place Friday night down in Kennewick, Washington, at the Toyota Center. From the moment the puck dropped, Victoria came out firing on all cylinders. It was one of those performances where everything just clicked—offense, defense, goaltending, all of it.
Let’s talk about Johnny Hicks for a second. After a bit of a rough go in Game 4, the Royals showed faith in their goaltender by giving him the start again—and man, did he deliver. Hicks stopped all 35 shots thrown his way, earning his second shutout of the series. That’s the kind of bounce-back you want to see, especially in a high-pressure situation like this. He looked locked in from the first whistle.
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There were a few lineup changes before the game, likely due to some nagging injuries. Cruz Waltze came in for Escalus Burlock, and Jerrett Ross stepped in for Landon Young. Both players held their own, and Ross even had a storybook moment—scoring his first WHL goal with just seconds left in the game. Imagine that: your first goal ever, sealing a playoff win. Unreal.
Victoria jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first period, with goals from Wyatt Danyleyko, Brayden Boehm, and Teydon Trembecky. The Americans never really found their footing after that. Even when they tried to push back, Hicks and the Royals' defense shut them down.
The second period was more of the same. Kenta Isogai lit the lamp again, his third of the series, and Brandon Lisowsky scored a beauty on the powerplay. By the time the third rolled around, it was clear the Royals weren’t taking their foot off the gas. Boehm added another, and then Ross finished it off in spectacular fashion.
Final score: 7-0. A complete team effort, and a massive confidence booster heading into round two. Their next opponent hasn’t been announced yet, but one thing’s for sure—whoever it is, they’ve got their hands full. This Royals squad is clicking at exactly the right time, and if they keep playing like this, they’re going to be a real problem for anyone standing in their way.
So hats off to the Victoria Royals. Round one: handled. Now we wait and see what’s next.
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