Royals outgun Blazers, roll to 6-1 win in first of four straight

Blazers pounded in Victoria

Photo: Kamloops Blazers

The Kamloops Blazers dug a big hole early and never got out Tuesday in the provincial capital, where they were trounced 6-1 by the Victoria Royals.

Conner Radke scored the lone Kamloops goal. Nate Misskey, Reggie Newman, Cole Reschny (3) and Logan Pickford were the goal scorers for Victoria.

The Blazers were down 3-0 after the first period and 4-0 after the second. It was 5-0 by the time Radke got them on the board with his first WHL goal at 10:55 of the third.

Dylan Ernst made 20 saves on 26 shots in the loss. Braden Holt stopped 29 of 30 Kamloops shots to earn the win.

The Blazers were scoreless on three power-play opportunities while the Royals converted on both of their chances.

Announced attendance at Save-On Foods Memorial Arena was 2,792.

With the loss, the Blazers fall to 6-14-3-2 — still last in the WHL’s Western Conference. The win moves the Royals to 14-10-0-2, good for second place in the B.C. Division, six points behind the Prince George Cougars.

Tuesday’s game was the first of four in a row between the Blazers and the Royals. They will do it again in Victoria on Wednesday night before heading to Kamloops for games at Sandman Centre on Friday and Sunday — the Blazers’ final home game before Christmas.

After that, the Blazers will hit the road for a five-game, eight-day road trip to Saskatchewan and Manitoba.