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VIDEO: Royals shock Thunderbirds with 3-1 win

Hundreds of stuffed animals thrown on ice to support local charities for Christmas
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The Royals shocked the Seattle Thunderbirds with a 3-1 victory during Saturday night’s annual Teddy Bear Toss. (Victoria Royals)

The Royals shocked the Thunderbirds with a 3-1 victory on Saturday night.

Victoria stood strong, as the Teddy Bear toss brought a blast of energy to the heated match against Seattle. The first period started in favour of the Thunderbirds when they scored just 20 seconds into the game.

Luckily, the tides quickly turned for the Royals as River Fahey tied up the game three minutes later, bringing a barrage of stuffed animals onto home ice.

Notably, a large teddy bear crowd-surfed its way from the top of the arena to reach the players. The first period ended 1-1 with goalie Shane Farkas making a close save against Seattle with five minutes remaining.

READ MORE: Royals start three-game home stand tonight, end with teddy toss

The second period saw the Royals’ Brandon Cutler sneak in two shots five minutes apart from each other. The first on a backhand shot, and the second on a powerplay. This is Cutler’s 200th game while playing for Victoria. A huge save came from Farkas as Seattle’s Connor Bruggen-Cate almost scored on a breakaway.

The second period ended with 3-1 and lasted throughout the third, even when Seattle pulled their goalie with only 90 seconds left on the clock.

The night ended with hundreds of teddy bears being cleaned, dried and prepared for delivery to local charities just in time for Christmas.

The Royals will head to Prince George for a pair of games against the Cougars on Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14.

Victoria will return home to play their last two games before the holiday break on Tuesday, Dec. 17, and Wednesday, Dec. 18, against the Spokane Chiefs. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Select Your Tickets box office, over the phone by calling 250-220-7777, or online at www.selectyourtickets.com.

aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com


@iaaronguillen
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