Victoria Royals Rout London Knights 7:1 in WHL
Victoria Royals secured a commanding 7:1 victory over London Knights in the WHL on Friday night. The hosts dominated from the opening whistle, capitalising on London's defensive frailties throughout the contest. It was a comprehensive win that reflected the gulf in form between the two sides.
Victoria, sitting ninth in the standings after 68 games, had been inconsistent in recent weeks. They dropped fixtures against Prince George and Kelowna but showed resilience with back-to-back wins over Vancouver. This performance finally put them on solid ground after a patchy run of results.
London's visit was their latest in a string of difficult away trips. They have struggled badly against Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds recently, losing four of their last five encounters. The 7:1 scoreline was a harsh reflection of that poor run of form.
The match itself was a case of one mistake ending it for the visitors. Victoria seemed to have the game won early and never looked threatened. London came for a cross he never reached, and that pattern repeated all evening.
With this result Victoria move further clear of the relegation zone while London's position grows increasingly precarious. The hosts have kept three clean sheets on the spin now, and this result puts them in a better frame of mind heading into the final stretch.