VICTORIA, British Columbia (Interstat) — The Victoria Royals defeated the Spokane Chiefs 2-1 in Western Hockey League action Friday night at Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena.

Heath Nelson broke a scoreless tie for the Royals with 1:56 remaining in the second period before Reggie Newman doubled the lead just 21 seconds into the third. Sam Oremba scored for Spokane midway through the final period, assisted by Coco Armstrong, but the Chiefs could not find an equalizer. Goaltenders for both teams were credited with strong performances in front of an announced crowd of 3,771.

With the win, Victoria improved to 17-21, while Spokane fell to 19-20. The two teams meet again in Victoria on Saturday.