KAMLOOPS, British Columbia (Interstat) — Caleb Matthews had a goal and an assist as the Victoria Royals opened the Western Hockey League season with a 4-2 victory over the Kamloops Blazers at Sandman Centre on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. Hayden Moore, Cruz Waltze and Marek Peroutka also scored for Victoria, while Andrew Thomson scored twice for Kamloops. Moore opened the scoring at 10:06 of the first period, with Matthews assisting. Thomson tied it in the second, but Waltze put Victoria ahead before Thomson equalized again in the third. Peroutka’s goal at 15:18 proved decisive, and Matthews added a goal at 18:31. Matthews was named the game’s top star. Victoria’s Ludovic Perreault, Wyatt Danyleyko, Max Silver, Odin Vauhkonen and Savin Virk contributed assists. Kamloops’ Mateo Ferreira had two assists and Vit Zahejsky added one. Attendance was 4,065. Victoria improved to 1-0, while Kamloops fell to 0-1. Victoria hosts Vancouver on Sept. 26; Kamloops visits Tri-City on Sept. 25.