A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
The Kelowna Rockets’ up-and-down start to the season continued Friday night, albeit on an up note.
Nine days after getting slapped by Prince George 8-1, the Rockets upended the high-scoring Cougars 5-4 despite getting outshot 39-25.
Dylan Wightman scored twice, with Jari Kykkanen making 35 saves, as Kelowna (3-3-1-0) moved to .500 with the win. Gabriel Szturc, Caden Price and Andrew Cristall also scored for the Rockets, who led 2-0 and 4-1 at the period breaks.
Zac Funk, with two goals, Carlin Dezainde and Koehn Ziemmer replied for Prince George (7-3-0-0), which has the best record in the league. Ty Young stopped 20 shots for the Cougars, who rallied in the third with two quick goals to make it 4-3.
However, Wightman’s second of the night at 4:49 to make it 5-3 stood up as the game-winner, though Funk scored on the power play at 19:07 to make it close.
In addition to wins and points, Prince George also leads the league in goals, having tallied 55 through 10 games, good for an average of 5.5 per game. The Brandon Wheat Kings are second in offence with 38 goals (4.2 average). Kelowna has scored 31 goals (4.4 average).
The Cougars, ranked seventh in this week’s CHL top-10 rankings, returned home after the game and don’t play again until next weekend when they host Kamloops (1-4-2-0).
On Saturday, Kelowna will host Medicine Hat (4-2-1-0).
The Tigers, who last played on Oct. 7, a 4-3 home-ice loss to Moose Jaw, will spend the next week in the province, swinging through the B.C. Division and playing all five teams.
Friday’s results
- Moose Jaw 4, Lethbridge 3
- Portland 4, Kamloops 1
- Prince Albert 7, Calgary 2
- Regina 4, Red Deer 3
- Seattle 4, Wenatchee 2
- Brandon 5, Tri-City 2
- Swift Current 6, Vancouver 3
- Everett 8, Victoria 1
Saturday’s games
- Medicine Hat at Kelowna
- Prince Albert at Moose Jaw
- Lethbridge at Regina
- Calgary at Saskatoon
- Brandon at Spokane
- Kamloops at Tri-City
- Swift Current at Victoria
Sunday’s games
- Red Deer at Edmonton
- Tri-City at Portland
- Saskatoon at Prince Albert
B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Cranbrook, the Vees scored four unanswered goals, including three in the third, as they rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Bucks Friday night.
Anselmo Rego, Conyr Hellyer, Connor MacPherson and Thomas Pichette scored for Penticton (5-1-1-1-0), which trailed 1-0 after the first and 2-0 midway through the second.
Rego got Penticton on the scoreboard at 17:55 of the second, with Hellyer and MacPherson scoring goals at 8:19 and 8:49. Pichette closed out the scoring with an empty-netter at 19:55.
Noah Urness and Donovan Frias replied for Cranbrook (2-4-1-0-0).
Will Ingemann stopped 25 of 27 shots for the Vees, with Danick Leroux turning aside 26 of 29 shots for the Bucks.
Penticton was 0-for-2 on the power play while Cranbrook was 1-for-4.
At Vernon, Isaac Tremblay scored twice for the home team as the Vipers outlasted the Silverbacks.
Luke Pakulak, Anthony Cliché and Julian Facchinelli also scored for Vernon (5-1-0-0-0), which trailed 1-0 after the first period but led 3-2 after 40 minutes.
Casy Laylin, J.J. Monteiro and Riley Ashe replied for Salmon Arm (4-3-0-0-0), which was outshot 34-26.
Ethan David made 23 saves for the Vipers, with Eli Pulver turning aside 29 shots for the Silverbacks.
Both teams were scoreless on the power play, with Salmon Arm at 0-for-3 and Vernon at 0-for-1.
West Kelowna 3, Prince George 2 (OT)
At West Kelowna, Michael Salandra scored the game-winning goal in overtime as the Warriors edged the Spruce Kings.
Trent Wilson and Jack Pridham scored in regulation for West Kelowna (5-2-0-0-0), which led 1-0 after the second period following a scoreless first.
Kazumo Sasaki and Linden Makow, with goals late in the third period to level the score, replied for Prince George (1-3-2-0-0).
Wilson opened the scoring at 11:15 of the second, with Pridham making it 2-0 at 12:06 of the third. Sasaki countered at 14:47 to pull Prince George within one, with Makow tying the game at 15:48.
Salandra’s game-winning goal, his fourth marker of the season, came at 6:36.
Rorke Applebee stopped 19 of 21 shots for the Warriors, with Ryan Sanborn turning aside 29 of 32 shots for the Spruce Kings.
West Kelowna was 0-for-2 on the power play while Prince George was 2-for-3.
Friday’s results
- Victoria 2, Alberni Valley 0
- Surrey 4, Coquitlam 2
- Langley 4, Cowichan Valley 3
- Nanaimo 6, Powell River 3
- Trail 4, Merritt 2
Saturday’s games
- Langley at Victoria
- Vernon at Cranbrook
- Cowichan Valley at Alberni Valley
- Nanaimo at Powell River
- Penticton at Trail
- West Kelowna at Merritt
Sunday’s games
- Langley at Victoria
- Chilliwack at Coquitlam
KOOTENAY INTERNATIONAL JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
Friday’s results
- Columbia Valley 3, Kimberley 0
- Beaver Valley 5, Kelowna 3
- Princeton 6, North Okanagan 3
- Kamloops 4, Revelstoke 1
- Sicamous 2, Golden 1
- Fernie 5, Grand Forks 2
- 100 Mile House 3, Spokane 2 (OT)
- Creston Valley 3, Castlegar 1
Saturday’s results
- Castlegar at Kimberley
- Princeton at Osoyoos
- Sicamous at Kamloops
- 100 Mile House at Nelson
- Fernie at Spokane
- Beaver Valley at North Okanagan
- Chase at Summerland
- Columbia Valley at Creston Valley
Sunday’s games
- 100 Mile House at Grand Forks
- Beaver Valley at Summerland
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