A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
The Kelowna Rockets’ struggles continue, after losing their fourth-straight game Saturday against the Red Deer Rebels.
Rebels forward Frantisek Formanek opened the scoring, firing home a rebound past Rockets netminder Jake Pilon just over five minutes into the game. But Caden Price brought the home fans to their feet with the game-tying goal seven minutes later, and the game was tied 1-1 heading into the second frame.
The difference maker in Kelowna’s latest setback, however, was their penalty kill. The Rebels managed to score two power-play goals on five opportunities – one late in the second period, and another early in the third period. Meanwhile, the Rockets couldn’t generate any offence on their power-play chances, going 0-3 on the evening.
It was a weekend at home the Rockets will likely want to put behind them, after scoring just two goals in two games. The Rockets now hold a record of 7-8-1-0 and are set to embark on a four-game road trip, starting with a stop in Kennewick, Wash., for a date with the Tri-City Americans on Tuesday.
Saturday’s results
- Portland 3, Lethbridge 1
- Medicine Hat 4, Everett 1
- Prince George 5, Prince Albert 0
- Wenatchee 6, Victoria 3
- Tri-City 4, Spokane 3
- Vancouver 3, Kamloops 2
Sunday’s games
- Everett at Swift Current
- Regina at Saskatoon
- Moose Jaw at Calgary
- Medicine Hat at Edmonton
Despite heavily outshooting their opponent, the West Kelowna Warriors dropped a heartbreaker in overtime.
The Warriors entered Saturday’s game against the Cranbrook Bucks desperate for a win, after losing three of their last four games. It was the Bucks, however, who opened the scoring in the first period on the power play, thanks to defenceman Loke Södergren’s second goal of the season.
Despite neither team finding the back of the net in the second period, the Warriors threw everything they could at netminder Justin Katz, but he was equal to the task, stopping 15 shots in the second period, and a total of 25 shots after two periods. It seemed as if nothing was getting past Katz.
That all changed just over four minutes into the final period, as Viggo Nordström scored his first BCHL goal to tie the game 1-1. That goal swung the momentum in West Kelowna’s favour, as the team outshot the Bucks 17-3 in the third period, but the home team couldn’t solve Katz, and the game needed overtime to decide the winner.
At 2:14 into the extra frame, Bucks blueliner Joesph Blackley deposited his first of the season to stun the Warriors and their fans, handing them their second straight loss with a 2-1 defeat. The Warriors now hold a record of 9-4-2 and sit in third place in the Interior Conference.
The Warriors’ next game is on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. in Prince George.
The Penticton Vees continued their dominant run on Saturday, after collecting their ninth-straight victory over the Merritt Centennials.
The first and second period saw back-and-forth action. The Vees would open the scoring in the first period, but three minutes later, the Centennials responded. In the second, both clubs traded power-play goals before the Vees eventually scored their third go-ahead goal of the game to take a 3-2 lead into the third period.
In the third, it was all systems go for the Vees, after receiving a pair of goals from Simon Meier, and the Vees picked up a 5-2 victory on the road. Penticton has won all three matchups against the Centennials this season. Final shots were 39-22 in favour of the Vees.
Their next game is scheduled for Nov. 10 against the Bucks in Cranbrook at 6 p.m.
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks knocked off the Prince George Spruce Kings in dramatic fashion on Saturday, thanks to a three-goal third period comeback.
For the Silverbacks, it was the homecoming they were hoping for, after spending close to a month playing on the road. Meanwhile, for the Spruce Kings, who just lost 8-0 the night prior, finding their offence early was critical, and they did just that.
Three minutes into the contest, Brogan McNeil used his speed to fly past the Silverbacks defence, and on a breakaway, he would score his first-ever BCHL goal to give his team the early lead. The Silverbacks would respond, but the tie was short lived as the Spruce Kings regained the lead just 12 seconds later.
No one found the back of the net in the second frame, and for the home team, they had their work cut out for them in the final 20 minutes of play. With six minutes left, Salmon Arm would even the score courtesy of Tristan Allen’s third goal of the season.
Less than two minutes later, the home team would score the go-ahead goal on a beautiful 2-on-1 play, followed by an empty-net insurance goal to take the contest by a score of 4-2.
The Silverbacks outshot the Spruce Kings, 44-20, with Eli Pulver making 18 saves on 20 shots in the win. Their next game is slated for Nov. 10 in Chilliwack against the Chiefs.
Saturday’s results
- Trail 5, Chilliwack 4
- Victoria 3, Prince Rupert 2 (OT)
- Cowichan Valley 4, Nanaimo 2
- Coquitlam 3, Langley 1
Sunday’s games
- Powell River at Alberni Valley
- Trail at Surrey