A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
The Kelowna Rockets’ struggles continued Saturday night as their three-goal lead was erased in a losing effort against the Prince George Cougars.
Oct. 25. That’s the last time the Rockets were victorious. Their latest loss may not have come as a surprise to some, as it arrived at the hands of the league’s best team. But the Rockets were in control for much of the game; they just couldn’t hang on.
Just 36 seconds into the contest, Rockets’ captain Gabriel Szturc put the home team up 1-0, and the anxious crowd of over 5,000 at Prospera Place breathed a sigh of relief.
In the second period, the Cougars would respond to tie the game, but shortly after the equalizer, the flood gates opened for Kelowna. Tij Iginla would score twice, followed by another goal from Szturc. All of a sudden, the Rockets appeared to be in cruise control, up by three goals.
With less than a minute to play in the second period, the Cougars managed to get one back to make it 4-2 game — and that goal proved to be the turning point. In the final frame, the visiting team scored three unanswered goals, including two on the power play, to stun the Rockets and skate away with a 5-4 victory.
Despite outshooting the Cougars 34-42 and entering the third period up by a pair, the Rockets have now gone winless in their last nine games, much to the chagrin of their head coach.
“We had that game pretty much sewn up,” Kris Mallette said in his post-game interview. “They scored late in the second period and obviously rode that momentum as the game wore on. I’m very disappointed.”
For the Rockets, they’ll get a chance to get back in the win column on Tuesday night when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes at 7 p.m. The Cougars will rest until Friday, before hosting the Hurricanes, also a 7 p.m. start.
Saturday’s results
- Medicine Hat 3, Brandon 2
- Moose Jaw 7, Edmonton 3
- Saskatoon 4, Swift Current 1
- Red Deer 3, Calgary 2
- Seattle 4, Everett 1
- Wenatchee 8, Spokane 6
- Lethbridge 4, Vancouver 3
Sunday’s games
- Prince Albert at Wenatchee
- Everett at Portland
- Kamloops at Spokane
Despite being heavily outshot, the Vernon Vipers managed to shutout the Salmon Arm Silverbacks thanks to the heroics of their goaltender.
Less than three minutes into Saturday’s affair, the visiting Vipers would get on the board first to silence the crowd at the Shaw Centre. Issac Tremblay’s 10th tally of the season would stand as the only goal of the period.
In the second period, neither team would find the back of the net. Vipers netminder Ethan David had to be sharp, stopping 14 shots in the first period, followed by 17 in the second. The Vipers were heavily outshot through two periods, 31-14.
The solid play of David gave his team a boost in the third, as the Vipers would add three more goals en route to a 4-0 victory. David stopped all 41 shots he faced to collect his second shutout of the season.
“We put out a great effort tonight and got the result we deserved,” David said. “It’s always great to beat the Silverbacks in their arena, and our group is tremendously excited for the upcoming homestand.”
The Vipers are back in action on Friday when they host Trail, while the Silverbacks travel to West Kelowna to face the Warriors on Wednesday. Puck drop for both games is slated for 7 p.m.
The Penticton Vees celebrated their 50th consecutive win on home ice after knocking off the Victoria Grizzlies Saturday night.
Ask anyone who knows a thing or two about the BCHL, and they’ll likely tell you that the Penticton Vees are a force to be reckoned with. The Vees are back-to-back Fred Page Cup champions and while the team is dominant wherever they go, they seem to play especially well at the South Okanagan Event Centre. Their home winning streak dates all the way back to April 1, 2022 – 595 days and counting.
In their most recent home win, the Vees jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening frame thanks to a pair of power play goals. Just 15 seconds into period two, the Grizzlies would strike to cut their deficit in half, but the Vees would once again score on the power play to regain their two-goal advantage.
The Grizzlies would claw back to within a goal again to make it 3-2, but the Vees rattled off three-straight goals to go into the final period up 6-2.
In period three, the Grizzlies managed to score a power play marker but came up short on this occasion, losing 6-3.
The Vees heavily outshot Victoria 48-28, while their power play operated at 50 per cent, going three-and-six. Their next game is in Vernon on Saturday at 6 p.m., while the Grizzlies host Cowichan Valley on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Saturday’s results
- Chilliwack 5, Prince Rupert 4
- Nanaimo 6, Cranbrook 3
- Coquitlam 3, Surrey 2
- Trail 7, Cowichan Valley 3
- Merritt 4, Prince George 3
- Langley 2, Alberni Valley 1
Sunday’s games
- No games scheduled
Saturday’s results
- Fernie 6, Summerland 1
- Kimberly 6, Creston 0
- Princeton 4, Kelowna 1
- Beaver Valley 8, Osoyoos 0
- 100 Mile House 4, Chase 0
- Kamloops 2, Columbia Valley 1 (OT)
- Nelson 1, Castlegar 0 (OT)
- Grand Forks 4, Spokane 3
- North Okanagan 7, Sicamous 5
Sunday’s game
- Kamloops at Sicamous
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