A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
The Kelowna Rockets kicked off their East Division road trip on a high note, after defeating the Regina Pats in the two clubs’ only meeting of the season on Saturday night.
After travelling more than 14 hours, the Rockets showed no signs of fatigue in the early stages of the game. Captain Gabriel Szturc received a pass from Andrew Cristall, and he made no mistake, putting the puck up and over Pats’ netminder Ewan Huet’s shoulder, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead just 60 seconds in.
However, with 20 seconds remaining in the opening frame, some miscommunication on the Rockets’ powerplay led to a 3-on-1 for the Pats, and while Rockets goalie Jari Kykkanen stopped the initial shot, the rebound would not be denied, and the score was all tied heading into the second.
The Rockets had a great start to the second period, with goals coming from Hiroki Gojsic and Tij Iginla, but the Pats got themselves back to within a goal, and the Rockets went into the final frame up 3-2.
In the third, Gojsic and Iginla doubled down, each scoring their second goal of the game, and the Rockets were in full control, up by three goals. The Pats made things interesting though, as they clawed back with two goals, but fell short by a score of 5-4. With the win, the Rockets’ record improved to 12-14-2-0.
The Rockets will need to prioritize rest over the coming days, as they play four road games in five days, starting with Moose Jaw on Tuesday, followed by Brandon on Wednesday, Prince Albert on Friday and Saskatoon on Saturday.
Saturday’s results
- Brandon 6, Kamloops 2
- Saskatoon 4, Moose Jaw 3
- Red Deer 2, Prince Albert 1
- Swift Current 3, Lethbridge 1
- Medicine Hat 3, Edmonton 2
- Portland 7, Seattle 2
- Prince George 1, Victoria 0
- Tri-City 9, Wenatchee 3
- Everett 8, Vancouver 7
Sunday’s games
- Calgary at Saskatoon
- Portland at Everett
- Wenatchee at Spokane
The West Kelowna Warriors picked up their sixth-consecutive win on Saturday night over the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters.
The first period of this affair was nothing short of action-packed. The Warriors got on the board first, but the Smoke Eaters roared back with three unanswered, before the home team responded with two quick goals, and this game was all even heading into the middle frame.
Just a little over seven minutes into the second, Warriors forward Eliot Compton scored his first BCHL goal, putting his club up by a goal going into period three.
With just over five minutes remaining and the score still 4-3, the Warriors would add an insurance marker to go up by a pair, courtesy of Jack Pridham who deposited his eighth goal of the season. West Kelowna would also add an empty-net goal before the final buzzer sounded, and the team continued their stretch of dominance, having now won six games in a row.
The Warriors are back in action Sunday, Dec. 10 at 2:30 when they host Vernon.
The Penticton Vees had their home consecutive win streak of 53 games snapped at the hands of the Salmon Arm Silverbacks on Saturday night.
The Vees’ perfect record on home ice all began back on April 1, 2022, but the Silverbacks walked into the South Okanagan Event Centre with a chip on their shoulder, and a belief amongst their group that they could put a stop to the streak, after beating Penticton the night prior in Salmon Arm.
Despite Penticton outshooting the Silverbacks 8-4 in the first period, neither team could find the back on the net, but just 52 seconds into the second period, Salmon Arm’s Johan Aegerter registered his first BCHL goal, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead on the powerplay.
In the third period, the Vees got to show off their star-studded talent on the man advantage, as they kept the Silverbacks hemmed in their own zone and made them pay with a powerplay goal of their own to tie the game at one-all.
With time winding down in the final period, Silverbacks forward JJ Monteiro came bursting into the offensive zone on a breakaway, sneaking the puck past the foot of Vees netminder Will Ingemann on a beautiful backhand shot to give his team a 2-1 lead, and that would be just enough to hand Penticton their first loss on home ice in over a year and a half.
For Penticton, they have a chance to get back into the win column on home ice Friday night against West Kelowna, while Salmon Arm looks to extend their winning streak to three games on Wednesday night in Vernon.
Saturday’s results
- Coquitlam 4, Chilliwack 1
- Powell River 5, Cowichan Valley 4
- Cranbrook 4, Prince George 2
- Merritt 4, Alberni Valley 1
- Nanaimo 4, Victoria 2
Sunday’s games
- Vernon at West Kelowna
- Langley at Surrey