A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
A strong start to the third period propelled the Kelowna Rockets to victory Friday night.
That last-frame effort also eased the sting the Rockets suffered just two nights earlier – a 3-2 road loss in Kamloops.
Tied 3-3 after 40 minutes of play on Friday, the Rockets took the lead just 29 seconds into the final frame, a long shot by Ethan Mittelsteadt from the blueline that found the top right corner.
Then, just over a minute later at 1:56, Kelowna made it 5-3 as Kayden Longley converted a blind backhand pass by Ty Hurley from behind the Blazers’ net.
At 15:33, Gabriel Szturc sealed the game when he scored to make it 6-3, sniping a centering pass into the hashmarks.
Also reaching the scoresheet for Kelowna (16-16-2-0) before a near-sellout crowd of 5,908 were John Babcock, Marek Rocak and Tij Iginla.
Replying for Kamloops (9-21-3-2) were Ashton Tait and Dylan Sydor, with a hat trick. Tait opened the scoring at 3:17 of the first, with Sydor then scoring his team’s next three goals.
Jake Pilon stopped 29 of 33 shots for the Rockets, while Dylan Ernst turned aside 29 of 35 shots for the Blazers, who are tied with Edmonton (11-20-0-1) for currently having the league’s worst record.
Kelowna was 2-for-5 on the power play while Kamloops was 1-for-2.
On Saturday, the Rockets will host the Calgary Hitmen (13-16-3-1), who are travelling through the B.C. Division.
The Hitmen began their trip with a 3-2 loss in Prince George on Thursday. After playing Kelowna, they’ll visit Victoria, Vancouver and Kamloops.
Friday’s results
- Moose Jaw 5, Regina 2
- Brandon 3, Saskatoon 2 (SO)
- Swift Current 3, Medicine Hat 1
- Lethbridge 2, Red Deer 1 (SO)
- Edmonton 5, Vancouver 3
Saturday’s games
- Red Deer at Swift Current
- Brandon at Regina
- Moose Jaw at Prince Albert
- Lethbridge at Medicine Hat
- Prince George at Kamloops
- Tri-City at Spokane
- Everett at Seattle
- Edmonton at Victoria
- Calgary at Kelowna
Sunday’s games
- Seattle at Wenatchee
- Vancouver at Portland
- Spokane at Tri-City
Monday’s games
- Brandon at Saskatoon
- Moose Jaw at Regina
- Calgary at Victoria
- Edmonton at Everett
B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE
West Kelowna 5, Prince George 3
At Prince George, Felix Caron netted two goals, opening and closing his team’s scoring, as the surging Warriors edged to within a point of the league’s top team.
Viggo Nordstrom, Eliot Compton and Michael Salandra also scored for West Kelowna (20-6-3-0-0), which led 1-0 after the first period and 3-2 after 40 minutes.
With 43 points, the Warriors now have the league’s second-best record and are just one point behind the front-running Penticton Vees (20-4-2-2-0, 44 points), who were idle on Friday night. Both teams are in action on Saturday; West Kelowna in Prince George and Penticton in Salmon Arm.
Luca Primerano, Jared Langdon and Killian McGregor-Bennett replied for Prince George (9-16-3-0-0), which was outshot 43-32.
Rorke Applebee turned aside 29 shots for the Warriors, with Charlie Zolin stopping 38 shots.
West Kelowna was 2-for-4 on the power play while Prince George was 1-for-3.
At Vernon, Owen Kim tallied four points, with a goal and three assists, as the Vipers downed the Silverbacks.
Anthony Cliché, Payton Struck, Erik Pastro and Hank Cleaves also scored for Vernon (17-10-1-0-0, 35 points), which led 1-0 and 4-1 at the period breaks.
Cole Cooksey and Jonah Aegerter replied for Salmon Arm (18-8-0-2-0, 38 points).
Ethan David stopped 25 of 27 shots for the Vipers, with Eli Pulver making 24 saves on 28 shots for the Silverbacks.
Both teams were scoreless on the power play at 0-for-2.
In other league news, the BCHL announced this month that it set a new league record for players committing to playing college hockey.
According to the league, 193 players have made commitments, eclipsing its old mark of 190, which was set in June of last season.
“As a key indicator of strength in junior hockey, we are incredibly proud to have broken our NCAA Division I commitment record so early in the season,” said BCHL Commissioner Steven Cocker.
“This is a testament to the extraordinary talent, dedication and hard work of our players, as well as the unwavering support and development provided by our coaches and team staff.”
The league said 40 players made college commitments during the 2023-24 season, along with 33 players with previous commitments.
The BCHL also said 404 alumni are playing NCAA Division 1 hockey, which is less than half the United States Hockey League’s 908.
Friday’s results
- Chilliwack 4, Langley 2
- Nanaimo 4, Cowichan Valley 3 (SO)
- Powell River 3, Coquitlam 2
- Surrey 4, Merritt 1
- Victoria 2, Alberni Valley 0
Saturday’s games
- West Kelowna at Prince George
- Penticton at Salmon Arm
- Cowichan Valley at Alberni Valley
- Coquitlam at Powell River
- Cranbrook at Trail
- Surrey at Langley
Sunday’s games
- Chilliwack at Merritt
- Penticton at Vernon
- Trail at Cranbrook
KIJHL
Friday’s results
- Fernie 5, Kimberley 1
- Osoyoos 5, Princeton 1
- Beaver Valley 3, Nelson 2 (OT)
- Spokane 7, Castlegar 4
Saturday’s games
- Kimberley at Fernie
- Columbia Valley at Creston Valley
- Princeton at Osoyoos
- Castlegar at Nelson
- Grand Forks at Spokane
- Summerland at North Okanagan
Sunday’s games
- Beaver Valley at Nelson
- Creston Valley at Columbia Valley
- Golden at Revelstoke