A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
The Kelowna Rockets managed to secure a big win over the Calgary Hitmen Saturday night, earning back-to-back weekend wins on home ice.
If you were one of the 5,528 fans in attendance, you’re likely still raving about the flurry of offence you witnessed by both clubs. With 13 combined goals, it was a back-and-forth, nail-biter game.
The Rockets got on the board first courtesy of Andrew Cristall, who fired a one-timer past Hitmen netminder Ethan Beunaventure on the power play from a near-impossible angle. The Hitmen, however, would respond with a power play goal of their own, giving them some momentum into the second frame.
In period two, the Hitmen propelled themselves to a 3-1 lead early. And had it not been for a miraculous glove save from Rockets goalie Jari Kykkanen on a Calgary two-on-one shortly after their third goal, the game may have gone in a different direction. That save sparked a big second-period effort from the home team, as the Rockets erased the deficit and went into period three up 5-4.
Calgary pressing for the tying goal, Hitmen forward Ethan Moore delivered early in the third, and the score was even. But tie was short lived, as Rockets’ captain Gabriel Szturc scored his second of the night to restore the lead on the power play.
Approaching the midway mark of the third, Calgary’s Oliver Tulk scored a wicked one-timer goal to once again even things up. But Cristall would get the last laugh as he put Kelowna up 7-6 on the man advantage with his third goal of the night. It would be just enough to give the Rockets the edge over the Hitmen.
Both teams proved to be clicking with the power play, as Kelowna went 3/6 and Calgary was a perfect 3/3.
With the win, the Rockets improved their record to 17-16-2-0. They’ll be back in action on Friday, Jan. 5 when they host the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Saturday’s results
- Moose Jaw 2, Prince Albert 1
- Brandon 5, Regina 3
- Red Deer 5, Swift Current 3
- Prince George 4, Kamloops 1
- Lethbridge 4, Medicine Hat 2
- Everett 5, Seattle 4
- Spokane 6, Tri-City 2
- Victoria 4, Edmonton 3
Sunday’s games
- Seattle at Wenatchee
- Vancouver at Portland
- Spokane at Tri-City
Prince George 4, West Kelowna 3 (OT)
Despite falling to the Prince George Spruce Kings in overtime Saturday night, the West Kelowna Warriors picked up a crucial point and are now tied for first place in the BCHL’s Interior Division with the Penticton Vees.
Just before the five-minute mark of the first period, Callum Hughes would put the Warriors up 1-0 with a shorthanded goal, but the Spruce Kings evened the score shortly after on that very same power play. That seemed to be the story of the night for the Warriors — struggling to hold on to the lead.
In the second period with West Kelowna on a power play, Felix Caron tallied his 21st goal of the season to give the Warriors a 2-1 edge. They would hold on to the lead until the 11:37 mark of the final frame, when the Spruce Kings would score their second power play goal of the contest.
Less than a minute later, however, West Kelowna got right back to work, scoring the go-ahead goal, giving themselves their third lead of the game. Then, with just over two minutes left, the Spruce Kings tied it yet again, sending the game into extra time.
In overtime, Prince George forward Kazumo Sasaki, a native of Nishitokyo, Japan, found the back of the net to lift his club to a 4-3 victory.
Warriors netminder Justin Katz set aside 33 shots, as West Kelowna was outshot 37-25. The Warriors get back to work on Friday when they host the Merritt Centennials.
The Warriors have now picked up points in 12 consecutive games, going 10-0-2-0.
The Salmon Arm Silverbacks knocked off the BCHL Interior Division’s top team, the Penticton Vees, and now sit just four points behind them in third place.
The Silverbacks came into last night’s game with a chip on their shoulder after losing to Vernon the night before, and the support of their home fans – a perfect recipe, some would say, and it showed in the first period.
The home team struck just 3:11 into the match, after Maddux Martin buried his seventh goal of the year. Then, with time winding down in the opening frame, Cole Cooksey found the twine to put the Silverbacks up by a pair.
In the second period though, the Vees looked like a different team. They scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead. But the Silverbacks weren’t going down easily — scoring the game-tying goal less than a minute after Penticton took the lead.
Then, with time winding down on the middle frame, Cooksey doubled down with his second goal of the evening, putting the Silverbacks up 4-3 going into the final period. It would be just enough to knock off the visiting Vees.
With the win, the Silverbacks improved to 19-8-0-2. The Vees have an opportunity to add to their lead in the Interior Division on Sunday when they play the Vernon Vipers, while the Silverbacks don’t play again until Jan. 5 in Nanaimo.
Saturday’s results
- Alberni Valley 10, Cowichan Valley 2
- Prince Rupert 5, Coquitlam 1
- Trail 3, Cranbrook 0
- Surrey 6, Langley 0
Sunday’s games
- Chilliwack at Merritt
- Penticton at Vernon
- Trail at Cranbrook