A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
The Kelowna Rockets are returning home feeling satisfied, after picking up four of a possible four points this weekend.
Their latest win came Saturday night, after knocking off the Tri-City Americans. The Rockets led 1-0 after the opening period thanks to a late goal from Andrew Cristall on the power play — his 35th tally of the season.
In the second frame, the Rockets turned on the jets as Tij Iginla, Brett Calhoon and Max Graham all found the back of the net, extending their team’s lead to 4-0 after 40 minutes of play.
Around the midway mark of the third, Tri-City’s Jake Sloan scored, breaking the shutout bid for netminder Jari Kykkanen. But that was the only goal he would give up on the 33 shots he faced, and the Rockets skated to a 4-1 victory.
Kelowna went 1-for-2 with the man advantage while Tri-City did not score on their lone power play. The final shots were dead even at 33-a-piece when the final horn sounded.
The Rockets are now tied with the Vancouver Giants for sixth place in the WHL’s Western Conference, with an overall record of 28-28-3-1.
The Rockets and Americans will faceoff against each other again on Wednesday night at Prospera Place at 7:05 p.m.
Saturday’s results
- Saskatoon 4, Brandon 0
- Lethbridge 4, Prince Albert 3
- Edmonton 4, Swift Current 1
- Kamloops 3, Vancouver 2
- Portland 5, Victoria 4
- Prince George 5, Spokane 4
- Red Deer 2, Calgary 1
- Everett 5, Regina 3
- Moose Jaw 4, Seattle 2
Sunday’s games
- Calgary at Medicine Hat
- Seattle at Vancouver
- Moose Jaw at Wenatchee
The West Kelowna Warriors stole two very important points away from the Vernon Vipers, thanks to a big third-period effort.
The Warriors silenced the Vipers’ faithful early in the game, getting on the board at the 1:33 mark in the contest. However, Vernon’s Issac Tremblay gave the home fans something to cheer as he tied the game with just over five minutes remaining in the first.
In the second period, with less than a second left on the clock, Vernon took their first lead of the night — a goal that seemingly provided a spark heading into the final period, but to the wrong team.
In the third frame, the Warriors saw goals from Eliot Compton, Callum Hughes and Jackson Kyrostas in a span of roughly 12 minutes, earning the team a 4-2 victory on the road.
West Kelowna’s Rorke Applebee stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced, while Vernon’s Ethan David set aside 26 of the 30 shots thrown his way.
The Warriors are seven points back of the first-placed Penticton Vees in the Interior Division, while the Vipers are two points back of Salmon Arm for third place in the Interior Division.
The Penticton Vees collected their 34th win of the season after knocking off the Coquitlam Express Saturday night.
After the Vees jumped out to a 3-0 lead, the Express found life in the second period, thanks to back-to-back goals from David Brandes and Luke Vardy. All of a sudden, the game was a one-goal affair.
But Billy Renfrew and the Vees proved to be too much to handle in the third period. Renfrew, who had already scored on the power play in the first period, buried two more goals for the hat trick.
Penticton’s Thomas Pichette added an empty netter for good measure, and the Vees enjoyed a 6-2 win as they sit atop the Interior Division standings with an eight-point lead over Vernon.
Vees netminder Andrew Ness made 25 saves on the 27 shots he faced, while Adam Manji stopped 33 of 28 shots for Coquitlam.
Saturday’s results
- Prince Rupert 7, Victoria 2
- Chilliwack 4, Alberni Valley 1
- Trail 4, Salmon Arm 1
- Okotoks vs Brooks (Postponed)
- Sherwood Park 4, Spruce Grove 2
- Surrey 3, Nanaimo 1
- Merritt 3, Prince George 2
- Langley 4, Cowichan Valley 1
Sunday’s games
- Okotoks vs Brooks