Ask anyone who was at the game last night and they’ll tell you that Rockets net minder James Porter made the save of the game.
Turns out when it comes to starting goalies, Coach Adam Foote’s Porter pick, paid off.
“He’s playing great hockey for us right now and it’s nice to see. I think the last couple of times he has jumped in the net, he’s been solid,” Foote said.
Porter put out the paddle in overtime to force the game into what is arguably the most exciting ending in hockey – the shootout.
The Rockets looked great through the first half jumping out to a three nothing lead.
But the Rockets ran into penalty trouble in the second half of the game.
“We just have learn how to control ourselves,” Foote said.
The Ams would go on the man advantage seven times last night, scoring twice in the second with the rockets in the box.
“We’re doing it to ourselves we know it so hopefully we can buy in soon enough and stop making those games closer than they have to be.” Foote said.
And this game was close, Tri-City tied it in the waning minutes of the third, scoring three unanswered goals in last half of the game.
Overtime would decide nothing and so it would take a shootout to declare a winner.
James Porter would stand tall with the border wall against the Americans’ invasion, shutting down both shooters he faced.
Nolan Foote would get the winner and Thompson Manitoba’s Leif Mattson would add the deke of the day for the second goal in the shootout.
The Rockets send the Ams back across the border with a 4-3 win in the shootout.