Just when it seemed impossible, the Kelowna Rockets pulled a rabbit out of the hat and finally won their first game of 2019.
And the win was an achievement: a shutout against the Everett Silvertips, the top team in the WHL Western Conference.
The Rockets have now broken a six-game losing streak with the 2-0 win over Everett.
After a scoreless first, Kelowna’s Michael Farren scored the first goal of the night.
Mark Liwiski followed up with another goal to widen the Rockets’ lead a few minutes later.
The Silvertips took the man advantage and pulled their goalie with three minutes left in the third, but Rockets netminder Jason Porter staved off all attempts on goal for his first shutout of the season.
Everett outshot Kelowna 40-20.
Kelowna’s record improves to 18-22-3-1.
The Rockets host the 38 and 6 Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday night.