WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Kelowna 6, Kamloops 1
A lot can happen in 6 minutes and 38 seconds.
Case in point: Prospera Place on Friday night, when the Kelowna Rockets torched the Kamloops Blazers for five goals in that time span en route to a lopsided 6-1 victory.
The win was Kelowna’s fifth in a row and second in as many days, having edged the Vancouver Giants 4-3 on Thursday night.
“Great first period,” Rockets head coach Kris Mallette said of the opening frame, which saw Kelowna outshoot Kamloops 18-8 and take a 5-0 lead after 20 minutes.
“That 10-minute stretch was motivation and momentum at its best. It seemed like everything we touched went in. It was great, so really happy with the way that went.”
Elias Carmichael, Dylan Wightman, Dillon Hamaliuk, Turner McMillen and Jake Poole all scored first-period goals between 11:08 and 17:46 for Kelowna (8-2-0-0). Nolan Flamand, at 19:00 of the third, rounded out the scoring.
Daylan Kuefler, at 11:02 of the third, a shorthanded marker, replied for Kamloops (12-4-0-0).
Cole Schwebius stopped 31 of 32 shots for the Rockets, with Dylan Garand turning aside 28 of 34 shots for the Blazers.
Kelowna was 1-for-4 on the power play while Kamloops was 0-for-1.
“It’s been quite some time since we’ve had success against the Kamloops Blazers,” said Mallette. “We didn’t know what to expect; we knew what we had to take care of.
“We had a game plan. The first period, from the 10-minute mark on, we just kind of rolled and were able to build that lead. And credit to Kamloops. For the next 40 minutes, the tide was definitely shifted in their favour, and Cole Schwebius stood tall.”
The two teams meet again on Saturday night, this time in Kamloops.
“I think they’ll continue their momentum,” said Mallette. “If I were on their side of things, I wouldn’t change a whole bunch from what they were doing in the second and third (periods).
“That five-on-five game, they pushed, they shot the puck in the second period and I think we were on our heels the most we had been since we’ve come back from our (COVID-19) shutdown.
“I think their game plan isn’t going to change and ours is going to be the same: Compete and work hard. I have a few things in place and our guys are feeling it right now. Confidence goes a long way.”
This will be the third meeting this spring between the two teams, with Kamloops having won 6-2 on April 20.
During the 2019-20 season, the Rockets were just 1-6-1-0 against the Blazers.
Elsewhere on Friday night, it was:
- Victoria 2, Prince George 1
- Portland 5, Everett 2
- Edmonton 8, Calgary 3
Saturday’s Games
- Tri-City vs. Portland, 5 p.m.
- Seattle vs. Spokane, 5:10 p.m.
- Lethbridge vs. Medicine Hat, 6 p.m.
- Edmonton vs. Red Deer, 6 p.m.
- Kelowna vs Kamloops, 7 p.m.
- Vancouver vs. Victoria, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
- Red Deer vs. Calgary, 3 p.m.
- Portland vs. Seattle, 5:05 p.m.
- Everett vs. Spokane, 5:10 p.m.
- Medicine Hat vs. Lethbridge, 6 p.m.
- Prince George vs. Vancouver, 6 p.m.
B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE
Penticton 5, Cranbrook 1
Luc Wilson and Jacob Quillan both posted two-point nights for Penticton, with each tallying a goal and an assist, as the Vees scored three times in the third period to pull away from the Bucks.
Ryan Upson, Tristan Amonte and Ben Wozney also scored for Penticton (xxx), which led 2-1 after 40 minutes.
Noah Leibl, at 15:09 of the first, replied for Cranbrook (14-1-0-1).
Kaeden lane stopped 25 of 26 shots for the Vees, with Jay Thompson turning aside 23 of 28 shots for the Bucks (2-12-0-1).
Upson opened the scoring at 12:48 of the first, with Leibl levelling the score three minutes later. In the second, Amonte made it 2-1 for Penticton with his third of the season at 10:22.
In the third, Quillian made it 3-1 at 8:57, with Wozney scoring at 15:26 and Wilson rounding out the scoring at 17:15.
Cranbrook was 0-for-3 on the power play while Penticton was 0-for-1.
Vernon 3, West Kelowna 2
Cameron MacDonald notched the game-winning goal midway through the third period for Vernon, as the Vipers roared back from a 2-0 deficit by scoring three unanswered goals to defeat the Warriors.
Desmond Johnson and Nicholas Kent also scored for Vernon (10-4-1-1), which outshot their opponents 25-17. Their two goals were back-to-back markers midway through the second period, just 15 seconds apart at 9:01 and 9:16.
Tyler Cristall, at 3:03 of the first, and Porter Dawson, at 1:41 of the second, replied for West Kelowna (6-7-1-1).
Roan Clarke stopped 15 of 17 shots for Vernon, with Zachary Bennett turning aside 22 of 25 shots for the Warriors.
Both teams were 0-for-2 on the power play.
Saturday’s Games
- Alberni Valley vs. Cowichan Valley, 1 p.m.
- Surrey vs. Powell River, 1 p.m.
- Prince George vs. Merritt, 5 p.m.
- Cranbrook vs. Trail, 6 p.m.
- Salmon Arm vs. Vernon, 6 p.m.
- Nanaimo vs. Victoria, 7 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
- Coquitlam vs. Surrey, 1 p.m.
- Cowichan Valley vs. Victoria, 2 p.m.
- Salmon Arm vs. West Kelowna, 4 p.m.
- Penticton vs. Trail, 4 p.m.
- Chilliwack vs. Merritt, 5 p.m.