Junior hockey: Rockets return from holiday break, fall 6-4 to Blazers

For 50 minutes, things were going well for the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday night.

But, in a defining moment of how the season is going, a penalty late in the third period gave the Kamloops Blazers the chance to break a 4-4 tie in a back-and-forth game, and they did exactly that.

Fraser Minten scored what stood up as the game-winning goal, with 5:25 left in the game, as the Blazers beat the Rockets 6-4. Minten also closed out the scoring with an empty-netter, his third goal of the night.

Minten’s goal was one of seven power-play chances Kamloops had, as the Blazers went 2-for-7 with the extra man. Kelowna was 1-for-5. Both teams had their best two players away at the world junior hockey championship.

“A lot of penalties,” Rockets coach Kris Mallette said on the team’s website. “We’re short as it is. Unfortunately, our younger players aren’t able to penalty kill yet, so you’re running the same guys over and over.

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“It’s a lot of wasted energy when you take that many penalties in a game.”

1:49 Moncton hockey fans excited to be hosting world juniors

Also scoring for Kamloops (19-6-3-2), which soundly outshot the Rockets 44-25, were Connor Levis, Daylan Kuefler and Matthew Seminoff.

Replying for Kelowna (12-15-3-0), which held leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 4-3, were Andrew Cristall, Turner McMillen with two goals, and Carson Golder.

Dylan Ernst made 21 saves for the Blazers, with Talyn Boyko stopping 38 shots for the Rockets.

The two teams will meet again on Wednesday night, this time in Kamloops. Game time is 7 p.m.

There were six other games on Tuesday night, as the WHL returned to action following the league’s annual Christmas break.

1:46 Hockey fans in Halifax take in the world juniors

Competing at the world junior tournament are Colton Dach (Canada) and Gabriel Szturc (Czechia) of Kelowna plus Logan Stankoven (Canada) and Caedan Bankier (Canada) of Kamloops.

In B.C. Division standings, Kamloops leads the five-team pack with 43 points. Kelowna is fourth with 27. Tuesday’s game was just the third meeting this season between the two rivals, with Kamloops now leading the season series 2-1.

The Blazers’ roster features seven players who have been drafted by NHL teams, while Kelowna’s just has two (Dach, Chicago 2021; Boyko, New York Rangers, 2021).