Junior hockey: Rockets defeat Cougars in a shootout, Warriors fall to Capitals in overtime

The Kelowna Rockets picked up two of a possible four points this weekend over the Western Conference’s top team, the Prince George Cougars.

A roundup of junior hockey results from across the Okanagan.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE

Kelowna 3, Prince George 2 (SO)

The Kelowna Rockets picked up two of a possible four points this weekend over the Western Conference’s top team, the Prince George Cougars.

After falling to the Cougars on Friday night by a final score of 5-2, the Rockets headed into Saturday’s rematch at the CN Centre determined to leave that arena with a better result, and although the Rockets needed extra time to do it, they managed to find a way.

In the opening period with the visiting Rockets pressing, forward Max Graham deposited a rebound into the back of the net to give Kelowna a 1-0 lead a 4:29. Then, in the opening minutes of period two, Caden Price received a nifty feed from Gabriel Szturc and  ripped the puck from the top of the left circle past Cougars netminder Joshua Ravensbergen, giving the Rockets a 2-0 edge.

Still in the second period with one second left on the power play for the Cougars, Ondrej Becher riffled a one-timer from the right faceoff circle, beating Rockets goalie Jari Kykkanen and cutting the team’s deficit in half. Less than two minutes later, with momentum now in their favour, Cougars forward Terik Parascak fired the puck from the slot to even the score 2-2 with 1:24 left in the period.

The score remained deadlocked after 60 minutes of regulation time, and overtime solved nothing. A shootout was needed to determine the winner. Szturc shot first and scored, while all three shooters for the Cougars were stopped by Kykkanen. The Rockets earned a 3-2 win and a crucial two points in the standings.

The Cougars outshot the Rockets 37-24. With two assists, Cristall extended his point streak to 21 games. With the win, the Rockets’ record improved to 20-18-2-0. Their next opponent is the Portland Winterhawks at Prospera Place on Wednesday.

Saturday’s results

• Moose Jaw 7, Vancouver 2
• Regina 4, Prince Albert 3
• Saskatoon 5, Victoria 4
• Medicine Hat 3, Lethbridge 2
• Portland vs Seattle (Postponed)
• Red Deer 4, Edmonton 1
• Everett 4, Kamloops 1

Sunday’s games

• Prince Albert at Brandon
• Tri-City at Calgary
• Spokane at Edmonton
• Regina at Saskatoon
• Everett at Wenatchee

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B.C. HOCKEY LEAGUE

Cowichan Valley 6, West Kelowna 5 (OT)

The West Kelowna Warriors found plenty of offence Saturday night but struggled to keep the puck out of their own net and came out on the losing side against the Cowichan Valley Capitals.

The Capitals sit third last in the BCHL league standings and came into Saturday’s affair fresh off an 11-2 loss to Salmon Arm the night before – a loss that clearly motivated them in their game against West Kelowna.

The Capitals opened the scoring on a power play just under five minutes into the first period, but the Warriors roared back with two goals and took a 2-1 lead into period two. In the middle frame, the Capitals scored yet another power play marker, but West Kelowna’s Trent Wilson answered back, also on the power play, giving West Kelowna a 3-2 advantage.

In period three, the Capitals received two quick goals, both from Gavin Giesbrecht, giving the visitors a 4-3 edge. West Kelowna would break the tie then retake the lead a minute later, but with just 48 seconds left to play, the Capitals stunned the crowd of 1,056 at Royal LePage Place with a late game-tying goal to force overtime.

Just 24 seconds into extra time, the Capitals scored the game-winning goal courtesy of Matthew Swanson’s eighth goal of the season. The Warriors outshot the Capitals 37-31. West Kelowna gets back in action on Sunday at 2:30 when they host the Merritt Centennials.

Vernon 3, Coquitlam 2

Despite being outshot 37-26, the Vernon Vipers steered home a victory in front of their fans on Saturday night against the Coquitlam Express.

The puck had just dropped and many fans were still getting to their seats when the Vipers opened the scoring a mere 11 seconds into the contest thanks to Owen Kim’s 10^th goal of the season. The Express would swing the momentum in their favour with two goals of their own to take a one-goal lead. But with just nine seconds remaining in the opening frame, Kim doubled down for his second tally, this time on the power play to tie the game at two.

In the middle frame, Vernon’s Hank Cleaves would break the tie and his goal would stand as the game winner. With the win, the Vipers improved their record to 20-12-1-0. They currently sit in fourth place in the Interior Division with 41 points. Their next game is scheduled for Wednesday when they visit the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.

Penticton 5, Cranbrook 1

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The Penticton Vees picked up their third-straight win on Saturday night against the visiting Cranbrook Bucks.

The Bucks’ only goal of the game came on the man advantage after defenceman Joseph Blackley attempted to make a pass that went off a Vees skate, changing direction and going over the shoulder over netminder Will Ingemann.

Seventy-five seconds later, the Vees would even the score thanks to a shot from Connor MacPherson, after he was set up by Billy Renfrew. In the middle frame, MacPherson would strike again, followed by a goal from Renfrew on the power play, and the Vees went into the final period up 3-1.

The Vees added two more goals in period three thanks to James Fisher and Renfrew, who scored on the power play to take a 5-1 decision.

The Vees are now tied with the Surrey Eagles for first place in the BCHL league standings, with a record of 24-6-2-2. Their next game comes Friday when they host the Chilliwack Chiefs.

Salmon Arm 7, Merritt 1

The Salmon Arm Silverbacks have won three in a row, after collecting a 7-1 win over the Merritt Centennials on Saturday.

The first and second period were similar for the Silverbacks. Both periods saw the team score a power play goal and an even-strength goal, and the home team went into the final period with a commanding 4-0 lead.

In the third period, the home team would add to their lead thanks to Casy Laylin, who scored his 10^th goal of the season. The Centennials would find the back of the net at the 6:52 mark, but the Silverbacks kept on rolling, adding two more goals before the final horn sounded.

The Silverbacks have now scored 23 goals in their last three games. With the win, their record improved to 22-9-0-2 and the team is  just one point back of the Warriors, who hold second place in the Interior Division standings.

The Silverbacks host Vernon on Wednesday.

Saturday’s results

• Surrey 5, Chilliwack 4 (OT)
• Alberni Valley 5, Powell River 1
• Nanaimo vs Victoria (Postponed)

Sunday’s games

• Merritt at West Kelowna
• Prince George at Trail