Rockets sweep last-place Giants with another rout

Tougher test coming Monday vs. Seattle

Brodan Salmond more than made up for an off-night against the Vancouver Giants last month.

Salmond earned his second straight shutout over the Giants in Kelowna’s 5-0 win on Saturday night in Langley to sweep the weekend home-and-home in convincing fashion after previously blanking the Giants 6-0 at Prospera Place on Friday.

Salmond stopped all 41 shots he faced over a combined 120 minutes to make amends for a 5-4 setback in Langley on Jan. 20 when he allowed five goals on just 25 shots.

Salmond became the first Kelowna goalie to record consecutive shutouts since Jackson Whistle in the 2015 WHL playoffs. Whistle achieved the feat against Tri-City in the first round that year.

Calvin Thurkauf, with his 25th, James Hilsendager, Erik Gardiner, Lucas Johansen and Kole Lind, with his team-leading 26th, provided the offence for the Rockets (32-20-4-0) in Saturday’s rout. Dillon Dube had a team-high three points, all assists.

David Tendeck stopped 33 shots in defeat for the last-place Giants (18-342-3), who were again without captain Tyler Benson (lower-body, indefinite).

Kelowna won’t have long to savour this sweep, with the soaring Seattle Thunderbirds (35-15-3-2) in town for a Family Day matinee, 2 p.m. at Prospera Place on Monday.

Seattle is the hottest team in the league (11-0-0-1 in its last 12), and will be coming off an 8-5 home win over the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday.

That victory kept the T-Birds ahead of the Everett Silvertips atop the U.S. Division standings, with Everett also winning 2-0 in Moose Jaw earlier Saturday.

Elsewhere, the Kamloops Blazers closed to within four points of the idle Prince George Cougars for first place in the B.C. Division by beating the Victoria Royals 3-1 on the island.

The Royals, who now trail Kelowna by two points for third place, had won the opener of that doubleheader 2-1 in a shootout on Friday.

The Rockets remain six points back of Kamloops with two games in hand.