Rockets torch rival Blazers, finally win in Kamloops
It took only 88 seconds and one shot for the Kamloops Blazers to be leading the Kelowna Rockets again at Sandman Centre.
What looked, at first, like another long night ahead in Kamloops was all Kelowna from there, as the Rockets routed the rival Blazers 8-2 on Friday for their first victory of the campaign in that building while doubling their season-to-date offensive output there.
The Rockets (36-20-5-0) couldn’t quite reach double-digits again — coming off a seasonhigh 10-1 home-ice blowout of the lowly Edmonton Oil Kings on Wednesday — but Kelowna got goals from eight different players against the Blazers (37-20-2-4), including six on 26 shots in chasing world-junior goalie Connor Ingram in the second period.
A shocking result, considering Kamloops came into the 10th and final regular-season meeting with a perfect 4-0 home record, outscoring Kelowna by a combined 23-4 at Sandman Centre.
Ingram had backstopped three of those victories over the Rockets — with a .965 save percentage and 0.90 goals-against average — and entered Friday with a .935 overall save percentage on the season.
The Rockets had actually lost seven in a row at Sandman Centre dating back to last season — outscored 35-7 in total — including two defeats in a first-round playoff series, which Kelowna went on to win in overtime of the seventh-and-deciding game at Prospera Place.
With the looming likelihood of a post-season rematch a month from now, the Rockets proved they can win in Kamloops and closed to within three points of the second-place Blazers in the battle for home-ice advantage in that potential best-of-seven series.
Kelowna still has two games in hand on Kamloops and the B.C. Division-leading Prince George Cougars (39-19-3-2), who got back into the win column by beating the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings 4-1 in the opener of their weekend doubleheader.
Prince George remained six points up on Kelowna and three ahead of Kamloops, but the Blazers and Cougars play each other four more times over their final nine games.
The Rockets have one game left against P.G., on Wednesday at Prospera Place.
Kelowna continues a tough three-game weekend road trip tonight in Kent, Wash., against the Seattle Thunderbirds (38-18-3-2), who suffered a lopsided 7-3 road loss to the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Wash., on Friday.
Kelowna also visits the Spokane Chiefs (25-25-6-3) on Sunday, the only Western Conference team that the Rockets have yet to beat this season — losing all three games in overtime.
At Kamloops, Rockets captain Rodney Southam responded to Garrett Pilon’s early goal — just 1:22 into the first period, on the first shot Michael Herringer faced — and Kelowna’s leading scorer Kole Lind paced the offensive attack with a four-point performance, including three assists to bring his point total to 77 (tied for ninth in the WHL).
Nick Merkley scored for the fifth straight game, while Tomas Soustal, Lucas Johansen, Dillon Dube, and trade-deadline acquisitions Reid Gardiner and Carsen Twarynski also bulged the twine against the Blazers.
Herringer finished with 23 saves as the Rockets outshot Kamloops 41-25, including 18-5 in the opening frame. Kelowna roared back from that initial deficit to lead 3-1 and 6-1 at the period breaks.
ICE CHIPS: Kelowna remains fully healthy and scratched C Kyle Topping, LW Conner Bruggen-Cate and D Konrad Belcourt . . . . The Rockets finished 4-6-0-0 in their season series against Kamloops, winning three times at Prospera Place, including once in a shootout . . . . Kelowna did not score first in Kamloops all season, and had not even scored a first-period goal there prior to netting three on Friday . . . . The Rockets have now scored 44 goals over their last seven games — averaging more than six per game — since getting shut out 6-0 in their last game at Kamloops on Feb. 8 . . . . Kelowna improved to 26-1-1-0 when leading after two periods . . . . The Rockets have yet to surrender a shorthanded goal all season — the only team in the WHL with that distinction.