Rockets tangle with Silvertips at Prospera
Everett erases 3-0 deficit to hand Kelowna 1st defeat of season
Special to The Okanagan Weekend
Despite dressing the WHL’s leading scorer in Kole Lind as well as Dillon Dube, back from the NHL’s Calgary Flames, the Kelowna Rockets still managed to turn a 3-0 lead into a 4-3 shootout loss to the Everett Silvertips on Friday night at Prospera Place.
The Rockets stacked up goals behind Everett netminder Carter Hart in the game’s first two periods — captain Cal Foote got his team on the board at 5:21, with assists from Conner Bruggen-Cate and Libor Zabransky.
Later in the frame, Zabransky scored his first career WHL goal, with Cal Foote returning the favour of an assist, along with Erik Gardiner, who was fresh off the injured reserve. Zabransky’s goal and assist were his first two points of the season.
Kelowna built on its lead in second, as James Hilsendager found the Everett net at 9:05, helped out by Lind.
The Silvertips began fighting back, though, getting on the board at 11:47 of the second with a goal from Matt Fonteyne.
Everett then drew within a goal in the third on a marker from Connor Dewar.
With only two minutes remaining in regulation, Riley Sutter’s shot from the right hash mark found its way through a screen and behind goalie Brodan Salmond to draw the visitors even at three apiece.
Despite Everett taking a too many men penalty in overtime, the extra frame solved nothing and a shootout decided the game. Two goals for Everett, from Patrick Bajkov and Fonteyne, beat Kelowna’s one from Tomas Soustal, and the Rockets dropped a game that they looked to have in the bag.
“When you’re up three nothing in a hockey game, you should come out with a victory,” said Cal Foote. “Especially up two going into the third. I thought our effort was there, but we’ve got to have a tighter D-zone and tighten up in the third period.
“It’s the start of the season, but as the season goes on, we’ve got to get a lot better.”
The Rockets outshot Everett 38-23, but Kelowna’s loss dropped its record to 2-0-0-1 on the season. Kelowna will hope to rebound on Wednesday, when it entertains the Victoria Royals (2-0-0-0).