Rockets win rivalry game 5-4 against Victoria
Kelowna’s best players rise to occasion in 5-4 win after losing twice in Victoria
The Kelowna Rockets bounced back into first place in their division on Monday afternoon, but the triumph might have had an expensive price tag attached to it.
Rockets forward Kole Lind cut towards the front of the net in search of his hat-trick tally midway through the second period of his team’s 5-4 WHL win over Victoria at Prospera Place, but rugged Royals rearguard Ralph Jarratt was there to greet him with a thunderous check.
Lind, whose 78 points lead the Rockets, hit the ice hard and appeared to be unconscious for an extended period of time.
No penalty was called — aside from Kelowna head coach Jason Smith’s bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct after verbally berating the officials — and Lind eventually wobbled his way off the ice with the help of two teammates.
Naturally, both sides saw the hit somewhat differently.
“It was a physical game with lots of pace,” Smith said, “and it was a little bit marginal because I think (Jarratt’s) feet were in the air, but other than that, it’s hockey.”
There was no doubt in Victoria head coach Dan Price’s mind about the cleanliness of the colossal collision.
“Clean for sure,” Price said. “Shoulder to shoulder. You could see it really clearly on the third replay.”
The Rockets were tempted to exact revenge, but they kept their cool.
“We didn’t do anything stupid, because it obviously was a big game for us and we couldn’t take ourselves out of it,” said assistant captain Dillon Dube. “It’s just tough to see a guy go down like that and not really be able to do anything about it, because we know if we did, we’re in the box longer.”
The WHL will no doubt take its own look at the replay, but the way Lind left the ice made it look like he’ll be gone for a while. The 19-year-old Vancouver Canucks prospect missed seven games in late November and early December due to mononucleosis, but the Rockets were 5-2 without him. Kelowna was also 9-4 when Dube and captain Cal Foote were with the Canadian junior team.
“We went through a stretch where we had lots of different guys out of the lineup, and we try to continue to keep pushing and having a positive atmosphere,” Smith said. “Guys are embracing that, and we’re having success.”
The Family Day clash, in front of 5,625 spectators, was a physical affair that most expected since the teams were meeting for the third time in four days.
The Royals won Friday (6-1) and Saturday night (4-3 in OT) in Victoria, and Kelowna continued the home team’s success thanks to Lind’s two tallies and singles from Dube, Carsen Twarynski and Gordie Ballhorn.
Lind wasn’t the only Kelowna casualty, as starting netminder James Porter also left the game midway through the third with a leg injury.
Dube backchecked hard and knocked Royals forward Igor Martynov into Porter, who made 21 saves and also had an assist before heading to the dressing room.
Brodan Salmond came in cold but faced only one shot in the final 8:40 to preserve the victory.
The Rockets improved to 34-17-5 to move a point up on the Royals (34-20-4) atop the B.C. Division. Kelowna also has two games in hand.
The teams split the season series down the middle, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them meet again in the post-season. If that happens, the team that will have home-ice advantage remains to be seen.
“It’s always helpful if you can get it, but I wouldn’t say it’s necessary,” Price said. “You have to be able to win on the road in the playoffs to advance, no matter what. Both teams know that.”
Matthew Phillips, on a penalty shot, Noah Gregor, Tyler Soy and Andrei Grishakov scored for the Royals, who got 30 saves from Griffen Outhouse.
The Rockets are back in action on Wednesday at home against the Red Deer Rebels, 7 p.m. at Prospera Place.