Winning start to Foote’s tenure
Rockets hang on for 3-2 victory over last-place Broncos to earn 1st home win
The Kelowna Rockets treated the 4,186 fans assembled at Prospera Place to a night of firsts, knocking off the Swift Current Broncos 3-2 to claim a crucial two points in the B.C. Division standings.
It was the Rockets’ first win on home ice after six straight losses and it came against the first of six East Division teams that will visit Kelowna this season. It was also the first career coaching victory for the Rockets’ new bench boss, Adam Foote.
“I was real happy with our effort,” Foote said. “The effort was there and the guys tried to do what we asked.”
In keeping with its theme on the night, Kelowna opened the scoring when Lane Zablocki corralled a rebound off Dalton Gally’s point shot and deposited his first goal as a member of the Rockets at 4:31.
At 10:52, on a Swift Current power play, Alec Zawatsky ripped a shot that bounced off James Porter’s glove hand into the net.
At that point, Kelowna was ahead on the shot clock, 13-2.
The Rockets peppered Broncos goaltender Joel Hofer with 21 shots in the first frame, but the contest was tied 1-1 after 20 minutes.
The teams scored four times in the second stanza, but only three of the goals counted.
Kyle Topping and Joona Kiviniemi traded goals 26 seconds apart during the seventh minute, both by batting home big rebounds.
Swift Current appeared to take a 3-2 lead at the midway mark when Austin Fyten stuffed a wraparound behind Porter, but the tally was waved off due to goaltender interference. The Broncos questioned the call with some vigor and appeared to have valid argument, but the call stood and the game remained deadlocked, 2-2.
Shortly afterward at 10:12, Jack Cowell picked up a rebound and beat Hofer five-hole to give Kelowna a 3-2 lead. It was Cowell’s second of the season and the game winner, as the teams battled through a scoreless third period.
Topping, who leads the Rockets with five goals and 14 assists for 19 points, was relieved the team finally earned a home-ice victory.
“It’s so much fun to win at home in front of this crowd,” Topping said. “We wanted to give them a nice win tonight. Hopefully we can build on this and come out Saturday and get the same result.”
For Foote, currently the only undefeated head coach in the Western Hockey League, a few days off will be put to good use before the weekend.
“You look at the whole change and the emotions that went on with everybody, I think everyone felt overwhelmed,” Foote said.
“It’s going to be nice to get some flow and get some practices. We’re not going to try to cram too much too soon, but it will be good for our team.”
ICE CHIPS: Kelowna outshot Swift Current 33-25. On its five-game road trip through the B.C. Division, the Broncos surrendered an average of 44 shots per game . . . . Three stars were Kelowna D Kaedan Korczak, Topping and Zawatsky. Korczak collected two assists. . . . Rockets scratched D Cayde Augustine, C Ethan Ernst, D Kyle Pow and LW Nolan Foote (upper-body, day-to-day) . . . . In a deal that was perhaps lost amid news of the coaching change, Kelowna traded forward Wil Kushniryk to the Tri City Americans on Monday in exchange for a conditional draft pick. Kushniryk, who scored two goals as a member of the Rockets, opened the scoring for the Amerks in a 5-1 win over the Cougars in Prince George on Tuesday . . . . There is some definite Okanagan Valley flavour on the Broncos’ roster with Ethan O’Rourke (Penticton), Connor Horning (Kelowna) and Ben King (Vernon) in the lineup . . . . The Rockets next host the Cougars on Saturday.