Rockets’ win keeps hopes alive
Team to come out strong against unbeaten Argos
The Okanagan Rockets knew they had to win Sunday if they had any hope of advancing to the playoff round at the Mac’s AAA Midget Hockey Tournament.
Jake Kryski scored the game-winning goal and added two assists as the Rockets downed the Cariboo Cougars 6-2 at the Max Bell Centre to improve their record to 2-0-1 in Pool 4.
“We had to come out strong,” said Kryski, while noting his Rockets will face a tough test when they face the 3-0 Notre Dame Argos on Monday (2:30 p.m.) at Father David Bauer Arena. “We have to come out strong every game.”
Okanagan coach Mack O’Rourke knew it was going to be a tough test for the Rockets to qualify for the playoff round.
“The goal was to go 4-0 in order to advance,” said O’Rourke, whose squad opened the event on Boxing Day with a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames before tying the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs 3-3 the next day. “Obviously, the expectation now is 3-0-1 should get us through. It’s a battle for first place (on Monday) and we’ve got to be on our game.”
With his team leading 2-1 in the first period, Kryski converted a feed from linemate Mahlon Head to put the Rockets up 3-1.
The Cougars added another one before the end of the opening frame, but Kryski’s goal stood up as the game winner to keep the Rockets’ playoff hopes alive.
“It’s always really hard to get out of your pool,” said Kryski, who was chosen 13th overall by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2013 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft before the Kamloops Blazers acquired his rights in a deal that sent 20-year-old goalie Cole Cheveldave the other way. “You’ve got to win pretty much every game to go through. Hopefully we get a chance at winning. It would be really fun and a good time for the team.”
Liam Finlay added a pair of insurance goals for the Rockets, while Kristian Blumenschein, Cory Santoro and Tyson Jost also scored.
To secure a playoff spot, the Rockets will face a tough test against the Argos, who have beat the Chiefs 6-4, the Cougars 6-1 and the Flames 4-2.
“They’re a lot like us,” O’Rourke said. “They’ve got a lot of skill. They move the puck well. They come out as a unit. We’re just going to have to play our game, be tough against them and do the little things right.”
Northstars down defending champs
Goalie Derek Mazil stopped 48 of 49 shots he faced to backstop the Calgary Northstars to a 3-1 win over the defending male division champion Vancouver NW Giants Sunday.
“I just saw the puck very well,” Mazil said. “I just felt in a zone and I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”
Mazil was happy to give the fans at Max Bell something to cheer about after the Northstars lost their opening two games of the tournament.
“To this point, playing in this tournament for two years, I haven’t won a game here,” Mazil said. “It feels amazing winning a game here.”
Swiss sniper can’t miss yawning cage
A gamble by the Leduc Oil Kings Sunday led to perhaps the easiest game-winning goal that Auguste Impose will ever score. With Leduc tied 4-4 in the third with the Swiss national under-17 team, coach Randall Weber summoned goalie Trevor Martin to the bench in favour of an extra attacker. The move backfired as Impose scored into the empty net.
Impose finished with two goals and an assist as the Swiss U17 squad finished atop the Pool 1 standings at 4-0. Fabian Haberstich had a goal and an assist, while Dominik Diem and Dominik Hardmeier also scored.
Tyson Markowski, Noah Gregor, Josh Beck and Tanner Young haus scored for the Oil Kings (0-2-1), who face the Northstars on Monday (11:45 a.m., Max Bell).