Wong’s 4 goals powers Rockets
Trevor Wong and the Kelowna Rockets proved there was no rust on Saturday night, downing the Prince George Cougars 7-5 in Kamloops upon their second return to play this season.
The Rockets entered a league-mandated, 14day isolation period following the discovery of a positive test for COVID-19 on March 30, and received the all-clear last week to play again.
Wong stole the show Saturday, netting four goals — including his first WHL hat trick — as Cole Schwebius stopped 23 shots for his second win of the season.
Kaedan Korczak, Mark Liwiski, and Andrew Crystal also scored as Alex Swetlikoff, Dillon Hamaliuk, and Jake Poole all had two assists.
The Rockets were 0-for-5 on the power play, but scored three shorthanded goals (two of them from Wong). The Cougars went 2-for-6 with an extra man, and scored two shorthanded goals of their own.
Poole centred a shot that Wong tucked through the five-hole to open the scoring just 23 seconds into the game. Koehn Ziemmer answered for the Cougars just past the midway point of the opening frame. Affiliate player Andrew Cristall tipped home his first WHL goal to put the Rockets up 2-1 through one.
Korczak and Wong expanded the Rocket lead, netting short-handed goals on the same penalty kill. Prince George’s Fischer O’Brien jumped in on the first goal action, scoring his first while down a man. Wong completed his first hat trick redirecting a shot past Ty Young prior to the end of the period.
Wong took off on a short-handed breakaway to net his fourth of the night 23 seconds into the third period as the Rockets built a 6-2 lead.
The Cougars clawed their way back within one after a goal from Keaton Dowhaniuk and a pair from Kyren Gronick to make it 6-5.
Liwiski restored the Rockets two-goal lead with an empty netter.
Kelowna (2-1-0) outshot Prince George (4-42) 35-28.
John Babcock, Nicholas Cristiano, Rilen Kovacevic, Ethan Ernst, Jackson DeSouza and William Irvine were the Rockets scratches.
Kelowna was back in action on Monday night against the Victoria Royals (1-8-1) at Prospera Place, but a result was not available before press time.
No fans are allowed into the Kelowna and Kamloops hubs, but fans can stream games at watch.chl.ca.
Former Kelowna Rockets captain Nolan Foote became the 62nd Rocket to suit up in an NHL regular-season game on Sunday.
Foote hit the ice with the New Jersey Devils following his fist call up from the American Hockey League. The 20-year-old forward has six goals and 10 assists in 20 games with the Binghamton Devils this season.
Foote recorded his first NHL point, assisting on Nico Hischier’s goal.
Former Rockets Damon Severson and Nick Merkley also currently play for the Devils. too,
The WHL announced Monday the 2020-21 season will conclude following the completion of the 24-game regular season schedule.
Public health conditions and travel restrictions across both provincial and international borders have made it unfeasible, the WHL said in a press release.