These kids are all right: streaks continue, start
Dylan Wightman scored his first — and second — Western Hockey League goals, Monday night, as the Kelowna Rockets thumped the Victoria Royals 7-2 at Prospera Place.
David Kope netted his first goal in a Rockets uniform to go along with two assists in a game that was never in doubt; Kelowna built a 3-1 lead after one period, and added two goals in each of the second and third to win going away.
Roman Basran posted his first win of the season after stopping 26 of 28 shots. The Rockets went 2-for-2 on the power play while keeping Victoria to one goal on seven chances.
Andrew Cristall, 15, also scored, Mark Liwiski had two and Trevor Wong stayed hot, too, scoring his fifth goal this season. The 17year-old Vancouver native scored four goals in a 7-5 win over Prince George on Saturday night. He had six goals in 58 games last season.
Kope opened the scoring 2:31 into the game before Brayden Tracey tied things up on the power play just past the midway point of the period. Wong restored the lead just over two minutes later, and Liwiski expanded the lead on the power play toward the end of the first 20 minutes.
Wightman, 17, pounced on a rebound to net
his first WHL goal 1:50 into the second. Cristall wired home a one-timer from Jake Lee on the power play, his second goal in as many games and the WHL’s “highlight of the night” in the B.C. Division.
Lee sent a cross-crease, no-look pass to freeze goalie Adam Evanoff. The puck deflected slightly, and Cristall didn’t have time to reload his shot. Instead, he adjusted mid-swing and snapped home a goal up and under the bar.
Cutler brought the Royals within three, but both Wightman and Liwiski found the back of the net for the second time on the night in the third period to end the scoring.
Kelowna outshot the Royals 32-28. Evanoff stopped nine of 12 shots after replacing Victoria’s Connor Martin 1:50 into the second period after the starter allowed four goals on 20 shots. The Rockets (3-1-0) were back on the ice Tuesday night in Kamloops to face the Blazers (7-2-0), but a score was not available at press time.
Rilen Kovacevic, Elias Carmichael, Alex Swetlikoff, Ethan Ernst, Jackson DeSouza and Cole Schwebius were the Rockets scratches.
Swetlikoff was serving a one-game suspension for his cross-checking major and game misconduct in the P.G. win.
Defenceman William Irvine made his WHL debut, while goaltender Nicholas Cristiano backed up Basran for his first appearance in a Rockets’ uniform.