Rockets pick up first regular season win
The Kelowna Rockets picked up their first regular season win with a 5-1 victory over the Prince George Cougars on Saturday night at the CN Centre in Prince George.
The Rockets scored four unanswered goals through two periods of action. The Cougars broke Rockets starter Jary Kykkanen’s shutout bid just before the midway point of the third period while on the power play.
Gabriel Szturc responded for Kelowna, restoring the four-goal lead.
Andrew Cristall led the way for the Rockets, setting up four goals en route to earning first-star honours.
Twenty-year-old winger Adam Kydd was named the game’s second star after posting a three-point (2G, 1A) night, registering five shots on net.
Kykkanen was named the game’s third star, making 32 saves on 33 shots to pick up his first win of the campaign.
On Friday, however, the Cougars got the best of the Rockets, downing them 6-3 on Friday night at the CN Centre.
Kelowna got on the board first with a
highlight-reel goal from Cristall. But, the momentum of the game shifted towards the end of the period when the Cougars netted a pair of power play goals 17 seconds apart.
Prince George continued to dominate throughout the second period, netting four unanswered goals. The Rockets made a goaltending change to start the third and pushed back in the final frame
with a pair of goals to cut the Cougars lead in half.
Kykkanen made 16 saves on 22 shots before being replaced by Nicholas Cristiano, who stopped the only two shots he faced in the third period.
The Rockets will be back in action on Wednesday, when they’ll host the Victoria Royals.