Elynuik scores hat-trick, Spokane beats Rockets 4-2

Hudson Elynuik scored three times, including the game-winner with less than two minutes to play, as the Spokane Chiefs downed the reeling Kelowna Rockets 4-2 at Prospera Place on Saturday night.

The Chiefs, with former Rockets head coach Dan Lambert behind the bench, have been on a tear of late, winning five in a row and eight of its last 10 games. The same cannot be said for the Rockets, currently mired in curious, late-season funk.

Last week, Kelowna played four games in five nights, led in three, but lost each contest.

“Coach said we’re going to clear our minds, get ready for the last six games and head into the playoffs hopefully playing the right way,” explained team captain Cal Foote after the loss to Spokane.

Foote, 19, has calmly faced the music this season when the Rockets performances have come under scrutiny. The Tampa Bay Lightning first rounder has been a pillar on the blueline for the Rockets, frequently called upon to patrol the ice for 30 minutes a night.

With six games remaining in the regular season — four at home — Foote acknowledged some relief has arrived with James Hilsendager’s return to the lineup. The 20-year-old rearguard missed 12 games in February before suiting up on the road last week.

“Hillsy is a big part of our D-corps and a big part of our team,” Foote said. “He’s a leader, so having him out there is huge. He comes hard every game and it’s nice to have him back.”

On Saturday, the Chiefs took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission on Elynuik’s 25th of the season at the 7:17 mark. Kelowna tied the affair with a late second period tallyon Carsen Twarynski’s 40th of the campaign.

The final frame featured a four-goal flurry; three by Spokane as the Chiefs outshot Kelowna 12-7 over the final 20 minutes.

Rockets goaltender James Porter was again terrific between the pipes.

Projected 2018 first-round pick Ty Smith, the second leading scorer among defenceman in the WHL, put the Chiefs ahead 2-1 at 5:01.

Rockets leading-scorer Kole Lind squared the match with his 37th of the season at 13:41.

Elynuik added an empty-netter 58 seconds after his game-winner, completing his hat trick for a fourpoint night.

While the Rockets are hoping to park the recent spate of inconsistent play, it may be challenging for the fanbase to do so. Years of success and a winning tradition have created a junior hockey market rife with high expectations.

Through much of the season, the Rockets have been able to get the early jump on opponents, particularly on home ice.

However, through January and February, the team’s inability to put teams away has been disconcerting. There have certainly been entertaining comeback victories, though it seems the group would prefer to shred that script.

Head coach Jason Smith knows all too well the value and importance of hard work and attention to detail.

“I hope there’s not any distraction, because if we don’t play good hockey down the stretch, it’s tough to have success in the playoffs,” Smith offered, when asked if perhaps the Rockets have been looking beyond the regular season as B.C. Division leaders.

“When you go in (to playoffs) and you’re struggling, it’s really hard to get your game back. We need to find a way to put the work in and get back to competing and executing and playing as a time over these next six games.”

If the players require a jolt of sorts heading into the final two weeks of the season, they needn’t look any further than their head coach. He was named the WHL’s top defenceman following the 1992-93 season, a campaign that included the gold medal he earned with Team Canada at the 1993 World Junior Championship.

Smith, 44, carved out a lengthy NHL career, appearing in 1,076 NHL games as a player who was tough to play against. He was the Edmonton Oilers team captain during its unlikely run to the 2006 Stanley Cup final, a series the Carolina Hurricanes captured in seven games.

“The guys in our room know that we have cheated,” Smith said. “Looking for opportunities to score a goal when we don’t need a goal, not back-checking, not making a save. A variety of different things have cost us games. A lot of it is work-based and there’s no excuses.”

The Rockets are 38-22-4-2, good for a four-point lead over the second-place Victoria Royals. The Vancouver Giants, who have clinched a post-season berth for the first time in four years, come calling to Prospera Place on Wednesday.

Indeed, it would appear to be an opportune time for the Rockets to get back to work.