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Everett Silvertips doubled the Kelowna Rockets 4-2 Saturday

Rockets drop third straight

The Everett Silvertips showed why they are one of the top teams in the Canadian Hockey League.

The Silvertips, ranked seventh nationally got the lead then choked off any thoughts the Kelowna Rockets had of making a comeback in a clinical 4-2 victory Saturday at Prospera Place in what could be a first round playoff preview.

With the game tied 2-2 late in the second Julius Miettinen converted a cross-crease pass on a down-low two-on-one then, just 19 seconds into the third Eric Jamieson sent a wrist shot from the blueline that seemed to beat a screened Jari Kykkanen to double the lead.

They clamped in down the rest of the way allowing the Rockets just four harmless shots the rest of the way.

"They shut it down. They are real tenacious, they're heavy on their sticks, they don't give you much and they're simple," said Rockets head coach Kris Mallette.

"They don't try to force anything to try and over complicate things. They make you want to come all the way through them, 200 feet, and they did a hell of a job for it."

The Rockets hung with the Silvertips at least on the scoreboard for the first 40 minutes.

Gabriel Szturc with his 31st with a backdoor one-timer on a Kelowna power play and Caden Price with a nifty backhand deke in close with the teams playing four-on-four scored for the Rockets, erasing deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 in the process.

"We played much better than last night for sure (6-2 loss in Everett) but they're just a team that doesn't quit.

"To give up one late in the second period which was obviously a back breaker then one early in the third...but we had some looks.

"They are a team that does a lot of really good things, little details very well."

Mallette says he told the players after the game the Everett team is where they hope to get to in terms of style of play.

Szturc also had an assist to go along with his goal giving him a career best 80 points.

It also marked the first time in more than two decades three Rockets have reached the 80 point plateau in the same season.

Szturc with 80 is joined by Andrew Cristall with 107 and Tij Iginla with 83.

The last time it was done was 2002-2003 when Jesse Schultz (104), Keil McLeod (90) and Tyler Mosienko (83) all reached the milestone.

The Rockets close out the regular season with a home-and-home with the Vancouver Giants that sill decide fifth, sixth and seventh in the Western Conference.

The teams play Friday in Langley then close out the regular season Saturday back at Prospera Place.

They presently sit sixth in the conference, three behind Wenatchee, one in back of Vancouver and two up on seventh place Victoria.

If Kelowna can win out they would finish no worse than fifth.

The 50/50 jackpot for the game Saturday will begin at $10,000. Online sales begin Sunday morning for B.C. residents only.



Giants too much for Blazers in 9-2 beatdown

Blazers blown out by Giants

The Kamloops Blazers surrendered five first-period goals Saturday at Sandman Centre en route to a a 9-2 loss to the Vancouver Giants.

Emmitt Finnie and Jordan Keller were the goal scorers for the Blazers. Cameron Schmidt (3), Samuel Honzek, Connor Levis (2), Logen Hammett (2) and Tomis Marinkovic scored for the Giants.

Vancouver led 5-1 after 20 minutes and 7-1 after 40. After two more Giants’ goals in the third, Keller scored with five minutes remaining to get the Blazers back within a touchdown.

Jesse Sanche made 10 saves on 15 shots in 20 minutes of work. Logan Edmonstone stopped 18 of 22 shots he saw in 40 minutes of relief.

Brett Mirwald made 30 saves on 32 Kamloops shots to earn the win in net.

Announced attendance at Sandman Centre was 5,499.

The Blazers are now 20-38-3-3 on the season — last in the WHL.

The Blazers are back in action on Tuesday, when they will take on the Seattle Thunderbirds in Kent, Wash.

Their final home game of the season will go on Friday, when the high-flying Prince George Cougars visit Sandman Centre.



Kelowna Rockets fall 6-2 in Everett

Rockets streak ends at nine

It was not a productive road trip south of the border for the Kelowna Rockets Friday.

Riding a streak of picking up points in nine straight, the Rockets hit a wall against one of the top teams in the country.

The Everett Silvertips, third in the Western Conference and ranked seventh in the CHL, snapped the Rockets point streak with a convincing 6-2 on home ice.

Austin Roest with two goals and an assist led the way for the Silvertips offensively.Ben Hemmerling had a goal and an assist.

Tij Iginla with a goal and an assist and Gabriel Szturc replied for the Rockets. The goal for Szturc was his 30th of the season.

Everett led 3-0 after one and 4-1 after two.

Despite the loss the Rockets remain fifth in the BC Division, one point better than Victoria and two up on Vancouver who both lost as well Friday.

However the fourth place Wenatchee Wild moved three up with a 3-1 win over Spokane.

The Rockets and Silvertips meet again Saturday at Prospera Place.



Kelowna Rockets comeback falls just short in overtime loss to Prince Geroge

Rockets get important point

Two points would have been ideal but gaining one from the top team in the CHL in the manner in which they did is a massive win for the Kelowna Rockets.

The Rockets battled back from a 4-1 deficit with four straight third period goals before eventually falling 6-5 in overtime to the visiting Prince George Cougars in a thriller at Prospera Place.

Max Graham, a thorn in the side of the Cougars all night, jump started the comeback 1:43 into the third, taking a feed from Andrew Cristall off the rush and beating Joshua Ravensbergen to make it 4-2.

The goals from Michael Cicek, Cristall and Tij Iginla with his 46th in a span of 1:37 gave the Rockets their first lead of the night.

Jari Kykkanen turned away everything he saw until late in the period when Oren Shtron's screen shot beat him with less than three minutes to play in regulation time.

Cristall had the best chance for the Rockets in overtime but Ty Young, who replaced Ravensbergen after the fifth goal stoned the Rocket sniper with a pad save on a clear breakaway.

Hudson Thornton won it in overtime beating Kykkanen from the slot with a delayed penalty in effect.

"It's a huge point. It doesn't matter who you're playing, down 4-1 heading into the third period for our guys to battle back the way they did with two or three minutes left in the game with the lead against the number one team in the country...I'm proud of that group," said head coach Kris Mallette.

"That's nine games in a row where we've got points. There's nothing to hang our heads.

"Would we have loved to have won the game? Would we have loved to have played a better first and second? Yea, but we played a hell of a third and gave ourselves a chance."

It's a sentiment shared by Graham.

"Coming into that third period if you told us we were going to come out of it forcing it to extra time and get a point I think we would be pretty happy with it," said Graham.

"Especially late in the season like this against a top team like that when every point counts. Definitely a disappointing end but I think everyone in the locker room is happy with our team's fight tonight."

An appropriate turn of a phrase for Graham who was feisty and physical all game long. He was the best Rocket on the ice over the first 40 and set the tone when he was dragged into a lengthy fight by Chase Pauls after Graham delivered a huge hit along the boards.

"It was a pretty long one. Towards the end we were both getting tired and we just kind of mutually agreed we'd had enough," he said.

Graham says his fight and one involving Trea Johnson moments later set the tone for the type of game the Rockets would play.

It's also the type of game Graham likes to play.

"That's my kind of game. Get in the other team's face, late hits, a fight if it's going to happen," he said.

"Max does so much that goes un-noticed to the average person," said Mallette.

"If you were to dissect his game he hits every shift and he hits hard. He's got an aggressive stick, he creates a lot of space for Gabby and AC so he does a lot of the grunt work.

"He never stops moving and it's great to see him get rewarded for that really big goal for us."

The Cougars outshot Kelowna 40-23 including 21-8 in the final period.

The single point moves the Rockets to within a single point of fourth place Wenatchee in the Western Conference.

They also moved two up on Victoria and three ahead of Vancouver.

Things don't get any easier for the Rockets who kickoff a home-and-home with the Number 7 ranked Everett Silvertips. The teams play Friday in Everett and Saturday back at Prospera Place.

Meantime it was also a big day off the ice for the Mallette and Graham family.

Kris Mallette's daughter Kaitlyn and Max Graham's sister Gracie were part of the RINK Academy team that beat Shawnigan Lake 5-1 in Wednesday's championship game at the CSSHL Western Canadian U18 championship.



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