Seattle Thunderbirds crashed the party at Prospera Place on Friday evening, knocking off the Kelowna Rockets on a night when the 5,230 faithful were in a very celebratory mood.
Midway through the first period, the building erupted when it was announced that Team Canada had claimed the gold medal at the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, N.Y., with a 3-1 victory over Sweden. Dillon Dube and Cal Foote of the Rockets were integral members of Team Canada.
However, by that time, the T-Birds had built a 2-0 lead.
Seattle opened the scoring at 1:36 when Aaron Hyman’s shot from the blueline sailed past goaltender James Porter. Then Dillon Hamaliuk cashed in at 13:52 after Noah Philp forced the puck to the Rockets crease.
The two early goals by the visitors signalled the first time the Rockets have trailed 2-0 in the first period at home since Oct. 20 against the Portland Winterhawks.
“I think we let that one get away from us,” said veteran defenceman Gordie Ballhorn. “We’ve got to do a lot better job on the defensive side of the puck.
“We can’t be swinging and looping in the neutral zone and through the d-zone. They’re a quick team. We knew that from the pre-scout and didn’t do a good enough job getting back to pucks to make those quick little plays to get out of the zone.”
Leif Mattson scored for Kelowna at 16:11, collecting a rebound after Nolan Foote rushed the puck up ice. It was his 11th of the season.
The teams combined for five goals in the busy second period.
At 7:23, Donavon Neuls restored Seattle’s two-goal lead on the power play goal after good perimeter puck movement led to his one-timer from the top of the faceoff circle.
The Rockets answered quickly with a nearly identical power play tally when Ballhorn finished off some nifty puck movement by one-timing a blast from the top of the faceoff circle at 8:25.
Midway through the frame at 10:10, Kyle Topping, collected a rebound and scored his 15th of the season. Topping, whose brother Jordan is a 20-year-old with the Tri City Americans, is the only member of the Rockets to appear in all 39 games this season.
Later, Carsen Twarynski, the Rockets leading goal scorer, took a slick pass from Kole Lind inside the T-Birds blueline and fired a shot over Hughes shoulder. Twarynski’s 27th tally of the season at 17:16 would give the Rockets its first lead of the game.
But it would be short-lived.
Neuls counted his second of the night and 11th of the campaign for the T-Birds at 18:19, tying the affair at 4-4 after 40 minutes.
Nolan Volcan and Austin Strand scored in the third frame to give Seattle a 6-4 lead and the Rockets couldn’t inch any closer.
Hamaliuk (eight games), Volcan (seven games) and Matthew Wedman (seven games) all extended their respective point-scoring streaks. Zach Andrusiak, Jarrett Tyszka and Wedman all chipped in with two points on the night. The T-Birds have won four in a row.
Bringing home the gold
On a brighter note for the Rockets, DUBNetwork learned that Dube and Cal Foote could be ready to suit up as early as Jan. 10 against the Spokane Chiefs at Prospera Place following their gold-medal triumph at the World Junior Championship.
“I guarantee they’re pretty happy,” said Rockets head coach Jason Smith, when asked about his own experience winning a gold medal at the 1993 edition. “It’s a lifelong memory of playing with a group of guys you’ll remember forever.
“It was a different tournament back then, standing on the blue line singing the national anthem was pretty special.
“They’re going to come back and they’ll have energy and be excited. The guys will be really happy to see them.”
Ice Chips…Announced attendance was 5,230…Kelowna outshot Seattle, 30-27…Three stars were Neuls, Matthew Wedman and Nolan Foote, who chipped in with two assists…Lind extended his point scoring streak to seven games…Rockets scratched Konrad Belcourt, Erik Gardiner, Dillon Dube, Cal Foote and Liam Kindree…The Rockets have won 13 of their last 14 at home and sit atop the B.C. Division standings at 24-12-2-1 for 51 points…Kelowna leads the Western Conference standings…Vancouver Giants (22-14-3-2) and Victoria Royals 22-15-3-1) each won on Friday night. The Giants are in second place in the B.C. Division, one point ahead of the Royals…Next action for the Rockets is Sunday against the Calgary Hitmen.
Post-Game Interview: Gordie Ballhorn click here
Post-Game Interview: Jason Smith click here
(DUBNetwork thanks Kevin Bain and the Kelown Rockets for the audio/video)
