The Kelowna Rockets took care of business on Tuesday night at Prospera Place, dispatching the Medicine Hat Tigers by a 5-2 count in front of 4,373 fans.
The Rockets knocked off the Central Division leaders for the second time in five nights, on the heels of a 4-3 overtime victory in Medicine Hat on Friday. With the two points, Kelowna (32-14-3-1) opened up a four-point lead on the Victoria Royals in the B.C. Division.
Cal Foote opened the scoring for the Rockets, firing a shot from the point past a screened Jordan Hollett in the Tigers cage. Foote has been on a tear of late, collecting points in 12 of his last 13 games (5-14; 19). The goal was his 11th goal of the season.
“They’ve been playing good hockey over there, they came off a big win the other night,” said Rockets captain, Cal Foote. “It was important to get on them early and we did that, so it led to win.”
Early in the second stanza, Leif Mattson stole the puck from Kristians Rubins in the Tigers zone and beat Hollett for his 18th of the season.
The teams traded three power play goals before the period ended, with Carsen Twarynski (32) and Kole Lind (27) scoring for Kelowna. David Quenneville squeaked a shot past Brodan Salmond in the Kelowna net and the teams went to the dressing rooms after 40 minutes with the Rockets holding a 4-1 lead.
In the final frame, Dawson Heathcote pulled Medicine Hat to within a pair when he scored an unassisted tally, but Dillon Dube (22) scored into an empty net to seal the deal.
The win for Kelowna also saw it leapfrog the Everett Silvertips for first place overall in the Western Conference. Kelowna has 68 points in 50 games while the Silvertips have 67 points in 51 games.
The stage is now set for a home-and-home set this weekend as the ‘Tips will invade Kelowna on Friday night. The teams will then square off at Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett on Saturday evening.
With the win, Kelowna swept the regular season series with Medicine Hat, winning all three meetings.
The Rockets puck movement on the night was as efficient as it has been in some time, particularly during the second period where the team directed 18 shots at Hollett.
“Our focus is to move it quick and try to get shots on net,” Foote said of the approach on the power play. “We’re moving it quick, but I think we needed more shots on net and more traffic in front.”
Brodan Salmond was solid in goal for the Rockets, blocking 31 of 33 shots. Salmond, 19, also earned the victory on Friday, the 4-3 overtime win against the Tigers in Medicine Hat. On the season, Kelowna won all three meetings against the Tigers.
“He’s been playing better and better each time he’s in the net,” said Foote of Salmond’s performance. “He had a tough time with injuries this year, but since he got back he’s just getting better every game. Credit to him he did a good job tonight.”
Post Game Interview – Jason Smith: click here
Post Game Interview – Cal Foote: click here
Rockets Fuel…The Rockets are now 32-14-3-1 and have won 17 of their last 18 at home…Kelowna played 13 games in January and won nine times. The team will play 14 games in February…The Rockets are 24-1-0-1 when leading after 40 minutes…Kelowna outshot Medicine Hat, 44-33…Three stars were Cal Foote, Lind and Salmond… Lind’s goal kept his point scoring streak alive at 19 games…Rockets scratched Erik Gardiner, Liam Kindree, Kelvin Hair, Colum McGauley, James Porter and Roman Basran. Backup duties were handled by Cole Tisdale…Tigers forward Ryan Chyzowski was ejected at 10:06 of the third, assessed a major and game misconduct for a drive-by check to the head that saw James Hilsendager require assistance to leave the ice…The Rockets host the Everett Silvertips on Friday at 7:05pm.
(DUBNetwork thanks Kevin Bain and the Kelowna Rockets for production of the audio/video)
