Junior hockey: Rockets to host T-Birds, Warriors down Merritt in OT – Okanagan | Globalnews.ca
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A roundup of junior hockey results from the Okanagan and area.
Seattle at Kelowna
It’s teddy bear toss night in Kelowna.
The annual event will see fans toss new stuffed animals onto the ice when the Rockets score their first goal of the game.
The teddy bears will be donated to patients at Kelowna General Hospital. Plastic bags will be provided to fans so the stuffies don’t get ice- or water-damaged.
The Rockets enter Saturday’s game on a rough note, having lost 10 of their past 11 games.
On Tuesday, Kelowna (8-13-2-0) snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 4-1 home-ice win over Lethbridge (13-10-2-0). But the next night, in Seattle, the Rockets fell 2-0 to the Thunderbirds (10-9-1-0).
Attendance that night in Kent, Wash., was 5,179, with Seattle outshooting Kelowna 37-19.
Jari Kykkanen made 35 saves for the Rockets, with Seattle scoring five minutes into the second period on a power play, then closing out the scoring at 18:34 of the third with an empty-net marker.
Notably, on Friday, Seattle hosted Saskatoon (16-8-0-0), but fell 3-1 to the East Division-leading Blades. The attendance was 3,730.
Wednesday’s contest was the first of the season between Kelowna and Seattle, the defending WHL champions. Their next game will be Dec. 2 in Seattle.
Further, Saturday’s game will be just one of two remaining home games for the Rockets before Christmas.
Next weekend, Kelowna will host Wenatchee on Saturday – their last home game before the league’s annual holiday break. On Dec. 1-2, the Rockets will visit Vancouver, then Seattle, followed by a five-game road swing through the East Division, Dec. 9-16.
After Christmas, Kelowna will visit Kamloops on Dec. 27, then host Kamloops on Dec. 29 and Calgary on Dec. 30.
Elsewhere throughout the league, Osoyoos product Liam Ruck netted a goal and an assist in his WHL debut on Wednesday evening.
Playing for Medicine Hat, the 15-year-old winger made it 3-0 with a sweet goal in an 8-0 win over Regina, picking the far side from atop the slot, midway through the second.
Ruck was selected in the first round, ninth overall, of the WHL’s annual bantam draft in 2023. His twin brother, Markus Ruck, was also selected in the first round, at 21st overall, by Medicine Hat.
Global News contacted the Medicine Hat Tigers for comment about the Ruck brothers, but have yet to hear back.
Also, Medicine Hat’s roster features Oasiz Wiesblatt, 19, who grew up in Kelowna. An assistant captain with the Tigers, he scored his team’s first two goals.
Friday’s results
- Saskatoon 3, Seattle 1
- Swift Current 6, Moose Jaw 3
- Edmonton 4, Regina 2
- Red Deer 2, Brandon 0
- Wenatchee 4, Spokane 2
- Prince George 6, Lethbridge 4
- Kamloops 6, Vancouver 3
- Everett 6, Portland 3
- Victoria 5, Tri-City 1
Saturday’s games
- Moose Jaw at Prince Albert
- Regina at Red Deer
- Saskatoon at Portland
- Brandon at Medicine Hat
- Everett at Kamloops
- Edmonton at Calgary
- Victoria at Spokane
- Tri-City at Vancouver
- Seattle at Kelowna
Sunday’s games
- Brandon at Prince Albert
- Spokane at Portland
Monday’s game
At Salmon Arm, the Silverbacks scored three unanswered goals — all of them by Isaac Lambert in a natural hat trick — to defeat the Eagles on Friday night.
After Zachary Wagnon made it 2-1 for Surrey just 22 seconds into the third, Lambert quickly replied for the home team, levelling the score at 39 seconds.
At 16:43, Lambert notched his second of the night, on the power play, to give Salmon Arm a 3-2 lead. Then at 19:45, he closed out the scoring with an empty-net goal to make it 4-2.
Nick Wellenreiter also scored for Salmon Arm (12-6-0-1-0), making it 1-1 at 7:23 of the second. Savek Brar opened the scoring at 1:26 of the first for Surrey (16-3-0-0-0).
Eli Pulver stopped 38 of 40 shots for the Silverbacks, with Ajeet Dundarah turning aside 31 of 34 shots for the Eagles.
Salmon Arm was 1-for-1 on the power play while Surrey was 0-for-1.
At Vernon, Adam Parsons scored the game-winning goal at 9:39 of overtime as the Smoke Eaters edged the Vipers on Friday night.
Ridge Dawson and Jason Stefanek, who made it 1-1, then 2-1 in the third period, also scored for Trail (9-8-4-0-0).
Isaac Tremblay, who opened the scoring at 3:12 of the second and then made it 2-2 at 18:24 of the third, had both goals for Vernon (14-5-1-0-0).
Ryan Parker stopped 25 of 27 shots for the Smoke Eaters, with Colin Reay turning aside 43 of 46 shots for the Vipers.
Both teams were scoreless on the power play, with Trail at 0-for-4 and Vernon at 0-for-3.
West Kelowna 4, Merritt 3 (OT)
At West Kelowna, Callum Hughes scored twice, including the game-winning goal at 3:02 of overtime, as the Warriors defeated the Centennials on Friday night.
Trent Wilson and Michael Salandra also scored for West Kelowna (12-6-2-0-0), which led 3-0 and 3-1 at the period breaks.
Kiernan Poulin, Jaxson Murray and Dylan Wegner replied for Merritt (8-10-2-1-0), which outshot their hosts 35-30, including 20-9 in the third.
Murray made it 3-2 just 49 seconds into the third, with Wegner tying the game at 10:59. Both goals came on the power play, as did Poulin’s marker at 18:12 of the second to make it 3-1.
Rorke Applebee made 32 saves for the Warriors, with Karlis Mezsargs stopping 26 shots for the Centennials.
West Kelowna was 0-for-3 on the power play while Merritt was 3-for-8.
Friday’s results
- Coquitlam 3, Langley 0
- Nanaimo 7, Alberni Valley 4
- Chilliwack 5, Powell River 3
- Cranbrook 4, Prince George 1
Saturday’s games
- Surrey at Prince George
- Cranbrook at Salmon Arm
- Penticton at Vernon
- Cowichan Valley at Victoria
- Nanaimo at Alberni Valley
- Chilliwack at Powell River
- Trail at Merritt
- Coquitlam at Langley
Sunday’s game
- Victoria at Cowichan Valley
Friday’s results
- Columbia Valley 6, Kelowna 1
- Creston Valley 4, Golden 2
- Osoyoos 4, Summerland 2
- Princeton 6, Chase 4
- Sicamous 6, Kimberley 3
- Beaver Valley 3, 100 Mile House 2 (SO)
- Grand Forks 5, Nelson 1
- Kamloops 6, Spokane 3
Saturday’s games
- Columbia Valley at Fernie
- Kelowna at Golden
- Chase at Osoyoos
- Summerland at Princeton
- Kimberley at Revelstoke
- North Okanagan at Sicamous
- 100 Mile House at Castlegar
- Kamloops at Grand Forks
- Spokane at Nelson
Sunday’s games
- Nelson at Beaver Valley
- Creston Valley at Fernie
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