Sports

The Kelowna Rockets did what no other team in the Western Hockey League has been able to do - beat the Kamloops Blazers in regulation time.

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet

Landon Cross tries to get in the way of a Myles Bell shot during the first period of the Rockets 3-0 victory Thursday.

The Rockets snapped the Blazers winning streak at 14 Thursday night with a well deserved 3-0 victory over the visiting Blazers before more than 5,200 boisterous fans at Prospera Place.

Cody Fowlie with his first two goals of the season and his first two in a Rockets uniform and Tyrell Goulbourne with his first goal and point of the seasons cored for the Rockets.,

Jordon Cooke was called upon to turn aside 19 shots in registering his third shutout of the season.

The Rockets jumped on the Blazers off the opening face-off trying to take advantage of a team that was playing its fifth game in seven nights.

"We took it to them in the first with a bunch of big hits," says Fowlie who added the team was not intimidated by the Blazers gaudy winning streak.

"We knew we had to play our game and we were positive going into the game."

Goulbourne opened the scoring midway through the second period with as nice a goal as he's scored in a Rockets uniform.

He raced down the left wing from centre ice, squeezed past defenceman Jordon Thomson along the wall, cut hard to the net and from a sharp angle lifted the puck short side over over Cole Cheveldave's right shoulder.

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet

Colton Sissons just fails to tip in a one-handed centering pass from Myles Bell.

"I was just trying to shoot it. He's a short goalie and (coach Ryan) Huska was saying to go high on this goalie so I was just trying to get a good shot off and get it high," says Goulbourne moments after getting shaving cream face wash from his teammates.

As good as Goulbourne's goal was Fowlie's first of two was as ugly.

Early in the third with the Blazers putting on some pressure, Cheveldave gathered a dump in near his net and tried to send a stretch pass off the boards to a streaking winger near the Rockets blueline.

Fowlie stole the puck at the Blazers blue, took a step and fired it into the wide open net.

In the final minute, Fowlie stripped Brendan Ranford of the puck in the high slot, deked Cheveldave and tapped in his second into the open cage.

Not only were the Rockets able to capitalize pat the offensive end, they also did a good job of shutting down a Blazers club that had scored 81 goals in 17 games coming in.

The Rockets top line of Sissons, Bell and McKinley shut down the top Blazers trip of JC Lipon, Colin Smith and Tim Bozon who sit one, two, three in league scoring.

"Like it or not we try to get him out against top lines as much as possible," says Huska. 

"They had a pretty big challenge in front of them tonight with that line on the other side playing very well up until this point. When he (Sissons) gets his line playing the right way they can put points on the board but they are also a hard line to play against."

Huska says it was a special win, not only to beat their closest rival but also to end the streak.

"I think it was a little extra special for us. Our guys were hoping they (Kamloops) were going to win in Everett because they wanted a chance to be the team that stopped that streak," says Huska.

"It was a good night."

The Rockets outshot Kamloops 26-19 and kept the vaunted Blazers power-play off the scoresheet in three opportunities.

The Rockets have 48 hours to let the emotion of this victory slide away as they prepare to host the Prince George Cougars Saturday.

Huska says the job of the coaches now is to get the players to re-focus for the Cougars after Thursday's emotional victory.

"We have to let them enjoy this game but there's a tendency in sports that after a big emotional win to let down the next game," says Huska.

"Right now with the way things are we can't allow that to happen."