Dube dazzles in return

Photo: Wayne Moore

Connor Bruggen-Cate scores a shorthanded goal during the Rockets 4-3 overtime win Wednesday.

Dillon Dube didn't miss a beat in his return to the Kelowna Rockets lineup Wednesday.

In his first game back after winning gold at the World Junior Championships, and missing a week with the flu, Dube was flying in a thrilling 4-3 overtime win over the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Dube scored the opening goal of the game, and could have had two or three more as he peppered Lethbridge goaltender Reece Klassen with seven shots, most quality scoring chances.

"He didn't miss a beat at all, he was flying out there," said world junior teammate Cal Foote.

"You can definitely see when he's back he has a lot of speed and he uses it pretty well through the neutral zone. Obviously he's a great player and it helps to get him back."

Dube also had a hand in Foote's overtime winner.

Moments after killing a penalty Dube, with the puck in his own zone, spotted a streaking Cal Foote at centre ice. His long flip pass was just out of Foote's reach, but he had enough separation to get to the puck first in the Lethbridge corner.

He curled out of the corner, cut into the slot, looked off a pass to Kole Lind and fired a wrist shot back to the near corner on Klassen's stick side.

The Hurricanes got on the board first when former first overall bantam pick Jordy Bellerive fired a shot from the bottom of the left circle that slid under Brodan Salmond's glove just 42 seconds in.

Salmond was seeing his first action in almost three months after recovering from a knee injury.

He was shaky at times, but made some key saves at important times down the stretch.

"He was good in there. He competed and made some big saves when he had to," said head coach Jason Smith.

"He gave us a chance to win the game. I think I've said that to you guys a lot this year, that the goalie has to give us a chance to win the game and we believe we have the right guys in the room to score enough goals to win."

Dube tied it with a seeing-eye wrist shot to the top corner after making a sharp cut into the slot off the right wing.

Lind with his 22nd off a slap shot from the right point that deflected in off a Lethbridge defender and Connor Bruggen-Cate on a shorthanded breakaway, gave the Rockets a 3-1 lead before the midway point of the second.

The Hurricanes chipped away at the lead, getting goals from Tate Olsen 13 minutes into the second and Taylor Ross with a shot off the rush from the right faceoff circle to tie it.

Smith said once the Rockets got up 3-1 they stopped executing and making good decisions, giving the Hurricanes a chance to climb back into the game.

While Salmond have the Rockets a chance to win, Klassen in the Lethbridge net single-handedly ensured the Hurricanes skated away with a single point.

He made three spectacular saves off Dube, and robbed Nolan Foote twice on the doorstep. The second, a spectacular glove save off a one-timer after Foote was set up on a backdoor pass on the edge of the crease.

The Hurricanes had a chance to win it in overtime. With Cal Foote in the box for knocking the net off its supports near the end of regulation time, Brad Morrison rang a shot off the near post.

The near miss gave the Rockets the opportunity they need to secure the win.

The Rockets dressed 15-year-old Cole Tisdale to back-up Salmond. Tisdale was called up from the Lethbridge midgets. Drafted in the eighth round of the bantam draft last year, Tisdale was called up to the big club due to injuries to Roman Basran and James Porter.

Porter won't play this weekend but could return early next week. Basran is listed as week-to-week.

The Rockets were also without defenceman James Hilsendager who was a late scratch due to illness.

Kelowna hits the road tomorrow for a game in Seattle Friday night. They return home to host Victoria Saturday.