Jari Kykkanen turned away 31 shots as the Rockets dumped Vancouver 4-0 Friday

Photo: Contributed

Jari Kykkanen and Andrew Cristall did all the damage for the Kelowna Rockets in a 4-0 win Friday over the Vancouver Giants.

Kykkanen turned away all 31 shots he faced to earn his first goose egg of the season while Cristall was in on all four goals, scoring once and adding a trio of assists.

Cristall is now up to 41 points, sixth in league scoring.

Captain Gabriel Szturc opened the scoring with what turned out to be the only goal Kykkanen would need on the night 15 minutes into the opening period. Szturc tapped home Hiroki Gojsic's centering pass for his 12th of the season.

John Babcock doubled the lead nearly two minutes later, taking the puck off the left point and deking a defender before sending a shot past netminder Brett Mirwald from a sharp angle.

It was Babcock's second goal of the season.

Dylan Wightman put the game out of reach 10 minutes into the third. With the Rockets on the power play Max Graham's weak shot with half the net to shoot at hit the post before Wightman, at the corner of the crease, tapped it home for his seventh.

Cristall closed out the scoring into an empty net.

With Ismail Abougouche, Kayden Longley, Ben Thornton and Trae Johnson all out with injuries and newly acquired Kayden Sadhra-Kang not yet in the lineup, the Rockets were forced to dress just 18 players, two under the roster limit.

The shorthanded Rockets travel south of the border Saturday to again face the Seattle Thunderbirds looking for a fourth straight win.

Their last defeat came in Seattle, a 2-0 setback a little more than a week ago.