Photo: Steve Dunsmoor
The Victoria Royals completed a two-game sweep of the Kelowna Rockets Wednesday night.
Victoria jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second then needed a pair of unanswered third period goals to hold off the visiting Rockets 5-2.
It was their second win in as many nights over the Rockets, coming on the heels of Tuesday’s 7-3 win.
After a scoreless first in which the Rockets more than held their own, outshooting the Royals 17-11, the Royals jumped on the Rockets early in the second.
Hayden Moore, Kenta Isogai and Escalus Burlock all scored by the midway point of the second to give the Royals a 3-0 lead.
Just 14 seconds after Burlock made it 3-0, the Rockets answered right back.
Jacob Henderson sent a long stretch pass to Hiroki Gojsic at the Victoria blueline. Gojsic got behind the defence, tracked down the puck and beat Johnny Hicks to Kelowna Kelowna on the board.
Jacob Stancl cut the deficit to one late in the period, ripping a one-timer from the left faceoff circle just under the bar.
But that’s as close as they would get.
Brandon Lisowsky restored the two-goal lead on the back end of a pretty three-way passing play on a Royals power play.
Then, with Jake Pilon on the bench for an extra skater, Teydon Trembecky iced it into an empty net.
The Royals outshot the Rockets 38-33, including 15-6 during the decisive third period.
Defenceman Gabriel Guilbault returned to the lineup Wednesday after missing seven games with a lower body injury.
The Rockets, losers of eight in a row, now head back home for games against Prince George Friday and Tri-City Saturday.
Photo: Steve Dunsmoor
The Kelowna Rockets struggles continued Tuesday night in the provincial capital.
The Victoria Royals scored seven straight after the Rockets had opened the scoring, and cruised to a 7-3 victory.
The loss was the Rockets seventh in a row and, as has been the case throughout much of the losing streak, penalties and their inability to kill them off, hurt, especially early.
Jakub Stancl got the Rockets on the board with a shorthanded effort. Trailing the play in the Victoria end, Stancl intercepted a clearing attempt and wired home his 18th from the slot.
But, moments later the Royals tied it on the same power play, then added two more larder in the period to take a 3-1 lead into the dressing room.
The Royals dashed any designs of a comeback with power play goals 1:28 apart early in the second to build the lead to 5-1. Goals later in the second and early in the third put the home side up 7-1.
The Rockets did make the final score respectable with goals from Kalder Varga and Jaxon Kehrig at the tail end of a power play.
Cole Reschny paced the Royals attack with two goals and two helpers while Kenta Isogai and Brayden Boehm each had a goal and an assist.
Rhett Stoesser went the distance in the Rockets net stopping 28 of 35 shots directed his way.
The Rockets and Royals get back at it again Wednesday night in Victoria.
Photo: Steve Dunsmoor-file
The Kelowna Rockets open up another busy week with a pair of games in Victoria this week.
The Rockets will look for some semblance of payback against a Royals team that embarrassed them 11-1 at Prospera Place last Wednesday when the teams meet Tuesday and Wednesday in the provincial capital.
It’s been a tough stretch for the Rockets who have lost six in a row while being outscored 41-17.
Over that span the penalty kill has surrendered goals at nearly a 50 per cent clip (14-29) while the power play has hit on two of eight. However, in four of the six games they have received just one opportunity with the man advantage.
The number of penalties taken versus those drawn has heavily skewed against them.
Overall they are just 2-8-1-0 since the trade deadline.
The Royals meantime have moved up the standing, going 6-3-0-1 over their last 10 to overtake Prince George by a single point atop the Western Conference standings.
The prize for winning the division is at worst a second seed in round one of the playoffs and a more favourable matchup.
The Rockets do have some positive memories to draw from in Victoria.
The last time the team made the Vancouver Island trip Dec. 7 and 8, they swept the Royals by 4-2 and 4-1 scores.
Following their midweek road trip, the Rockets will return home to complete a four-game in five-day swing with home games against Prince George Friday and Tri-City Saturday.
Tim Petruk - Feb 1, 2025 / 10:04 pm
| Story: 531076
Photo: Rob Wilton/Vancouver Giants
The Kamloops Blazers were blown out on Saturday night in Langley, falling 9-2 in a game in which they outshot the Vancouver Giants 30-29.
Samuel Borschowa and Nathan Behm were the goal scorers for the Blazers. Ryan Lin, former Blazer Connor Levis, Ty Halaburda, Adam Titlbach (2), Cameron Schmidt, Tyler Thorpe and Caden Cail scored for the Giants.
The Giants were up 7-0 by the time Borschowa got the Blazers on the board in the dying seconds of the second period. Vancouver scored twice in the third before Behm made it 9-2 with three seconds remaining.
Logan Edmonstone made 10 saves on 14 shots in net for Kamloops. He was replaced after 20 minutes by Alex Scheiwiller, who stopped 10 of 15 Vancouver shots in two periods of work.
Announced attendance at Langley Events Centre was 4,004.
The loss drops the Blazers to 18-26-3-0 on the season, which has them eighth in the WHL’s Western Conference.
The Blazers are back in action on Sunday in Everett, where they will take on the Silvertips at 4 p.m. Their next home game will bet on Friday, when the SIlvertips visit Sandman Centre.