Rockets drop fourth straight

Photo: Wayne Moore

In the twitterverse, the Kelowna Rockets are trending in the wrong direction.

The Rockets lost a season-high fourth in a row Saturday, falling to former coach Dan Lambert and the Spokane Chiefs 4-2 at Prospera Place.

Kelowna came into the week riding a three-game winning streak, and holding a seven point lead atop the BC Division.

They leave the week searching for answers with just six games left in the regular season, and four points better than the Victoria Royals.

"We had a lot of inconsistencies in our game. Some of the games we competed hard enough, some of the games we didn't think the game good enough, and there was a lot of gray area in our play," said head coach Jason Smith in summing up the week.

"We did things in spurts well, but not long enough, and hard enough with the right purpose to have any success."

Saturday, the Rockets battled back twice from one goal deficits, only to give up the game winning goal to Hudson Elyniuk with 74 seconds left in regulation time.

Elyniuk, who iced the game into an empty net, scored three times for the winners.

Trailing 1-0 in the second, overage forward Carson Twarynski scored his 40th of the season, blasting a wrist shot from the left circle with Kole Lind supplying a screen.

After the fans whipping boy Ty Smith restored the one-goal lead, Lind got the equalizer when his rocket from the bottom of the right circle somehow found the top corner over Dawson Weatherhill,s right shoulder.

It was Lind's 37th of the year.

But, with overtime looming, the Rockets were unable to clear their zone and Elyniuk pounced on his own rebound for what turned out to be the game winner. A giveaway at centre ice allowed the Chiefs to race back the other way, providing Elyniuk with the insurance marker with James Porter on the bench for an extra attacker.

"I think the small details...mental errors have cost us," said captain Cal Foote.

"We need to work at getting better at our blueline and their blueline and getting pucks deep. Just playing more of a simple game."

The Rockets have just six games left in the regular season, all against division rivals.

They'll face Vancouver three times, Kamloops twice and Prince George once.

The Giants are in town Wednesday before the Rockets face the Blazers in a home-and-home Friday in Kamloops and Saturday at Prospera Place.

Captain Cal Foote says itd's been the little details that have been