Rockets come up short in Black Friday matinee

Stay hot Kalder Varga ?@TheWHL pic.twitter.com/F4PcnA8ZYV

— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) November 29, 2024

It was no sale for the Kelowna Rockets as they went shopping for a Black Friday victory Friday afternoon in Portland.

Looking for a sweep of back-to-back games in the Oregon city, the Rockets came up just short, falling 6-4 to the host Winterhawks.

After a 4-2 win Wednesday, the Rockets were looking to win both games in Portland for the first time since October of 2016.

But, deadlocked at three, the Winterhawks struck for goals 31 seconds apart in the final minute to grab a 5-3 lead heading into the third.

They got one back in the opening two minutes from Owen Folstrom and peppered Marek Schlenker the rest of the way but were unable to find the equalizer.

Josh Zakreski iced it with his third of the game into an empty net. It was his fifth goal in the two games against the Rockets.

Kalder Varga who scored just his second of the year in Portland Wednesday paced the Rockets with two including a highlight reel effort when he came from below the goal line, drove the front of the net and lifted a shot into the top corner.

Andrew Cristall also scored extending his point streak to 14 games.

The Winterhawks led 2-1 midway through the second when goals from Varga and Cristall 55 seconds apart put the Rockets ahead a goal but Portland took advantage of their chances to score three straight before the period ended.

Rhett Stoesser stopped 37 shots in a game where the Rockets outshot the home side 45-43.

The Rockets, 10-10-2-1, return home to host the Regina Pats Saturday night.