Everett erupted for six goals in the second in a 7-3 win over the Rockets Friday

Photo: Steve Dunsmoor

Two minutes and 41 seconds.

That’s all the time it took for the Western Hockey League’s No. 1 team to turn a tight game into a rout.

With the game deadlocked at 2-2, the Silvertips overwhelmed the Rockets with four goals in that 2:41 span, an outburst that came just seconds after the Rockets had tied it during probably their best stretch of the game.

The Rockets played with the Silvertips stride for stride throughout much of the night, but that brief span was their undoing.

“There is a six, six-and-a-half minute gap in the second period when we ran away from it a little bit, started to go individualistic, started to lose assignments and it shows on the scoreboard,” said interim head coach Derrick Martin.

“That’s a good team over there and they took advantage of it.

“At the same time we have to work to clean that up but I thought there’s 54 minutes of hockey tonight that we’ve got some good stuff showing.”

The Rockets, fresh off that 11-1 embarrassment at the hands of Victoria Wednesday got the start they needed when Jacob Henderson cleared the puck off the glass to Hiroki Gojsic who broke in alone and deked to the backhand just 51 seconds into the game.

But, the inability to kill off an untimely penalty set up 15-year-old Landon’Dupont’s 11th of the season.

Dupont, the odds-on favourite to be named rookie of the year, helped set up a controversial go-ahead goal. Dupont sprung Jesse Heslop on a breakaway five minutes into the second.

Jake Pilon made the save and, as he was putting his glove on the puck, Carter Bear swooped in to knife it into the net.

Pilon and the Rockets argued he had it covered however, after video review it was determined he was still in the act of covering the puck and the goal stood.

Things could have gone south then, but the Rockets put together three or four good shifts, culminating in Kayden Longley’s seven of the season to tie it.

“It’s really their third goal that hurts the most. We just get the second one back and give up an odd man rush.

“That’s the one we kind of unraveled and unraveled for three pretty quickly.”

Cole Temple scored three of the Silvertips’ six second period goals with Shea Busch and Tarin Smith getting the others.

Gojsic scored his second of the night also in the second.

There was no scoring in the third.

Pilon turned aside 33 shots as the Silvertips outshot the Rockets 40-34.

The Rockets played Friday without forward Dawson Gerwing who has been suspended indefinitely pending a decision by the league for his cross checking penalty against the Royals.

Friday’s loss drops the Rockets into 11th in the Western Conference, tied with Seattle with 37 points.

The Kamloops Blazers, who upended Swift Current 5-2 Friday, leapfrogged Wenatchee into the final playoff spot with 39 points.

The Rockets look to snap their five-game skid Saturday night when they entertain Marek Rocak and the Swift Current Broncos.