Medicine Hat scored three unanswered in third in 5-2 win over Rockets

Photo: Steve Dunsmoor

Another dismal third period cost the Kelowna Rockets Tuesday night in Medicine Hat.

Deadlocked at two heading into the third, it was the Tigers who tilted the ice in their favour, scoring three unanswered in a 5-2 victory.

The Tigers won without the services of Gavin McKenna who sat out the final game of a three-game suspension.

Hayden Paupanekis opened the scoring with his first of two on the night, taking a breakaway feed from Jakub Stancl and deking Jordan Switzer to the backhand.

After Markus Ruck tied it, Paupanekis again restored the one-goal lead at the tail end of a power play.

Paupanekis banged home his own rebound from the edge of the crease to put Kelowna up 2-1.

Liam Ruck tied it in the second before the Tigers blew it open in the third.

Liam Ruck with his second, Matthew Ward and Kelowna native Ryder Ritchie into an empty net scored in the third as Medicine Hat outshot the Rockets 18-8 over the final 20 minutes.

Rhett Stoesser faced 38 shots in the contest in goal for Kelowna.

On a positive note, the Rockets held Medicine Hat off the scoresheet on three power play attempts. That after surrendering 10 power play goals in back-to-back losses in Red Deer and Calgary on the weekend.

The Rockets have now dropped five in a row on their eight-game road swing.

They close out the trip Wednesday in Lethbridge and Friday in Edmonton.

With just seven games left in the season, the Rockets are one loss or a Seattle win away from being eliminated from post season contention.