Rockets launch to 7-3 win over Océanic
Monday May 25, 2015
The Kelowna Rockets came into Day 4 of the MasterCard Memorial Cup on Monday with something to prove.
Friday’s opening night 4-3 loss to the host Québec Remparts in front of a jam-packed Colisée has faded into the rearview mirror after Nick Merkley, Gage Quinney and Leon Draisaitl each scored twice and captain Madison Bowey registered three points in a commanding 7-3 win over the QMJHL Champion Rimouski Océanic.
“I thought our best players were our best players tonight,” said Kelowna head coach Dan Lambert. “They controlled the game like they can and made a lot of good plays.”
“That was more of the Kelowna Rockets that we’ve seen throughout the year.”
The WHL Champion Rockets wasted little time in establishing a lead for themselves. Merkley converted on the first shot of the game, taking a feed from Draisaitl before going from skate to stick and in on the backhand just 52 seconds in.
Washington Capitals second rounder Madison Bowey extended that lead at 6:16, sending a shot toward the Rimouski goal that deflected off an Océanic defender and past Louis-Philip Guindon in the crease.
Rimouski seemed to pull things together nearing the midway point of the period though after being heavily outshot in the early going. Kelowna goaltender Jackson Whistle was forced into a sequence of bang-bang saves off Michael Joly and Samuel Morin from close quarters to keep his club up by two.
The Rockets would jump ahead by three before the Océanic would get on the board though. Merkley gave the pro scouts in attendance something to marvel at, dishing to teammate Gage Quinney on the backhand with Guindon down and out for the easy finish at 14:27.
Down 3-0, the final five minutes of the first would belong to Rimouski.
Captain Alexis Loiseau was the driving force behind Rimouski’s first goal at 15:14, winning an offensive zone draw before getting the puck back down low to find Christopher Clapperton in the slot as he jammed in his first of the MasterCard Memorial Cup.
President Cup Final game seven double-overtime hero Michael Joly pulled the Océanic within one before the conclusion of the period, walking off the boards on the powerplay to rip shot over the blocker of Whistle at 18:14.
The Océanic would register 11 of the period’s final 13 shots after Kelowna took 10 of the first 12.
That momentum however, would not carry over into the second.
Kelowna would be tripled up on Rimouski 6-2 after 40 minutes as the second of the night for Quinney and Merkley paired with Leon Draisaitl’s second of the tournament had them in full control when the buzzer sounded on the second.
After Quinney scored on the powerplay off a pass from Tyson Baillie just 1:52 into the period, Merkley’s second of the night came in fine style as he controlled a bouncing puck to somehow get it past Guindon.
Merkley’s goal at 10:42 would spell the end of the night for Guindon, who surrendered five goals on 22 shots.
Philippe Desrosiers wouldn’t go unscathed either as Rockets 2013 WHL Bantam Draft first round pick Dillon Dube found Draisaitl barelling down the middle at 13:18 to push the Rockets ahead by four with a quick trigger.
Frédérik Gauthier would give the Océanic a glimmer of hope in the third, putting a pinball-esque shot in from below the goal line off the skate of a Kelowna defender at 13:36, but in the grand scheme of things it would be of little consequence.
Draisaitl nullified the ground Rimouski had gained less than a minute later, blazing down the wing shorthanded to beat a white jersey before snapping one over the shoulder of Desrosiers and under the crossbar at 14:16 for his second of the contest.
The buzzer would sound on a 7-3 final score as the Rockets outshot the Océanic 36-31.
“It was crucial for our team to start with our foot on the gas,” Lambert added. “Unfortunately we gave them two goals in the last four minutes of the first which wasn’t what we had in mind, but I liked how we responded in the second.”
Draft eligible prospect Nick Merkley’s two goals and an assist would push him into the tournament scoring lead with three goals, two assists and five points in two games.
The Rockets (1-1) will square off with the OHL Champion Oshawa Generals (2-0) on Tuesday while the Océanic have a day to prepare for a much anticipated President Cup Final matchup with the Québec Remparts (1-1) on Wednesday. Both games will be aired across the country on Sportsnet and can be seen in Québec on TVA Sports.
