ISight Optometry Recap: Rockets fight back to earn a point against Spokane

ISight Optometry Recap: Rockets fight back to earn a point against Spokane

The Kelowna Rockets fought back from a three goal deficit to force overtime but fell 6-5 to the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday night at Prospera Place.

However, with the Rockets victory on Friday night against Saskatoon, Kelowna secured three out of a possible four points from the weekend heading into a Wednesday night tilt with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

HIGHLIGHTS | BOXSCORE | POST GAME MALLETTE 

GAME SUMMARY

Caden Price got Kelowna on the board first when he fit the puck into a tight window short side on Chiefs goaltender Dawson Cowan for a 1-0 Kelowna lead. The advantage wouldn’t stand for long though as Spokane responded just over a minute and a half later to tie the game at one.

Spokane would come out hard in the second period, getting two goals from Seattle Kraken first-round pick Berkly Catton as well as leading goal scorer Shea Van Olm to put the Chiefs ahead by three in the second frame. Price would score his second of the night and fourth on the season on the power play in the frame’s final few moments to cut the deficit in half heading into the third period.

Kelowna’s power play would once again strike as Jakub Stancl sent a beautiful pass to Andrew Cristall who deposited the puck past a sprawling Cowan to get the Rockets within one. Cohen Harris would regain Spokane’s two goal lead but Kelowna wouldn’t go quietly into the night as they got back-to-back goals from Hiroki Gojsic to tie the game at two and send us into the extra frame where Brayden Crampton would score 51 seconds into overtime for a Spokane victory.

“The group didn’t quit,” said Rockets head coach Kris Mallette when asked about the team’s fight back to earn a point. “We’re working hard, we’ve just got to work smarter at times. It’s good for us to get the point out of it, but tough to not get the two.”