Recap | Feb. 16 | Rockets (2) @ Royals (3)
Victoria, BC – Friday night was an evening for hockey as the Victoria Royals (26-21-4-4) played host to the Kelowna Rockets (24-27-3-0) at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in the first of back-to-back meetings between the B.C. Division foes. Heading into the game, the Royals had won four of the head-to-head six meetings to this point in the season. 20-year-old Braden Holt got the start for the Royals, while Jari Kykkanen earned the nod for Kelowna.
Click here for the full game summary
As the season nears it’s conclusion, points become even more critical down the stretch, and that was evident during the opening frame as neither side wanted to provide the other team with any room to work with.
That would change late in the opening frame as Victoria found a breakthrough. It was Dawson Pasternak (21) tallying the goal in his first game back up-front as he showcased his impressive skillset. The 20-year-old forward grabbed the puck off the halfway before making a dash towards the front of the net as he slotted the puck with poise and precision in between the five-hole of Kykkanen.
They carried that momentum into the following minutes as they aimed to extend their lead to two. It was Tyson Laventure (23) notching his team-leading tally, and 150th career point, following a perfect pass from Pasternak who made no mistake in waiting out the Rockets defence as he found Laventure at the back-door. Cole Reschny drew the secondary assist as the newly formed line paid early dividends.
That would be the final tally in the opening frame as the Royals carried a two goal cushion into the second as they looked to grab control of the game in the middle stanza.
They would do just that as Dawson Pasternak (22) earned his second of the contest midway through the period. It was once again the line of Pasternak, Laventure and Reschny providing the spark for the home side as they added their third of the game. This time around, it was Pasternak dazzling with a toe-drag around the Rockets defence before unleashing on a quick snap shot that evaded the reach of Kykkanen.
Kelowna fought back following the third Royals goal as they earned their first of the contest late in the period. Tij Iginla (36) continued his impressive season as he found the back of the net with assistance from Marek Rocak and Dylan Wightman. That would be the final marker in the middle frame as the Royals held the same two-goal lead heading into the third.
The game would stay in the same position for a majority of the period with Kelowna aiming to pull themselves within one, and they would do that as the game approached the final minute. Caden Price (10) found the top corner through a flurry of traffic as he released a wicked wrist-shot that propelled by Holt with 1:02 left on the clock.
Kelowna would push for the equalizer as they pulled the goalie for an extra-attacker, but Holt stayed strong as the Royals prevailed 3-2.
Victoria and Kelowna will square off tomorrow night at 6:05PM at the SOFMC.
