Payworks Recap: Rockets fall 6-3 to Royals in season opener
The Kelowna Rockets opened the 2021-22 season with a 6-3 loss to the Victoria Royals on Friday night at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, BC.
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The Rockets opened the scoring midway through the first period when Pavel Novak (1) cashed in on a rebound. Carter Dereniwsky (1) tied up the game just before the end of the frame.
It's been 580 days since Pavel Novak last scored for the Rockets, he clearly hasn't forgotten how to find the back of the net. #mnwild | @pnovak111 | #WHLOpeningWeek pic.twitter.com/gBVkSr4BGj
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) October 9, 2021
The Royals exploded out of the gate in the second, getting goals from Anthony Wilson (1), Riley Gannon (1) and a pair from Brayden Schuurman (1, 2). Cole Tisdale replaced Rockets starter Cole Schwebius in net following the fifth Victoria goal. Nolan Flamand (1) and Novak (2) closed the gap and pulled Kelowna back within two.
Schuurman (3) capped off the hat-trick with an empty-net goal in the third.
Schwebius stopped 9 of the 14 shots fired on him, Tisdale turned aside the three shots he faced.
Marcus Pacheco, Gabriel Szturc and Caden Price all made their WHL regular-season debuts tonight. Sztruc and Price picked up their first WHL points with assists on Flamand’s goal
Royals netminder Tyler Palmer stopped 33 of the 36 shots he face on the way to picking up his first WHL win.
Both Kelowna and Victoria were zero-for-three on the man advantage.
The Rockets outshot the Royals 36-18.
Colton Dach, Mark Liwiski, William Irvine, Mark Liwiski, Nicholas Cristiano and Steel Quiring were the Rockets scratches.
Dach, who was returned to the Rockets from the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday morning, is expected to make his debut with Kelowna when they take on the Royals in the rematch tomorrow.
The Rockets are set to open the home portion of their regular-season schedule on October 15, 2021, against the Kamloops Blazers. Season tickets are now available to the general public for the upcoming 2021-22 Rockets season. Click here for details and pricing.
