Rockets drop Winterhawks 6-2

October 4th, 2013 – Kelowna, BC

Rich Abney – kelownarockets.com

The Kelowna Rockets made a huge statement with a convincing 6-2 win over the defending WHL champion Portland Winterhawks on Friday night at Prospera Place in Kelowna. In the first game of a back-to-back series with Portland, it was a 20 year old goaltender and 16 year old forward who were the story for the Rockets.

Jordon Cooke was sensational in net, and rookie winger Nick Merkley scored two goals for the second straight game, helping Kelowna stake their claim as a team to watch in the WHL this season. Cooke faced 44 Winterhawk shots, turning away 42 of them, many in spectacular fashion. 

Portland opened the scoring just 4:41 into the game, threatening to continue their early season offensive brilliance. The Hawks had scored 30 goals in just 5 games so far, but Cooke was not about to let his team fold. The Rockets play in the defensive zone was sloppy, and it was Cooke who held them in the game. A Myles Bell wrist shot halfway through the opening frame knotted the score at 1 apiece, and that’s how it stood after 20 minutes. 

Coach Ryan Huska must have said the right things in the first intermission, as the Rockets looked like a different team in the 2nd. Merkley drew a Hawks penalty as he deked into the slot, and Bell buried his second of the game on the powerplay to give the home team a 2-1 lead. The game was still tight as both teams pushed for momentum. That source of momentum came from an unlikely source, as 17-year-old defenseman Riley Stadel dropped the gloves with a far larger combatant in Winterhawks forward Steven Alldridge. Stadel, who stands 5’10 and weighs 160 lbs was giving up 5 inches and 40 lbs to Alldridge, but that was the spark the Rockets needed.

Kelowna built on the young defenseman’s courage, as Merkley got a goal of his own at the 18 minute mark of the second, converting a pretty Tyson Baillie pass on a 3-on-2 rush. The second period ended with the Rockets leading 3-1.

The 3rd period’s first ten minutes were tense, as the Winterhawks mounted an attempt at a comeback, peppering Cooke with some tremendous scoring chances. But the goaltender was up to the task, turning away WHL scoring champ Nic Petan on a couple glorious chances that would have made the game far closer. 

Riley Stadel left his stamp on the game in another way as he scored on a powerplay blast from the high slot to give the Rockets a 4-1 lead and a firm grip on the game. The Hawks didn’t go down without a fight as their captain Taylor Leier scored during 4-on-4 hockey to make it 4-2. But soon after, Merkley came out from behind the net and jammed home his second of the game, and essentially sealing it for Kelowna. A late Colton Heffley marker served as insurance, as the Rockets downed one of their rivals 6-2.

The Rockets move to 4-0-0-1 on the season; their only loss coming in a shootout defeat at the hands of the Victoria Royals. The Winterhawks fall to 3-2-0-1, but will receive a boost when Brendan Leipsic returns to the lineup tomorrow night for the second game in the back-to-back series. Leipsic managed a CHL-best 120 points last year, and his injection into the lineup will give the Rockets something to think about. 

Rockets coach Ryan Huska knows that Portland will regroup tonight and comeback even harder on Saturday night.

“We challenged our leadership group.  Tomorrow night is a great test for us, moreso than tonight.  They are going to be a different team.  They are going to come harder, and it’s going to be a real tough test and we will have to be better tomorrow night if we want to win.”

The puck drops tomorrow at 7:05 at Prospera Place.