Rockets Grind out 3-1 Win Over Tri-City
(Photos: Marissa Baecker)
The Kelowna Rockets defeated the Tri-City Americans 3-1 in the opening game of the team’s best-of-seven, first round Western Hockey League playoff series Saturday night at Prospera Place in Kelowna.
Rourke Chartier opened the scoring for Kelowna and sealed the victory late in the third period with an empty netter that gave Kelowna the win in a tight battle to open the team’s playoff series.
“We knew they’d be tough, we prepared for that all weekend,” said Chartier on AM1150 following the game. “We saw last year what can happen when you get behind. This year we want to play ahead. We’re past any nerves now so we have to come back for game two with the same effort.”
The Rockets led 1-0 after the first before Brian Williams tied the game 1-1 early in the second period.
But a Myles Bell blast on a Rockets power play late in the second period gave the Rockets a 2-1 lead heading to the third and would stand up as the eventual game winner.
The series features two of the top netminders in the WHL and both Kelowna’s Jordon Cooke and the Americans’ Eric Comrie were as advertised. Comrie was the third star and Cooke the second as the Rockets outshot Tri-City 35-33.
“When you have a week off like we did it’s important to come out and get the first one,” said head coach Ryan Huska on AM1150. “We got rid of the nerves tonight and I think tomorrow night you will see a different game from us.”
Both teams found the net on the power play and finished the night 1-for-4 in front of 5,827 fans in Kelowna.
The Rockets now lead the best-of-seven first round series 1-0 with game two Sunday in Kelowna at 5:05 p.m.
