The Kelowna Rockets wrapped up the exhibition schedule in Ladner against the Giants in an afternoon affair. The Giants won the contest by a 5-2 score.
The Rockets went with the same line up as Saturday night, with the addition of Eli Barrett who drew onto the roster for Sunday’s game with several Rockets away at National Hockey League training camps.
GAME SUMMARY
The game got off to a quick start as Vancouver got early goals from Aaron Obobaifo and Tyson Zimmer to go up 2-0. Kelowna answered just midway past the 1st period as Kalder Varga potted his first of the pre-season to make it 2-1. Giants forward Cameron Schmidt made it 3-1 but Levi Benson scored less than 10 seconds later to bring it back to a one goal game.
There was no scoring in the second period by either team and Vancouver got insurance markers from Jakob Oreskovic and Obobaifo to give the game its final score of 5-2.
Kalder Varga had a strong night posting a two point performance and Levi Benson finished the pre-season with four points in four games.
To view the box score from tonight’s game click here.
ADDITIONAL STATS
- Kelowna was 0/6 on the powerplay, while Vancouver was 2/6
- Shots were 38-21 in favour of Vancouver
- Rookie Kalder Varga had two points on the afternoon registering a goal and an assist
UP NEXT
The Rockets will now get set to host the Portland Winterhawks in the home opener on Saturday, September 21st with puck drop going at 6 PM.
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The Kelowna Rockets fell 3-2 in overtime to the Vancouver Giants in their third pre-season game Saturday night at Prospera Place.
With several players away attending National Hockey League training camps, the Rockets went with a smaller roster for the contest, giving Kelowna’s young players ample opportunity to gets their reps in before the regular season kicks off on September 21.
GAME SUMMARY
The first period went by without a goal as the two teams played a tight checking opening frame. The second period saw things open up as Kelowna got two goals in under a minute, the first coming from Luke Schelter off a nice tic-tac-toe play with Levi Benson and Owen Folstrom. 17-year-old forward Jaxon Kehrig would get his first of the exhibition season off a nice feed from Brett Calhoon to make it 2-0 home side.
Vancouver responded quickly to make it 2-1 as Ryan Lin’s point shot beat Jari Kykkanen to make it 2-1. The Giants would tie the game at two off a goal from Jakob Oreskovic at 14:20 of the second period. There was no scoring in the third period, as Kykkanen made several solid saves to keep the game tied and send it to overtime.
After Kalder Varga went off for tripping, Tyson Zimmer scored the overtime winner on the power play to give Vancouver a 3-2 victory.
“Our guys were working hard,” Rockets head coach Kris Mallette said post-game. “There’s a lot of competitiveness in that group and a lot of guys are still trying to find their way and prove to our staff that they have what it takes. There are some learning curves, but they’re definitely a momentum-driven group.”
To view the box score from tonight’s game click here.
ADDITIONAL STATS
- Kelowna was 0/1 on the powerplay, while Vancouver was 1/4
- Shots were 31-26 in favour of Vancouver
- Rookie Levi Benson now has points in all three Rockets pre-season games, registering a goal and two assists
