The Prince George Cougars swiped away the first victory in their seasonal series with the Kelowna Rockets, downing them 6-3 on Friday night (September 30) at the CN Centre in Prince George, BC.
Kelowna got on the board first with a highlight-reel goal from Andrew Cristall. However, the momentum of the game shifted towards the end of the period when the Cougars netted a pair of power play goals seventeen seconds apart. Prince George continued to dominate throughout the second period, netting four unanswered goals. The Rockets made a goaltending change to start the third and pushed back in the final frame with a pair of goals to cut the Cougars lead in half.
Jari Kykkanen made 16 saves on 22 shots before being replaced by Nicholas Cristiano, who stopped the only two shots he faced in the third period.
The following night (October 1), the teams again took to the ice at the CN Centre. The Rockets picked up their first regular season win with a 5-1 victory over the Cougars.
The Rockets scored four unanswered goals through two periods of action. The Cougars broke Rockets starter Jary Kykkanen's shutout bid just before the midway point of the third period while on the power play. Gabriel Szturc responded for Kelowna, restoring the four-goal lead.
Andrew Cristall led the way for the Rockets, setting up four goals en route to earning first star honours. Twenty-year-old winger Adam Kydd was named the game's second star after posting a three-point (2G, 1A) night, registering five shots on net.
Kykkanen was named the game's third star, making 32 saves on 33 shots to pick up his first win of the campaign.
The Rockets will be back in action on Wednesday, October 5th, when they’ll host the Victoria Royals at 7:05 pm from Prospera Place.