Teal Burns of the Vancouver Giants, right, keeps close tabs on Max Adolph of the Kelowna Rockets during WHL exhibition action at Prospera Place in Kelowna on Friday, Sept. 2.
KELOWNA — As starts go, it was a winning one for the Kelowna Rockets.
At Prospera Place, Jordon Cooke made 25 saves for Kelowna, and Cody Chikie scored the game-winning goal, as the Rockets beat the visiting Vancouver Giants 4-3 in WHL exhibition action on Friday night. The game was the first of six pre-season contests for Kelowna, with the second taking place tonight, as the Victoria Royals visit Kelowna.
“There were a lot of positives (in the game),” said Rockets head coach Ryan Huska. “We had a long week of a lot of practices — twice on the ice every day. And I thought the guys did a good job of trying to apply some of the things we were getting across.”
Huska said most of Friday’s lineup will play tonight against Victoria, though he’s also trying to balance getting in as many players as possible.
“It’s exhibition,” said Huska. “There’s a lot of mistakes and miscues and missed assignments (in pre-season games), but that’s part of the learning process for a lot of these young guys who do get a chance to play. And a lot of them will be in their first game. As I said, I thought there were some good steps and definitely things for us to build on.”
Photo:
Gary Nylander
/The Daily Courier
Blake Orban of the Vancouver Giants, left, watches while Colton Heffley of the Kelowna Rockets tries knocking down an airborne puck during WHL exhibition action at Prospera Place in Kelowna on Friday, Sept. 2.
Jessey Astles, Tyson Baillie and Madison Bowey also scored for Kelowna (0-1), which led 2-1 after two periods, but trailed 3-2 with six minutes remaining in the third frame. James Henry, with two goals, including a soft wraparound that opened Friday’s scoring at 13:50 of the first period, and Neil Tarnasky replied for Vancouver (0-1). Jackson Whistle and Payton Lee split the goaltending duties, respectively stopping 13 and 14 shots.
As stops go, Cooke made a fantastic door-step save on Jackson Houck in the second period to keep the score 1-1.
“Jordan was good,” Huska said of Cooke, who also earned an assist on Chikie’s game-winning goal, a power-play marker at 2:48 of overtime. “I know the first goal was a little iffy that he let in, but, after that, he made some very big saves. And not just saves that were routine; he made some good ones that most nights were goals. He was good in his first game back.”
Said Cooke: “I thought we played a very good game. We went out and played our game plan; we kept it simple, just put pucks on net and went to the net.”
After Henry scored to make it 1-0, the Rockets levelled the contest less than a minute later, Astles with a quick shot from the bottom of the right faceoff circle on a give-and-go play. Baillie made it 2-1 at 15:51 of the second, with Henry levelling the score at 9:04 of the third and Vancouver going ahead 3-2 at 13:21 when Tarnasky scored. At 14:07, Bowey scored, cashing in Kelowna’s fifth power play of the night and forcing overtime.
And in overtime, Chikie ended the contest at 2:48 during a four-on-three power play by knocking in a behind-the-net centering pass.
ICE CHIPS; Scratches — Vancouver: Jordan Martinook, Tyler Hart. Kelowna: D Kevin Smith, D Colton Jobke, C Spencer Main, C Shane McColgan, Mark MacDougall and RW Brett Bulmer. . . . Kelowna was 2-for-6 on the power play; Vancouver was 0-2. . . . Adam Brown will start tonight for Kelowna against Victoria.
WHL exhibition
Giants 3 at Rockets 4 (OT)
KELOWNA — WHL exhibition Friday night:
First Period
1. Vancouver, Henry 1 (Sward) 13:50
2. Kelowna, Astles 1 (Sissons, Vasko) 14:46
Penalties — None.
Second Period
3. Kelowna, Baillie 1 (Chikie) 15:51
Penalties — Kulak Van (cross-checking) 2:43, Nielsen Van (tripping) 8:40, N. Burns Van (hooking) 12:49, Dunlop Van, Goulbourne Kel (fighting, game misconduct) 14:45, Bench minor Kel (too many men, penalty served by Astles) 19:03.
Third Period
4. Vancouver, Henry 2 (T. Burns, Kulak) 9:04
5. Vancouver, Tarnasky 1 (T. Burns, Sward) 13:21
6. Kelowna, Bowey 1 (Franko, Johnston) 14:07 (pp)
Penalties — Martin Kel (kneeing) 5:15, T. Burns Van (cross-checking) 6:22, Vannieuwenhuizen Van (tripping) 13:44.
Overtime
7. Kelowna, Chikie 1 (Severson, Cooke) 2:48 (pp)
Penalty — Kulak Van (slashing) 1:17.
Shots on goal by
Vancouver 5 11 12 0 —28
Kelowna 9 13 4 5 —31
Goal (shots-saves) — Whistle (start) (14-13), Lee (L, 0-1) (10:48 second) (17-14); Cooke (W, 1-0).
Power plays (goals-chances) — Vancouver: 0-2; Kelowna: 2-6.
Referee — Derek Zalaski. Linesmen — Kevin Bennett, Ward Pateman.
Attendance — N/A.
SCRATCHES — Vancouver: Jordan Martinook, Tyler Hart. Kelowna: D Kevin Smith, D Colton Jobke, C Spencer Main, C Shane McColgan, Mark MacDougall and RW Brett Bulmer.
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