Bruins move to Victoria to become the . . .

Well, the worst-kept secret in WHL history is now official, and love it or hate it, the Chilliwack Bruins have relocated west to Victoria.

On Wednesday, the league held a press conference announcing the move. Below is a WHL press release.

There's also a name-the-team poll, but don't expect to find any exciting monikers; they're rather vanilla. Being located on Vancouver ISLAND, I thought the Islanders would be amongst the bunch. But, nope, it's not. Or maybe something with a nautical theme, since now it's only a matter of time before the Nanaimo Clippers join the league.

Here is Victoria's new website

Here are links about the story are here and here and here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20th, 2011
WHL RETURNS TO VICTORIA FOR THE 2011-12 SEASON

VICTORIA, BC - It's been almost 20 years, but the wait is over for hockey fans on Vancouver Island. The WHL will return to the City of Victoria next season, the Western Hockey League and RG Properties Ltd. announced today.

The WHL Board of Governors has approved the sale of the WHL franchise in Chilliwack and its relocation to Victoria effective starting with the 2011-12 season. Graham Lee, whose company RG Properties developed, built and operates the 7,000-seat Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, has purchased the franchise and will move the WHL franchise to the B.C. capital for the start of next season.

"We are very excited to bring WHL hockey back to Victoria," said Lee. "From the day we first got involved with this building over a decade ago, our goal has been to look at all opportunities that will bring excitement and entertainment to the city as well as providing economic benefits. Bringing a WHL team to Victoria exemplifies that commitment."

"We are very pleased to be in a position to announce the WHL will be returning to the City of Victoria and Vancouver Island next season," commented WHL Commissioner Ron Robison.  "Although any relocation is a difficult process, we know the Victoria market will be a great addition to the WHL."

"The WHL is a part of Canadian hockey culture. The league is all about community, and our focus with the team is all about being a strong partner in the community," said Dave Dakers, President of RG Sports and Entertainment. "Vancouver Island's top young players will now have the chance to play at the highest level right here at home in front of a hometown crowd."

"It is exciting to have a WHL team back in the Capital City. It is an opportunity to be part of building the future of hockey," said Mayor of Victoria, Dean Fortin. "Our new team will greatly add to the diverse and family-friendly entertainment that makes our city great."

The WHL is the premier junior hockey development league in the country and had more players drafted in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft than any other League in the world, with 43 players selected in all and seven selected in the first round.

The B.C. capital was home to a WHL franchise for 23 seasons from 1971 to 1994.  During that period, Victoria's WHL teams produced over 50 NHL players including well-known stars such as Geoff and Russ Courtnall, Grant Fuhr, Mel Bridgeman and Greg Adams, just to name a few. The WHL Victoria Cougars franchise was relocated to Prince George in 1994.

"It's going to be great to see local kids in WHL uniforms on the Island!  I think we'll see bigger crowds, there is more of a local appetite for this brand of hockey. That should also give a boost to local businesses to get behind the team," said John Tinker, President and Owner of Big Stake Ventures and Victoria Keg Steakhouses.

About the WHL

Western Hockey League (WHL) is the largest major junior hockey league in the world today with 22 member Clubs throughout Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The WHL attracts over 4 million spectators each season to regular season and playoff games and is a world leader in player development and scholarship opportunities.  Each season the WHL is one of the top leagues from which players are selected from in the NHL Entry Draft. Currently over 20% of all NHL players are graduates of the WHL. The WHL is also a leading provider of post-secondary scholarships with over 400 scholarships awarded each year to current and graduate WHL players, more than any other league in North America. The WHL is a member of the Canadian Hockey League (together with the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) which consists of 60 member clubs from coast to coast in Canada and the northern United States.

About RG Properties Ltd.

RG Properties Ltd. is a diversified real estate development company with hotel and arena developments and operations, shopping centre holdings, industrial property holdings, residential developments and community rink developments and operations through its Planet Ice brand. It also owns and operates Boomers Sports Grills, Mission Fitness, Selectyourtickets.com and Officepools.com, the world's largest online hockey pool management provider.

Other than hockey......

With hockey season officially over in the Okanagan, it's time to take a look at other sports.

Such as this crazy bike video.

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/bike_race.html

Or this skydiving video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMxXHY1f8Xk&feature=related

And, of course, there's always this.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84i7Yheey3g

Good future in store for talented, youth-laden Rockets

The Kelowna Rockets have a bright future ahead of them. That, however, was little consolation on Monday, with the franchise still feeling the stinging loss of having been eliminated from the WHL’s playoff picture.

Less than 24 hours after falling 4-2 to the Portland Winterhawks in Game 6 of their second-round series on Sunday, and losing the best-of-seven set 4-2, Kelowna held player exit meetings on Monday. With most players expected back for 2011-12, the Rockets should be a serious contender next season.

“We know there’s a very good possibility that we get Adam Brown back as our starting goalie for next season,” said Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton, whose team compiled a regular-season record of 43-28-0-1 and 87 points. “And we also have (back-up) Jordon Cooke, so we’re real happy in goal.

“The big hole will be losing (top defenceman) Tyson Barrie. But we have a group of real, good young guys who played a lot this season, and who will help fill (that hole). Up front, other than Mitchell Callahan and Geordie Wudrick and Evan Bloodoff, that’s all we’re losing.”

Drafted by Detroit, in the sixth round and 180th overall in 2009, Callahan may or may not return to Kelowna for what would be a fourth and final season of junior eligibility. The 5-foot-11 right-winger has been an effective spark plug since joining Kelowna in 2008.

“We’re certainly not planning on him being back,” said Hamilton. “We are not falling into that trap, because, if you do, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. If Detroit decides to send him back, sure, we’d be excited about having him. But I think we’re moving ahead, planning on him not being here.”

Hamilton also said he’s “not convinced that our 19-year-old players, other than Brown, will be guarantees as over-agers next season. That’s  something we’ll sit back and evaluate over the next little while as to what we’re going to do.”

Hamilton added that the general feeling in the locker-room on Monday was disappointment.

“The team felt that we could have won (on Sunday) and pushed the series to Game 7,” said Hamilton. “But from another side of it, our young players — like Damon Severson, MacKenzie Johnston and Shane McColgan and Zach Franko — made such great strides this season. There’s lots of things going on here that are positive.”

In other news, the Edmonton Oilers signed Kelowna product and Saskatoon Blades forward Curtis Hamilton to a three-year entry level contract on Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Edmonton selected Hamilton, a 6-foot-3 left-winger who was born in Tacoma, Wash., but raised in Kelowna, in the second round, 48th overall, of the NHL’s 2010 draft. This past season, Hamilton had 26 goals and 82 points plus 22 penalty minutes for Saskatoon. In 10 playoff games this spring, Hamilton had four goals and 11 points.
Later Monday, Hamilton left for Edmonton’s AHL farm team in Oklahoma City.

Valiant effort for Rockets, Barrie

The tears in Tyson Barrie‘s eyes said it all: The Kelowna Rockets‘ playoff run is over, and so is his junior career.

Despite a valiant effort in the third period, Kelowna couldn‘t overcome a good start by Portland, and the Winterhawks eliminated the Rockets with a 4-2 victory in WHL playoff action on Sunday night. The result earned Portland a 4-2 series win in this second-round meeting and a trip to the Western Conference championship.

For Kelowna, it was a complicated, emotional series loss. Not many gave the Rockets much of a chance against Portland and its high-octane offence. Yet, the Rockets not only pushed Portland to six games, but gave the Winterhawks all they could handle, and then some.

But . . . they still lost. And the game was likely Barrie‘s last in a Rockets uniform, with life in professional hockey to begin next fall.

"My career here has been unbelievable," said Barrie, whose four-season stint with Kelowna began with seven games as a midget call-up in 2006.

The next season, Barrie became a full-time defenceman, and the rest is great history. In 256 regular-season games with the Rockets, the 5-foot-10 rearguard recorded 51 goals and 228 points. In 51 playoff appearances, the 19-year-old from Victoria was even better, with 10 goals and 44 points in 51 games.

"I came here as a 15-year-old, played a few games and I‘ve met so many good friends here," said Barrie, who was selected in the third round, 64th overall by the Colorado Avalanche in the NHL‘s 2009 draft.

"I‘ve been coached so well here and treated so well here (in Kelowna) . . . it‘s a great place to play junior here. It‘s sad to see it coming to an end.

"Maybe right now is kind of a time to reflect. I‘ve had such a good time here . . . I don‘t want to leave, really, but I guess I‘m ready to take the next step in my career. But I want to say thanks to everybody who‘s treated me so well here."

Also having their junior careers come to an end on Sunday night were Kelowna‘s three over-age players: forwards Evan Bloodoff and Geordie Wudrick plus defenceman Zak Stebner.

"Tyson and our three 20-year-olds; it‘s not an easy day," said Rockets head coach Ryan Huska. "There were some tears in their eyes in the dressing room. It‘s hard when they realize it‘s coming to an end, and when they‘ve played their last shifts, so it‘s difficult to see them (like this).

"They‘re still young guys and it‘s hard on them when you don‘t win your last game."

Asked about Game 6, and Kelowna‘s game effort, which saw the Rockets fight back from period deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 to make it close in the third, Barrie said he was proud of his team.

"They got those two (goals) in the first period and that was tough," said Barrie. "Once we got our first one and then our second one in the beginning of the third, I thought we had a chance. I liked the way we battled and the way we didn‘t give up. There were a few chances we had that we could have put in . . . it‘s always tough losing.

"It would have been nice to get this one and force a Game 7, because, in my playoff experience, Game 7s can always go either way.

"So that would have been ideal, but hockey doesn‘t always go the way you want it to.

"But like I said, I liked the way we competed in this series, especially. I thought we left everything on the ice."

Said Huska: "I‘m proud of the way our guys played in this series. There were two games at home where we probably deserved a little bit better. We had a little bit of a slower start today, but there was no quit in our guys. Against a very good hockey team, I thought we did a very good job. It‘s just that we couldn‘t find a way to get the wins that we needed."

For their part, the Winterhawks credited Kelowna with a good series, adding that getting pushed in this series can only help them.

"Our players should feel good about that," said Huska. "I just think that the tough pill for them to swallow is that we didn‘t get it done, and that‘s why we play at this time of the season. It‘s difficult if the effort isn‘t there, but our guys competed for the six games."

In other action on Sunday night, Blake Gal scored in overtime for Spokane, as the Chiefs beat the Tri-City Americans 3-2. Spokane leads the series 3-2. 

Rockets’ season comes to end

Ryan Johansen missed not once, but twice. Good thing Joe Morrow was spot on.

Sven Bartschi had a three-point effort for Portland, with a goal and two assists, as the Winterhawks erased the Kelowna Rockets from the WHL playoff picture with a 4-2 win on Sunday night.

The game, however, was much closer than Portland‘s two-goal victory. So close, in fact, that it took an empty-net goal by Morrow with three seconds left to seal the win after Kelowna came close to tying the contest several times in the dying minutes. 

Johansen had not one, but two cracks to seal Portland‘s victory, yet came up short both times.

The first was with about six minutes left, a point-blank wrister into a wide-open net, but the puck rolled on the Winterhawks‘ top forward at the last second and his shot completely missed the target. The miss was so unbelievable that even the pro-Rockets crowd groaned in disbelief.

Why, even Johansen couldn‘t believe it, as he looked upwards, his hands pressed against his head. His second chance, with 30 seconds remaining and Rockets goaltender Adam Brown pulled for an extra attacker, also missed the target.

But 24 seconds later, from Portland‘s zone, Morrow iced the game with a long shot into Kelowna‘s goal, and now the Winterhawks are off the Western Conference championship, having won this second-round series in six games, 4-2.

"I don‘t know what was happening," Johansen said with a smile when asked about his two missed empty-net shots. "The first one, the puck kinda rolled up on my stick and was flat against my blade and it went to the left. I had no words for that . . . this team needs me to step up and to miss shots like those, really, it‘s not a good feeling.

"Obviously, we got the big win and finished off the series, which is the main thing, and I‘m obviously happy about that, but that can cost you a game, those empty nets. You have to make sure you put those away. I‘m glad Morrow made the shot; he can have the empty-nets. That was a great play by him, especially late in the game like that. Definitely a relief, a big relief."

Ty Rattie and Craig Cunningham also scored for Portland. Geordie Wudrick and Brett Bulmer, with their fourth playoff goals, replied for Kelowna, which trailed 2-0 and 3-1 at the period breaks.

The Rockets drew to within one in the final frame, and had many chances to tie the game, but couldn‘t force overtime.

Brown made 35 saves for Kelowna, which was eliminated in the second round for a second straight year. Mac Carruth turned aside 45 shots for Portland, which advanced to the Western Conference championship for the first time since 2001.

"This was a real tough series, and I give a lot of credit to Kelowna," said Portland general manager and coach Mike Johnston. "They have a very good hockey team, and you can tell that some of their guys who drive their team - like their coaching staff and Evan Bloodoff and Tyson Barrie - are guys who have playoff experience. Our guys haven‘t had that experience, but you could see that (Kelowna) competed right to the end.

"They pushed this series, and we knew it was going to be a tough series, and it was. Now our team really has playoff experience. When you‘ve been through something like we‘ve just went through, it only makes you better, it makes you tougher, it makes you more hardened. We went through a lot of adversity in this series, losing Brad Ross (three-game suspension) and we lost Riley Boychuk early in this game; we lost Pearce Eviston earlier on, so we had to make some adjustments and adapt a little bit. But that‘s playoff hockey; that‘s what you have to do if you‘re going to make it through."

Carruth was simply solid in net for Portland when it counted, especially in the final period, when the Rockets outshot the Hawks 19-10.

"They had their backs up against the wall in the third, and they came out flying. They played a heck of a third period," said Carruth, who made 18 stops over the final 20 minutes. "As a goalie, you have to enjoy (the pressure). I loved it. The fans were on me and they were coming hard. Luckily, I didn‘t let any in and we came out on top.

"I think in the long run, this is something we‘re going to look back on and say this made us better. Losing in overtime in our own barn wasn‘t fun (2-1 in Game 5 on Friday), then having to get on the bus and come up here. But this will help us, especially if we go to Game 7 against anybody." 

Big game needed from Brown

Fantastic in Game 1, stellar in Game 5. If the Kelowna Rockets are to stave off post-season elimination again tonight, they’ll need yet another incredible effort from Adam Brown.

On Friday, Kelowna’s top goaltender was lights-out good, making 54 saves and backstopping the Rockets to a stunning 2-1 overtime win over the Portland Winterhawks.

The result pushed this second-round set to a sixth game, 5 p.m. at Prospera Place, with the Hawks still in the driver’s seat, holding a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven affair, and Kelowna still facing elimination.

“I thought the boys played really hard; it was probably our best game of the series,” a sweat-dripping Brown said after Game 5. “We just battled all the way through, and the chances we did give up, a lot of them were shots from the outside and they were cleaning up the rebounds for me.”

Brown said his best save was “a rebound in the second period. The shot came in and then I (stretched out) and got Ty Rattie (with a pad save) on the rebound.”

That save was one of many, as Portland peppered Brown with 21 shots in the middle frame.

“I probably should have had a hat trick in the first period,” Rattie told The Columbian. “Pucks weren’t bouncing my way. Maybe next game.”

Asked if at any point he was thinking of just how many shots were coming his way, Brown said “the only thing I was thinking was ‘Wow! This is pretty exciting.’ The crowd was really into it, and it was a lot of fun.”

Fun? This series, with it’s David vs. Goliath underscore, has been fantastic.

Statistically, Portland should be resting right now, considering its bigger, deeper roster. Yet, the Rockets, with a never-give-up attitude, are literally pushing the Winterhawks, whom, with Saskatoon now eliminated from the playoffs, are now considered to be the No. 1 team in the league. That Kelowna is pushing Portland shows that playoff hockey is just as much about heart as it is skill.

“It was a great result; that’s why we (went to Portland),” Brown said after Game 5. “We’re bringing it back home for Game 6, and the plan is to win that one and come back (to Portland) for Game 7.”

Whoa; one game at a time, there.

In Games 3 and 4 at Prospera Place, the Winterhawks won both of them, 5-4 and 4-2, and they averaged almost 40 shots per game in both.

In Game 3, the Hawks were outshot 42-37, but in Game 4, they outshot Kelowna 39-26. Total shots this series: 229 to 170 for Portland.

“We felt we’ve played well in this series, so we still have to continue to do the same type of thing,” said Portland Winterhawks general manager and head coach Mike Johnston. “If we’re going to get 45 to 50 shots, we should be able to get three goals. You never know, though.

“I think our game plan has been solid and we try to make adjustments every game to get better, and that’s what we’ll continue to do. It’s a seven-game series, so, as I’ve told our players, every series you enter, you expect that’s it’s probably going to go seven and you have to be ready for every game.”

Hopefully tonight’s fans at Prospera will be loud, like Portland’s were. Throughout Game 5, the Hawk faithful were either constantly cheering Portland or jeering Kelowna. Chants of ‘Brown, You Suck!’ could be heard, although they knew, and later admitted, that Kelowna’s ’keeper was having a great game.

Yours truly had a good time interacting with fans in front of media row. Many wondered where Kelowna was, and who the two young players were to my right, those being Kelowna’s healthy scratches, Gal Koren and Andreas Stene.

When Nino Niederreiter scored for Port-land late in the second period, and The Rose Garden and its 8,505 fans exploded with sound, a handful of fans turned around and teased Koren and Stene, asking them for high-fives. The two Rockets smartly declined, but they were later asked for autographs by those same fans.

As much fun as the fans were having, it wasn’t a fun night for Winterhawks centre Ryan Johansen, who was laid out with a hard, bone-rattling hit by Rockets forward Evan Bloodoff early in the second period.

After taking a pass at Portland’s blue-line, then briefly fumbling it, Johansen was caught after looking down for a split second, then looking up after gaining control. Anticipating the play, Bloodoff timed his fast, hard hit perfectly, a check reminiscent of when Calgary Hitmen defenceman Michael Stone exploded into Rockets forward Mikael Backlund during the 2009 WHL championship series. 

Stone’s check not only levelled his European opponent, but Back-lund’s helmet, both gloves and stick all went flying.

In this case, Johansen’s helmet went flying, and he was knocked to the ice. However, Johansen showed a lot of moxy by getting up and skating off under his own power, slowly doing circles and regaining his composure before taking a seat on Portland’s bench.

His game afterwards, though, didn’t seem to be its normal, suddenly explosive self. In the post-game media scrum afterwards, Johnston said that Johansen was OK.

“I thought he rebounded well after that,” said Johnston. “It was a hit that just stunned him; it didn’t hurt him or anything. It was a big hit, but I thought he came back off that hit and played a really good game. He was skating well and had some chances.

“In Kelowna, I thought he was skating better, but I think they just have better ice.”

With Kelowna having played the harder-hitting team in this series — evidenced by stinging hits on Johansen, Riley Boychuk, Nino Niederreiter and Pearce Eviston (who missed Game 5 after getting hit along the boards in Game 4) — one thing is for certain: Regardless who wins this series, they’ll need a lot of bags with ice to keep the swelling down.

Mistake-free hockey? Who wants that?

Have a desire to suddenly grow grey hair? Become a junior-hockey coach, where stress-inducing mistakes happen all the time.

Case in point was Friday night at The Rose Garden in Portland, where players from both the Kelowna Rockets and Winterhawks made errors. One mistake cost Portland the game; the other almost cost Kelowna its 2-1 overtime victory.

The Rockets somehow escaped what should have been a sure loss when defenceman Colton Jobke was hit with a boarding major and game misconduct late in the first period for checking Portland forward Brad Ross from behind. After making a pass up the right halfwall, Ross watched the play develop, then was plastered into the boards by Jobke.

Ross wasn’t hurt, though he suffered a small cut on his cheek.It must be noted, however, that Ross was playing in his first game back after serving a three-game suspension for a high, hard hit on Kelowna forward Zach Franko in Game 1. Franko, who suffered a broken nose and concussion, hasn’t played since.

Then, to make matters worse for Kelowna, defenceman Kevin Smith flipped the puck into the stands, earning a delay-of-game penalty and handing a Portland five-on-three for two minutes. The Hawks, however, couldn’t cash in, squandering what could have been a game-turning moment.

“I’m sure it’s a hit that Colton would like to take back, because he did put us in a tough situation for a while,” said Rockets head coach Ryan Huska. “(The play) forced our penalty killing to do a great job.”

“It was an important part of the game, yeah,” said Portland general manager and head coach Mike Johnston. “We had three power plays and we scored on one, but we would have liked to have scored on that five-on-three, for sure. Early in the game, that would have set the stage and it would have given us momentum.”

On Saturday, the WHL handed Jobke a one-game suspension, calling him a repeat offender, having been handed a seven-game suspension for an interference major against Chilliwack in February.

In response, the Rockets called up midget blue-liner Madison Bowey, 15, of Winnipeg. The six-foot blue-liner played three games with Kelowna during the regular season, recording one assist, though the Rockets said they could have also called up their first-round pick from 2010, Jesse Lees, who was chosen ninth overall. Bowey was selected in the second round, 23rd overall.

“We feel comfortable with either of these players, and both Madison and Jesse are going to be good players for us,” said Rockets president and GM Bruce Hamilton. “We opted for Madison because he has been skating with the team most recently. If anything else happens, Jesse will be next up.”

Concerning Portland’s mistake, it happened in overtime when defencemen Derrick Pouliot and Tyler Wotherspoon were passing the puck to each other at Kelowna’s blue-line. Predicting a pass, Kelowna right-winger Jessey Astles stuck his stick out and broke it up, with the puck skittering into the neutral zone. From there, he outraced Portland’s two defenceman to the puck for a breakaway, which he converted, beating Portland goalie Mac Carruth.

Asked if he saw the winning play transpire, Johnston said “Yup, it was right in front of me. Wotherspoon passed it to Derrick, Derrick went back to Wotherspoon and they intercepted it and went down on a breakaway.

“(Astles) had a breakaway earlier in the series, and he scored on that one, coming out of the penalty box. I’m not sure if Mac had enough time to even read who the guy was coming down on him, but you play a breakaway as you play a breakaway — you’re not exactly sure what the guy’s going to do.”

“He put it right where he wanted to,” Carruth told The Oregonian. “It was a really good shot, and, unfortunately, I couldn’t come up with that save.”

Johnston called the intercepted pass “a mistake on Pouliot’s part. He’s a young player who made a mistake. He should have taken a shot on goal or laid it behind the net; that’s what you do in those situations. The ice isn’t great, it’s late in the game, it’s warm in the building. You want to make sure you get pucks to the net or behind the net.”

Even there, behind the net, players make mistakes. That’s how Portland’s only goal on Friday night came, when Rockets blue-liner Tyson Barrie passed the puck behind his net, only to have it intercepted by Nino Niederreiter. From there, Nino circled out front and slipped the puck past Rockets goalie Adam Brown to make it a 1-1 contest.

Saturday's game will also be filled with mistakes, make no mistake about that. Maybe they’ll be costly, maybe not. Either way, watching players develop, mistakes and all, is what makes junior hockey so wonderful.

Rockets, Brown stave off Hawks

PORTLAND, Ore. — Jessey Astles: Breakaway expert. Who knew?

The Portland Winterhawks certainly know now.

Astles scored the game-winning goal for Kelowna on Friday night, cashing in a breakaway opportunity in overtime, as the Rockets stunned the Winterhawks 2-1 in WHL playoff action at The Rose Garden. Kelowna’s win extended this second-round series, which Portland still leads, albeit 3-2 now and not the commanding 3-1 margin the Hawks had heading into Game 5.

“This was a tough one; we knew it was do or die,” said Astles, who, at seven minutes of overtime, picked off a pass at Kelowna’s blue-line, skated the length of the ice on a breakaway, then scored, going high blocker on Portland goaltender Mac Carruth. “We had to leave everything on the ice and that’s what we did.

“We kept at it, and, luckily, I got that breakaway and capitalized on it.”

The goal was Astles’ second of this series, with his first also being a successful breakaway marker that went five-hole in Game 2 last Sunday. 

“He’s taking over from Geordie Wudrick in that category,” said Rockets head coach Ryan Huska. “I’m happy for Jessey because he’s a guy who doesn’t get a lot of notoriety and it's nice to see him get a little bit of the spotlight. I thought he played a very good game for us tonight, and, to be honest, I felt a little bit of comfort with him going in (on a breakaway) because he does have a good skill set, too.”

Yet, if it hadn’t been for a lights-out effort from Rockets goaltender Adam Brown, who made 54 saves, this game wouldn’t have went to overtime.

“He shut the door for us all night,” Astles said of the game’s first star. “He made some really key saves, and he was great for us.”

“From the second period on, we relied on Adam very heavily,” said Huska. “He made some very big saves for us, and when you look at your starting goaltender at this time of the season, there are some games where he has to go over and above the type of performance that he has to have, and he was very, very good tonight.

“He gave us everything that he had, and he allowed us to get the win.”

Mitchell Callahan, with his fifth goal of the playoffs, also scored for Kelowna, which will host Game 6 on Sunday, 5 p.m., at Prospera Place. Nino Niederreiter, with his seventh playoff goal, replied for Portland, which outshot Kelowna 55-38. Both markers were power-play goals in the second period.

Carruth made 36 saves for Portland, which, despite heavy pressure throughout the game, couldn’t beat Brown.

“Tonight was a hard battle,” said Portland general manager and head coach Mike Johnston. “We had enough shots, we had enough scoring chances; we just couldn’t convert.”

Asked if his bench was getting frustrated with Brown consistently turning Portland away, Johnston said “no, not really. I thought (Carruth) made some good saves as well, so it was going both ways.

“We had some opportunities around the net. I didn’t think the ice was particularly good at certain times of the game, especially in the last 10 minutes. This ice gets pretty heavy and I thought that affected a lot of the play around the net; on heavy ice, it’s more difficult to get your shot away.”

ICE CHIPS: Games scratches — Kelowna: LW Zach Franko (head), C Gal Koren, RW Jason Siebert (wrist), C Andreas Stene and C Max Adolph (head). Portland: D Josh Hanson, D Brett Ponich (knee, indefinite), C Chase De Leo, LW Oliver Gabriel (shoulder, indefinite), C Pierce Eviston (undisclosed injury), LW Taylor Leier and C Jason Trott.

Rockets 2 at Winterhawks 1 (OT)

PORTLAND, Ore. — WHL on Friday night:

First Period

No Scoring.

Penalties — Chikie Kel (tripping), Leipsic Por (interference) 8:47, Rattie Por (tripping) 13:41, Jobke Kel (boarding major, game misconduct) 16:34, Smith Kel (delay of game) 17:37, Ross Por (roughing) 19:58.

Second Period

1. Kelowna, Callahan 5 (Stebner, McColgan) 4:38 (pp)

2. Portland, Niederreiter 7 15:09 (pp)

Penalties — Bench minor Por (too many men, penalty served by Leipsic) 3:27, Peters Por (elbowing) 10:12, Severson Kel (tripping) 14:36, Goulbourne Kel, Ross Por (roughing) 15:59.

Third Period

No Scoring.

Penalties — Pouliot Por (tripping) 11:24.

Overtime

3. Kelowna, Astles 7:08

Shots on goal by

Kelowna 8 16 9 5 —38

Portland 16 21 10 8 —55

Goal — Kelowna: Brown (W, 6-3); Portland: Carruth (L, 7-2).

Power plays (goals-chances) — Kelowna: 1-5; Portland: 1-3.

Referees — Andy Thiessen, Nathan Wieler. Linesmen — Chris Carlson, Justin Hull.

Attendance — 8,505.

Winterhawks in command

Nino Niederreiter doesn’t know, or care, how he recorded three assists on Wednesday night. All he knows is that one more win tonight, and the Portland Winterhawks can rest easy for a few days.

For the Kelowna Rockets, who trail this best-of-seven series 3-1, a loss tonight means resting for a few months.

“Just playing the puck and just moving the puck,” Niederreiter answered with a smile when asked how, on a night when no one else on either team had more than one point in Portland’s 4-2 victory in Game 4, that he had three helpers. “Yeah, they were lucky points, but, at the end of the night, I’ll take those points because it’s all about the win.”

At least one assist was lucky, a pass on Joe Morrow’s game-winning power-play goal early in the third period. After dishing off to Craig Cunningham, Niederreiter then peeled off to Portland’s bench. A few seconds later, Cunningham passed to Morrow, who, just inside of Kelowna’s zone, ripped home a slapshot that made it 3-1.

Call it puck luck, chance, fate, whatever you want, Portland is beating Kelowna in this department, mostly because the Winterhawks are creating their chances. Yes, the Rockets are also creating lucky chances, but unlike their Oregon opponents, Kelowna isn’t creating as many, nor are they chasing in. The proof of that lies in just how many big saves Rockets goaltender Adam Brown had to make in Games 3 and 4 versus his Winterhawk counterpart, Mac Carruth.

“Sometimes when you’re pressing, when you’re trying to get something done offensively, players have a tendency to grip the stick a little bit tighter,” Rockets head coach Ryan Huska said on Kelowna’s losing battle with puck luck this series. “We were pressing (on Wednesday) a little bit, and, I think because of that, it seems there’s no puck luck or no bounces.

“But we have nothing to lose now. We have nothing to save it for, so we have to go Portland and we have to win a game; that’s what it really comes down to now.”

What Wednesday’s game came down to were a series of small, series-defining moments.

After losing Game 1, Portland’s offence has consistently been scoring back-to-back goals.

In Game 2, the Hawks scored at 6:55 and 9:21 of the second, then, after a Rockets goal, at 15:29 and 19:52 of the second, then again at 4:26 of the third.

In Game 3, they lit the lamp at 4:07 and 13:42 of the second, then at 18:18 of the second and 9:50 of the third.

It was more of the same in Game 4, as Portland made it 1-0, then 2-0 at 12:25 and 13:04 of the first.

By contrast, over those same three games, the Rockets have scored just back-to-back goals once, at 14:50 and 15:53 of the first period in Game 2.

Also, Portland’s big players are shining in crunch time, whereas Kelowna’s are not. In Game 4, for example, Portland’s top line of Johansen, Niederreiter and Riley Boychuk was held in check for most part. But when it came to crunch time, Niederreiter and Johansen put up a play that all but crunched Kelowna’s chances in this series.

Trailing 3-2 and pressing to tie the game, the Rockets instead went down 4-2 when Niederreiter sprung Johansen on a breakaway with less than four minutes remaining in the game. Johansen converted his chance, going five hole with a lightning-quick wrist shot, giving Portland not only victory, but what appears to be an impossible stranglehold break in this series.

“Every goal is huge,” said Niederreiter, “but that goal kinda sealed the deal.”

Johansen now has seven points (four goals, three assists) in this series, with all seven points coming in Games 2 to 4. Niederreiter, meanwhile, has seven points, with five points (two goals, 3 assists) coming in Games 3 and 4.

On the flip side, Geordie Wudrick, Kelowna’s top goal scorer during the regular season with 43, has just one goal against Portland. And Mitchell Callahan, the Rockets’ gritty sparkplug who had seven points in Kelowna’s four-game sweep of Prince George in the first round, has just one point in the second round, that being an assist in Game 4.

“If you really look at it, I thought Johansen had one of his best games (on Wednesday night),” said Portland general manager and head coach Mike Johnston. “When he’s skating, he’s tough to handle. That line, Johansen, Nino and Boychuk, that was a real tough line, and his goal was key. They were pressing, they scored and they had a little bit of momentum.

“But it’s one of those series where your big players have to come up big at the right time.”

Johnston added that this series “is a physical battle and you expect that it’s going to be like that every night. I thought it was a hard-fought game . . . both games (in Kelowna) were actually that way. (Game 4) was more of a hockey game with flow, whereas (Game 3) was filled with penalties, and that interrupted the flow.”

Johansen said Game 4 “was really (defensively) tight out there, especially with not many penalties. Both teams were rolling their lines and it was another great game.”

Asked if he was surprised being up 3-1 at this point — which he shouldn’t have been, as most pundits and fans had Portland beating Kelowna in either five or six games — Johansen said “I have to say I wouldn’t think so. We’re playing really strong coming after that first game loss, and now we have to keep it going.”

Niederreiter said while it’s nice being up 3-1 with a chance to close out the series on home ice tonight, they’re not thinking Kelowna will fold its playoff tent with ease.

“We need four wins to go to the next round,” said Niederreiter, a 6-foot-2 forward who was selected fifth overall by the New York Islanders in 2010 and, barring the unforeseen, will be playing in the NHL next season. “The next game is do or die for them, so we’ll take it how it comes.

“We just have to play the same style we have so far. It’s going to be a tough battle out there; they have to win and we don’t have to, but we want to seal the deal at home. It’s going to be a tough one.”