Rockets hold off Ams 7-5
The Kelowna Rockets scored two third-period goals to hold off the Tri-City Americans 7-5 in a wild back-and-forth game Saturday night at Prospera Place.
The Americans (17-23-2-0, 36 points) tied the score at 4 in the second with Beau McCue’s second goal of the night, only to see the Rockets go out front 5-4 on a goal by Lucas Johansen with less than 5 minutes left in the period.
Kelowna (29-10-3-0, 61 points) took a 6-4 lead early in the third before Vladislav Lukin cut the deficit to 6-5 at 15:32.
The Rockets scored in an empty net with 1 second left in the game for the final margin.
Jeff Rayman and Parker Wotherspoon also scored for Tri-City, while Parker Bowles had three assists.
Americans starter Nick Sanders gave up three goals on 11 shots and was pulled in the first period. Evan Sarthou finished the game, stopping 27 of 30 shots.
Tri-City, which has lost three in a row, will host Saskatoon on Friday and Regina on Saturday.
Rockets 7, Americans 5
Tri-City | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 5 |
Kelowna | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | 7 |
First — 1, Kel, Kirkland 14 (Linaker, Soustal), 1:58. 2, TC, Rayman 3 (Wotherspoon, Bowles), 5:07. 3, TC, McCue 16 (Lukin), 7:03. 4, Kel, Thurkauf 8 (Johansen, Chartier), 9:21 (pp). 5, Kel, Baillie 26 (Lind, Dube), 9:47. Penalties — Thurkauf, Kel (tripping), 2:54; James, TC (tripping), 8:45.
Second — 6, Kel, Dube 18 (Foote, Baillie), :57. 7, TC, Wotherspoon 8 (Bowles, McCue), 3:27 (pp). 8, TC, McCue 17 (Wotherspoon, Bowles), 9:31. 9, Kel, Johansen 6 (Merkley, Thurkauf), 15:33 (pp). Penalties — Smart, Kel (hooking), 2:31; Bowles, TC (cross-checking), 4:17; Smart, Kel (tripping), 7:19; Merkley, Kel (high-sticking), 11:32; Bowles, TC (kneeing), 14:04; Gatenby, Kel (holding), 16:12; Wotherspoon, TC (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:45; Kirkland, Kel (roughing), 17:45.
Third — 10, Kel, Chartier 8 (Johansen, Merkley), 6:30 (pp). 11, TC, Lukin 12, 15:32. 12, Kel, Merkley 13 (Kirkland), 19:59 (en). Penalties — Rayman, TC (holding), 6:12; Ballhorn, Kel (interference), 18:26; Topping, TC (interference), 18:54.
Shots — TC 8-11-8 — 27. Kel 18-7-17 — 42. Power plays — TC 1-6. Kel 3-4. Goalies — TC, Sanders (11 shots-8 saves), Sarthou 14-20-2-0 (9:47 of 1st, 30-27). Kel, Herringer 10-4-1-0 (27-22). Referees — Adam Griffiths and Sean Raphael. A — 5,348.
This story was originally published January 9, 2016 at 11:15 PM with the headline "Rockets hold off Ams 7-5."