Malc
12-18-2008, 03:03 PM
By Doyle Potenteau
Kris Lazaruk received an early Christmas gift. So did Shane McColgan. Lazaruk turned aside 31 shots and McColgan scored his first WHL goal as the Rockets defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-0 at Rexall Place on Wednesday night. The win snapped a three-game losing streak as the Rockets closed out a difficult three-game road trip. Those frustrations, however, were quickly forgotten Wednesday after Lazaruk, playing in his hometown, had a fairly easy night between the pipes in guiding Kelowna to victory.
"A shutout win, at home, I guess I couldn‘t have asked for a better gift," said Lazaruk, 20. "Our defence played great; they kept everything to the perimeter, and the shots I couldn‘t see, they were out there blocking them. They did a great job in letting me see the pucks tonight."
Meanwhile, McColgan‘s gift was two-fold: A greasy goal scored from the right boards, one which will certainly be displayed on the mantle in his Manhattan Beach, Calif. home. Just 37 seconds after the opening faceoff, the winger spun, fired, and, somehow, the puck went in the net.
"I talked to (linemate) Mitchell Callahan afterwards because I thought it went off him," said McColgan, who was called up from his midget team, the Los Angeles Junior Kings, for two games. "But it tipped off one of their skates and it went five-hole (on Oil Kings goalie Torrie Jung). After the play, Jung came up to me and said "You got me there." But it was a good game, Laz had a great game in net and I got my first (trophy) puck. Hopefully it‘s the first of many to come."
Cody Almond and Dylan Hood, both with empty-net goals, also scored for Kelowna (20-14). The Rockets won‘t play again until Dec. 27, when the Kamloops Blazers visit Prospera Place. Edmonton (15-19-2-3) enters the Christmas break having lost three straight and four of its last five games. The Oil Kings have now suffered four shutout defeats this season. Jung made 21 saves. The loss also marked the second time this season the Oil Kings lost to the Rockets, with Kelowna having defeated Edmonton 5-2 on Nov. 2 at Prospera Place.
"It‘s four games in a row where a puck has gone off our guy and in our net," said Jung, a former Rocket. "Obviously, we didn‘t catch a break there."
The Oil Kings also couldn‘t catch a break on the power play, as Edmonton went 0-for-7, including a minute-long five-on-three midway through the second period.
"Our power play is pretty disappointed without having capitalized on that five-on-three," said Jung. "But, at the same time, give Kelowna credit. Their penalty kill was pretty good and... at times, we probably should have put the puck in the net, but it didn‘t go that way for us."
The Oil Kings almost broke Lazaruk‘s shutout bid in the third period when a point shot bounced off Kelowna‘s goalie, then popped up into the air. Edmonton‘s Craig McCallum, parked to the left of Lazaruk, knocked the puck in, but referee Chris Crich immediately, and correctly, called the goal off, saying it was a high stick.
"He had the point shot and it came through traffic and hit my glove," said Lazaruk. "I didn‘t know where it went from there, but I guess it popped up and luckily it was a high stick."
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/stories_local_sports.php?id=153846
Kris Lazaruk received an early Christmas gift. So did Shane McColgan. Lazaruk turned aside 31 shots and McColgan scored his first WHL goal as the Rockets defeated the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-0 at Rexall Place on Wednesday night. The win snapped a three-game losing streak as the Rockets closed out a difficult three-game road trip. Those frustrations, however, were quickly forgotten Wednesday after Lazaruk, playing in his hometown, had a fairly easy night between the pipes in guiding Kelowna to victory.
"A shutout win, at home, I guess I couldn‘t have asked for a better gift," said Lazaruk, 20. "Our defence played great; they kept everything to the perimeter, and the shots I couldn‘t see, they were out there blocking them. They did a great job in letting me see the pucks tonight."
Meanwhile, McColgan‘s gift was two-fold: A greasy goal scored from the right boards, one which will certainly be displayed on the mantle in his Manhattan Beach, Calif. home. Just 37 seconds after the opening faceoff, the winger spun, fired, and, somehow, the puck went in the net.
"I talked to (linemate) Mitchell Callahan afterwards because I thought it went off him," said McColgan, who was called up from his midget team, the Los Angeles Junior Kings, for two games. "But it tipped off one of their skates and it went five-hole (on Oil Kings goalie Torrie Jung). After the play, Jung came up to me and said "You got me there." But it was a good game, Laz had a great game in net and I got my first (trophy) puck. Hopefully it‘s the first of many to come."
Cody Almond and Dylan Hood, both with empty-net goals, also scored for Kelowna (20-14). The Rockets won‘t play again until Dec. 27, when the Kamloops Blazers visit Prospera Place. Edmonton (15-19-2-3) enters the Christmas break having lost three straight and four of its last five games. The Oil Kings have now suffered four shutout defeats this season. Jung made 21 saves. The loss also marked the second time this season the Oil Kings lost to the Rockets, with Kelowna having defeated Edmonton 5-2 on Nov. 2 at Prospera Place.
"It‘s four games in a row where a puck has gone off our guy and in our net," said Jung, a former Rocket. "Obviously, we didn‘t catch a break there."
The Oil Kings also couldn‘t catch a break on the power play, as Edmonton went 0-for-7, including a minute-long five-on-three midway through the second period.
"Our power play is pretty disappointed without having capitalized on that five-on-three," said Jung. "But, at the same time, give Kelowna credit. Their penalty kill was pretty good and... at times, we probably should have put the puck in the net, but it didn‘t go that way for us."
The Oil Kings almost broke Lazaruk‘s shutout bid in the third period when a point shot bounced off Kelowna‘s goalie, then popped up into the air. Edmonton‘s Craig McCallum, parked to the left of Lazaruk, knocked the puck in, but referee Chris Crich immediately, and correctly, called the goal off, saying it was a high stick.
"He had the point shot and it came through traffic and hit my glove," said Lazaruk. "I didn‘t know where it went from there, but I guess it popped up and luckily it was a high stick."
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/stories_local_sports.php?id=153846