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View Full Version : Benn there, done that for Rockets



Malc
01-15-2009, 02:49 PM
By Doyle Potenteau

Mikael Backlund had a good debut. Jamie Benn, however, had a better goal. In his first WHL game after being assigned to Kelowna by the Calgary Flames, Backlund earned an assist on Benn‘s game-winning goal as the Rockets rallied to defeat the Tri-City Americans 3-2 on Wednesday night. Down 2-0 after the first period, Kelowna scored three unanswered goals in the third, with the last being the best goal of the game. After grabbing a Collin Bowman rebound, Benn began circling around Tri-City‘s right goalpost. But instead of going for a wraparound attempt, he went back against the grain and – in seemingly slow motion – neatly tucked the puck home in an almost nonexistent hole between the post and Americans goalie Chet Pickard. That Benn scored to give Kelowna the lead at 11:57 seemed unlikely, since Tri-City all but owned the first, outshooting Kelowna 17-3 and taking a 2-0 lead. In the third, though, the tide changed, as the Rockets outshot the Ams 11-5. “That was a sweet goal,” said Backlund. “Me, I was a little nervous because I didn‘t know what to expect, and maybe the team was, too. But we came back real strong and that‘s what good teams do. It was a good comeback and a good win.”

Cody Almond, with two goals, also scored for Kelowna (26-17-0-0). Benn‘s goal was his 25th of the season. Petr Stoklasa scored twice for Tri-City (30-12-0-2), which was playing its second game in as many nights, having whipped the Bruins 5-1 in Chilliwack on Tuesday night. Pickard made 21 saves for the Americans, while Mark Guggenberger, who was also making his Kelowna debut, stopped 26 shots for the Rockets. While Benn‘s goal was nice, Almond‘s second was controversial, as Tri-City initially argued it was kicked in. Driving to Tri-City‘s net on a rush with Stepan Novotny, it looked like Almond kicked in the centering pass, which automatically drew protests from Tri-City.

“It went off my foot, but I didn‘t kick it in; I angled it and they allowed it,” said Almond, who was Kelowna‘s best player. “We struggled in the first, generating offence, but once we settled down, I thought we really picked it up and played well.

“That‘s a huge win after being down 2-0. We have to give a lot of credit to the guys tonight because we played well as a team.”

“We argued it but I don‘t know if he angled it or kicked it,” said Pickard, whose team was unlucky not be up 3-0 or 4-0 after the first, so dominating was Tri-City‘s first period. “But that‘s what happens when you throw the puck to the net.”

“We played 20 minutes tonight, in the first, and then they took over,” Pickard said. “They‘re a good team over there; they threw pucks on the net, had a couple of lucky bounces and we didn‘t capitalize on our power play.

“I don‘t know if that was the turning point or not, but they came on strong. Once that line (of Backlund, Benn and Ian Duval) figured it out and played together a little bit and got the kinks out, they really dominated the game.”

ICE CHIPS: Kelowna‘s scratches were C Colin Long (head, day to day), D Tyson Barrie (Top Prospects Game) and RW Kyle St. Denis (hand, indefinite). Tri-City‘s scratches were D Jarrett Toll (hand, 2-4 weeks), C Kruise Reddick (concussion, day to day), RW Brock Zimak and G Drew Owsley... Kelowna was 1-for-3 on the power play; Tri-City was 0-for-5... The three stars were Almond, Benn and Stoklasa... Wednesday‘s game was the final meeting of the season between Kelowna and Tri-City, barring the post-season. The four-game series ended in a 2-2 tie.

http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/stories_local_sports.php?id=158374

Jake
01-16-2009, 01:33 PM
What's the head injury Colin Long is suffering from?

Is it a concussion?

Malc
01-16-2009, 02:53 PM
C Colin Long ("minor concussion") is expected to return to the Kelowna Rockets’ lineup this weekend against Prince George for a Friday-Saturday doubleheader with the Cougars.