Malc
01-02-2011, 05:33 PM
If the Kelowna Rockets were one of those e-mail smiley faces, they‘d be the one with the frown. For after losing 5-2 to the visiting Spokane Chiefs at Prospera Place on Saturday night, there wasn‘t much to be happy about.
You won‘t win too many games when the opposition gets twice as many pucks on net as you do – which happened to be the case, as Spokane outshot Kelowna 38-19 en route to winning their first game of 2011. The result also snapped the Rockets‘ four-game winning streak.
“We got schooled tonight,” Rockets acting head coach Ryan Cuthbert said of what was a lacklustre effort from his side. “They‘re probably the hardest-working team in the league. They come at you all night and we weren‘t ready for it and we didn‘t respond in a good way at all.”
Levko Koper led the way for the visitors with a hat trick, including an empty-net goal, while Brady Brassart and Darren Kramer added singles for the Chiefs (22-10-3-2), who showed why they‘ve been one of the best teams in the WHL recently, dominating for much of the night.
The Chiefs took it straight to the Rockets – pounding a half-dozen shots on goalie Adam Brown before Kelowna managed to get a single puck on Spokane netminder James Reid – and jumping to a quick 2-0 lead on the strength of first-period goals from Koper on the power play and Brassart. The goals were less than two minutes apart.
Koper banged in a loose puck in the slot at 11:22 for his first goal of the night to put the Rockets on their heels, and things didn‘t get much better after that.
Kelowna, which has played three games in five days since the Christmas break, was credited with only two shots on goal in the first 20 minutes, and managed only eight officially by the second intermission. Shane McColgan got Kelowna within one at the 1:24 mark of the second, but the Rockets could get no closer.
Colton Sissons‘ third-period tally with the score 4-1 in the visitors‘ favour provided a late spark for the Rockets, who, despite
seven power-play chances, came up dry with the man advantage. Spokane was 1-for-3.
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/stories_local_sports.php?id=321670
You won‘t win too many games when the opposition gets twice as many pucks on net as you do – which happened to be the case, as Spokane outshot Kelowna 38-19 en route to winning their first game of 2011. The result also snapped the Rockets‘ four-game winning streak.
“We got schooled tonight,” Rockets acting head coach Ryan Cuthbert said of what was a lacklustre effort from his side. “They‘re probably the hardest-working team in the league. They come at you all night and we weren‘t ready for it and we didn‘t respond in a good way at all.”
Levko Koper led the way for the visitors with a hat trick, including an empty-net goal, while Brady Brassart and Darren Kramer added singles for the Chiefs (22-10-3-2), who showed why they‘ve been one of the best teams in the WHL recently, dominating for much of the night.
The Chiefs took it straight to the Rockets – pounding a half-dozen shots on goalie Adam Brown before Kelowna managed to get a single puck on Spokane netminder James Reid – and jumping to a quick 2-0 lead on the strength of first-period goals from Koper on the power play and Brassart. The goals were less than two minutes apart.
Koper banged in a loose puck in the slot at 11:22 for his first goal of the night to put the Rockets on their heels, and things didn‘t get much better after that.
Kelowna, which has played three games in five days since the Christmas break, was credited with only two shots on goal in the first 20 minutes, and managed only eight officially by the second intermission. Shane McColgan got Kelowna within one at the 1:24 mark of the second, but the Rockets could get no closer.
Colton Sissons‘ third-period tally with the score 4-1 in the visitors‘ favour provided a late spark for the Rockets, who, despite
seven power-play chances, came up dry with the man advantage. Spokane was 1-for-3.
http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/stories_local_sports.php?id=321670