By Larry Fisher

One step forward, two steps back.

The Kelowna Rockets are having a hard time trying to gain traction as they battle an early season funk. On Sunday night, they slipped again, falling 5-2 to the Vancouver Giants at Pacific Coliseum. The loss was the second in as many nights for the Rockets, who fell 3-2 to the visiting Victoria Royals on Saturday night. Prior to that, though, the Rockets ended a six-game losing skid by doubling up Vancouver 6-3 on Thursday night at Prospera Place.

Rockets head coach Ryan Huska didn’t feel his team was soundly outplayed on Sunday despite being outshot 37-28. He pointed to a power-play goal against in the third period — Brendan Gallagher’s team-leading 10th goal of the season in just his ninth game for Vancouver — as the game’s turning point. That man-advantage marker, at 5:37, made it 3-1 for the Giants after Kelowna’s leading scorer Shane McColgan gave the Rockets some momentum with his third goal and 13th point of the season late in the second.

“We turned over a puck when we had control and they scored off of a nothing play,” Huska said of Gallagher’s snap shot from the face-off circle that beat Adam Brown and stood up as the winner. “Those are the mistakes that are hurting us right now.

“We’re working hard, it’s just a matter of us working smarter. That’s our big thing. We do a lot of good things and then we shoot ourselves in the foot, and right now teams are capitalizing on us.”

Gallagher added three assists, factoring into almost all of Vancouver’s scoring, aside from Cain Franson’s late empty-net goal. Gallagher set-up Jordan Martinook twice, for his sixth and seventh goals of the season, and also had a hand in Jackson Houck’s icebreaker at 6:32 of the second period after a scoreless opening frame.

“I thought it was a quiet four-point night if that makes any sense at all,” Huska said when asked if Gallagher was the difference.

Cody Chikie, who made it 4-2, also scored for Kelowna (4-7-1-0). Brown, making his third start in four days, made 32 saves.

Giants goalie Adam Morrison, who was chased in Kelowna after allowing three goals on seven shots on Thursday, bounced back with a 26-save effort for Vancouver (6-6-0-1).

14 year-old (AP) RW Ryan Donaldson (birthdate: 10-Dec-1996) played his first regular season game for the Rockets.

ICE CHIPS: Kelowna scratched D Kevin Smith (shoulder), D Jesse Lees (upper-body), RW Brett Bulmer (Minnesota Wild), RW Carter Rigby (upper-body), RW Filip Vasko (suspension) and LW Jessey Astles (head).

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