The Kelowna Rockets made a couple of statements in Victoria this weekend - to the tune of a 15-5 total.
Having dropped five of their last seven games and having lost two key players to season-ending shoulder surgeries prior to the two-game road set, uncertainty and adversity had suddenly surrounded the previously red-hot Rockets, who had reeled off 23 straight home wins and climbed as high as No. 4 in the CHL's weekly top-10 rankings.
Kelowna, now ranked No. 6, could be on the top-10 rise again next week, after convincingly sweeping the host Royals 8-3 on Friday and 7-2 on Saturday in Victoria.
"It was important for us to have a good effort and I thought we got that both nights," said Rockets head coach Ryan Huska. "I liked our game tonight, we were pretty good for the majority of the game and we did a good job early on, capitalizing on a couple power-play opportunities."
Kelowna's power play was 3-for-7 in both games, accounting for six of the 15 goals.
For a second straight night, the Rockets chased import goalie Patrik Polivka by scoring three times on six shots to open Saturday's game. Backup Coleman Vollrath didn't fare much better, allowing four more goals on 31 additional shots.
Cody Fowlie, with two goals, Colton Sissons, Tyson Baillie, Jesse Lees, Tyrell Goulbourne and MacKenzie Johnston provided the offence for Kelowna (44-15-3-1), which led 3-1 and 5-2 at the period breaks. Jordon Cooke made 26 saves.
The Royals got goals from defencemen Jack Walker and Jordan Fransoo.
The Rockets next host the seventh-place Seattle Thunderbirds (21-32-7-1) in a potential playoff preview Thursday at 7 p.m.