Cody Fowlie couldn't buy a goal on Thursday night. Less than 24 hours later, he scored twice, including the winner, as the Kelowna Rockets escaped with a 5-3 victory over the host Vancouver Giants in WHL action.
Fowlie netted his ninth and 10th goals of the season, with the help of a little luck, as Kelowna was fortunate to earn two points in a lacklustre effort on Friday night in front of 9,414 fans at Pacific Coliseum.
Fowlie's go-ahead marker, tallied on a power play at 7:26 of the third period, was an intended cross-crease pass for Zach Franko that redirected past Giants goaltender Tyler Fuhr. Earlier, Fowlie made it 2-0 at 15:28 of the first period by capitalizing on a careless Vancouver turnover.
The previous night saw Fowlie stopped on three point-blank scoring chances, including a clear-cut breakaway, as he had to settle for the hardest-worker honour in Kelowna's 7-3 victory over the visiting Kamloops Blazers at Prospera Place.
At Vancouver, Dylen McKinlay, with his 11th and 12th, including a shorthanded marker to round out the scoring, and Tyrell Goulbourne, with his fourth, also lit the lamp for the Rockets (25-10-1-1), who led 2-0 after the first period but were tied 3-3 through 40 minutes.
The Rockets were outshot 27-19, including 23-8 through two periods.
It was Kelowna's first trip to Vancouver this season, and Jackson Whistle finished with 24 saves to get the better of his former team, having been traded by the Giants to the Rockets during training camp in September. A 17-year-old West Kelowna native, Whistle's biggest stop came late in the second period when he got a blocker on Cain Franson's penalty-shot attempt.
Franson scored minutes later, while Trevor Cheek and Carter Popoff, both with power-play goals, also replied for the Giants (9-26-0-0), who got 14 stops from Tyler Fuhr in a losing cause.
ICE CHIPS: Kelowna scratched C Colton Sissons (suspected concussion, day-to-day), G Jordon Cooke (foot, day-to-day), D Mitchell Chapman (ankle, indefinite), RW Henrik Nyberg (upper-body, day-to-day), C Rourke Chartier (World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, West) , RW Austin Glover (U-17, West) and D Riley Stadel (U-17, Pacific). Huska said Sissons is likely to return on Sunday when the Rockets host the Everett Silvertips, 5 p.m., while Cooke could also be back for that contest.