You name it, it happened Saturday night at Prospera Place. And now, after a game filled with wild, crazy swings that ultimately went Kelowna‘s way, the Rockets can now do the unthinkable on Monday night: Knock off the Everett Silvertips.
At Prospera Place, Tyson Barrie scored twice for Kelowna, and Lucas Bloodoff netted the game winner midway through the third period, as the Rockets staved off elimination with a 5-4 victory over Everett in WHL playoff action. With the win, Kelowna levelled the best-of-seven series at 3-3, with the deciding game going Monday, 7:05 p.m. at Comcast Arena in Everett, Wash.
“We knew our backs were against the wall and it was do or die,” said Barrie, the game‘s first star, whose team rallied in the third for the win. “We came out with a good effort and we had some unlucky bounces, but things came together in the third. We showed a lot of character, I thought.”
After the second period, many thought Kelowna‘s season was coming to an end, as Everett rallied from a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 lead. In the final frame, though, the Rockets swung back and scored twice, with Barrie hammering a power-play slapshot at 9:11 to make it 4-4, then Bloodoff jamming in a wrap-around attempt just 22 seconds later to make it 5-4.
From there, the game was Kelowna‘s to keep, and the Rockets hung on to their momentum despite Everett pulling its goalie for an extra attacker in the final minute.
“I thought we were the better team tonight,” said Barrie. “We had a lot of shots on net and we started gaining momentum. When we got those two goals in the third, that was huge for us and now we‘re going to try and carry this into Monday.”
The Rockets will need every ounce of momentum to win in Comcast. So far, the home team has won every game in this series, including Everett manhandling Kelowna 4-0 in Game 5 on Friday night.
“We‘re going to try and break that,” Barrie said of the home-team advantage. “Obviously, both teams are playing better at home, but I think we have the momentum and we‘re going to try and carry that into Everett.
“It‘s Game 7, so there‘s going to be a lot of excitement in both groups. If you can‘t get up for that, then just stay home because these are the games that are fun to play in, these are the games you want to be part of. You have to realize what‘s on the line: This is a chance for a lot of guys to show what they have, and the better the team does, the better you do individually.”
Heading into the first-round affair, nearly every WHL pundit was predicting an Everett victory. And maybe had the Tips hung onto their 4-3 lead, they would be celebrating a series victory. But in what‘s seemingly been tradition for Everett in this series, the Tips can‘t hold off the Rockets.
“For two periods it was a typical playoff game, where both teams have played a lot of hockey and there were a lot of mistakes,” said Silvertips head coach Craig Hartsburg, whose team wasted leads in Games 3 and 4 in Kelowna. “We had a chance going into the third and we just didn’t get it done.
“For whatever reason – I have no idea – but in this building when we get a lead we seem to want to sit back and play on our heels. Against a team like that they just keep coming at you. We didn’t do the job to put pressure on them. They’ve got a lot of character, a lot of guys who have won on that side, and they just keep coming.
“This series has been a roller coaster, really. It’s been a great series, I think both teams have competed hard and played desperate, and that’s why it’s been a roller coaster, because one team can’t dominate the other very long, so it seems to go back and forth.”
Shane McColgan and Codey Ito also scored for Kelowna. Scott MacDonald, who opened Saturday‘s scoring, Daniel Iwanski, Byron Froese and Shane Harper replied for Everett. Mark Guggenberger made 12 saves for the Rockets, while Kent Simpson turned aside 30 shots for the Silvertips.
ICE CHIPS: Kelowna‘s scratches were C Cody Chikie (shoulder), C Sean Aschim, D MacKenzie Johnston and RW Kyle St. Denis (concussion). Everett‘s scratches were D Radko Gudas (upper body), D Gabe Minville, C Tyler Giebel and D Chris de la Lande (upper body). Top of Page
