Kelowna Rockets close out 2024 with 6-1 defeat in Wenatchee

Rockets glad for new year

For the Kelowna Rockets, 2024 couldn’t end soon enough.

The Rockets closed out the calendar year with a 6-1 defeat in Wenatchee Tuesday.

It was the Rockets sixth loss in a row and third straight in which they have managed just a goal.

Over the course of the losing streak, the Rockets have been outscored 32-10.

Hiroki Gojsic scored the lone goal for the Rockets, a power play marker early in the third with the Wild already enjoying a 5-0 lead.

It was his 10th of the season.

Eastyn Mannix and Caelan Joudrey got the Wild on the board with goals 35 seconds apart in the opening period. Then, goals just over a minute apart early in the second put the home side up four.

Maddix McCagherty’s goal just past the midway point of the second chased starter Jake Pilon who allowed five goals on just 11 shots.

Rhett Stoesser went the rest of the way allowing one goal on 15 shots.

The Rockets will open the new year Friday night in Kamloops before entertaining the Vancouver Giants Saturday.

Kelowna Rockets fall 3-1 to the Vancouver Giants Sunday

Rockets drop 5th straight

Photo: Steve Dunsmoor-file

In mid December, the Kelowna Rockets were a team on the rise. They had clawed their way back from an 0-5 start to sit two games above .500.

Since then, the Rockets have dropped five in a row and fallen three games below .500, the latest setback a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Vancouver Giants in Langley Sunday.

Max Graham scored the only goal for the Rockets, a power play marker five minutes in that tied the game at 1-1.

It stayed that way until 12 minutes into the second when Ty Halaburda scored what stood up as the game winner.

Halaburda broke up a Rockets entry at the Vancouver blueline, broke back the other way and, using a teammate as a decoy, wired a wrist shot past Rhett Stoesser from the right circle.

The Rockets had some chances to get the equalizer but could not beat Matthew Hutchison the rest of the way.

Halaburda iced it with his second into an empty net in the dying moments.

The loss drops the Rockets record to 13-16-2-1, tied with Kamloops for eighth in the Western Conference.

The Rockets will say goodbye to 2024 with a New Year’s tilt in Wenatchee Tuesday.

They play in Kamloops Friday before hosting Vancouver Saturday.

Kamloops score three unanswered in the third in come-from-behind win

Blazers trip up Rockets

Photo: Steve Dunsmoor

Inexcusable.

That’s how Kelowna Rockets head coach Kris Mallette described his team’s effort Saturday night in a 3-1 loss to the Kamloops Blazers before a full house at Prospera Place.

Kalder Varga scored the lone Rockets goal six minutes in after Kayden Longley stripped the puck from a Kamloops defender and fed Varga in the low slot.

But it was the Blazers, losers of six in a row, who provided much of the emotion and offensive spark, peppering Jake Pilon with 47 shots

Trailing 1-0 heading into the third, undisciplined penalties allowed the Blazers to score twice with the man advantage then ice it with an empty net goal.

"It's inexcusable. We say all the right things but that group in there right now is extremely stubborn,” said Mallette, clearly frustrated after the effort.

“We did it to ourselves with the amount of turnovers, the lack of urgency and then the discipline. The lack of discipline caught up to us.

“We had a game plan. You have to stick to it, not for a minute and 30 seconds but for a full two minutes.”

And, to give up 48 shots to a team below them in the standings?

“We did it to ourselves.

“They threw a lot of puck at him because they knew our defence were having a hard time making simple little plays.”

With four top players either away at the world juniors or injured, a number of younger players are seeing more minutes and playing in different situations then they are used to, but Mallette says that is no excuse.

These guys are all talented players, he said.

And, as for what’s available to the coaching staff to get the message across…not much.

They’re hearing me. I haven’t lost the room,” he said.

“It’s even hard to take minutes away. I guess at this point for us as a staff you might as well just throw whomever out there because at this point we’re just not getting it done.

“You can take minutes away but at the end of the day you are still trying to win the hockey game.”

John Szabo with a pair including the clincher into an empty net and Nathan Behm scored for the Blazers.

Enmitt Finnie had a pair of assists.

The Rockets don’t have to wait long to get back on the horse.

They travel to Langley Sunday to face the Vancouver Giants.

Kamloops Blazers drop seventh straight, falling in overtime loss to Vancouver Giants

Blazers fall 4-3 in OT loss

Photo: Twitter / Kamloops Blazers

The Kamloops Blazers held on through three periods, but fell 4-3 in overtime to the Vancouver Giants in their post-Christmas break return to Sandman Centre Friday night.

John Szabo, Emmitt Finnie and Conner Radke were the goal scorers for the Blazers, while Adam Titlbach, Connor Levis, Jakob Oreskovic and Cameron Schmidt scored for the visiting Giants.

The Giants opened the scoring late in the first, and the teams exchanged goals in the second period, tying up the game 2-2 heading into the third.

Oreskovic scored about six minutes into the third period, a goal that was quickly answered by Radke. A 3-3 tie forced the teams to overtime, but a goal from Schmidt about a minute in sealed the win for the Giants.

Matthew Hutchinson stopped 28 of 31 Blazers’ shots to earn the win in net. Dylan Ernst stopped 22 of 26 shots in the loss.

Announced attendance at Sandman Centre was 4,800.

With their seventh loss in a row, the Blazers sit at 12-18-2-0, ninth out of 11 in the WHL’s Western Conference, and the bottom of the B.C. division. The win moves the Giants to 14-13-4-0.

The Blazers will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Kelowna to take on the Rockets at Prospera Place.

The Blue and Orange will start the new year facing off against the Rockets again on Friday, Jan. 3 at Sandman Centre.