KELOWNA ROCKETS 4
VICTORIA ROYALS 3
Series tied 2-2
The Empire strikes back.
The defending Western Hockey League champion Kelowna Rockets tied the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series 2-2 with a 4-3 victory Thursday night at Prospera Place over the new kids on the block, the 2015-16 WHL regular-season champion Victoria Royals.
The winning goal came on the power play, with just 10.7 seconds remaining in regulation time, as Cole Linaker scored his first goal of the playoffs by deflecting home a well-placed point shot by Justin Kirkland.
鈥淚t was a one-shot game and they got the last one,鈥� said Victoria coach Dave Lowry.
鈥淚f there was positive, it was that I thought we played our best game of the playoffs.鈥�
It was a battle of defensive, face-off specialist 20-year-old forwards as Logan Fisher scored two goals for Victoria and Linaker the winner for Kelowna.
鈥淟ogan battled and competed tonight,鈥� said Lowry.
鈥淎 couple of our guys need to pay attention to that.鈥�
Victoria, which won its first two games of the series at home, hosts Game 5 tonight at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Game 6 is Sunday back in Kelowna. Game 7, if required, would be Tuesday in Victoria.
Of the travel, Lowry said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 no different for them. We both have to drive down, get on a boat, and be ready to go [tonight].鈥�
鈥淭he team that best plays within their system is going to win.鈥�
All four games in the series have been decided by one goal.
鈥淚t was a spectacular play by [Kirkland]. All I had to do was get a stick on it,鈥� said Linaker, of the winning goal, in his post-game interview on Shaw-TV. 鈥淲e talked about being a resilient group.鈥�
Which is exactly what these Rockets have been against a Victoria side that is projected now by many to be ascendant.
This series began with a changing-of-the-guard vibe. But the Rockets have thrown a spanner, at least for now, into that plotline
The Royals took the lead with their always-put-the-puck-on-net philosophy as Ethan Price followed up a Regan Nagy rebound at 10:45 of the first period. A fortuitous deflection off Victoria defenceman Ryan Gagnon allowed Kelowna to level 1-1 at 13:04. Kelowna took the lead off Tomas Soustal鈥檚 fifth goal of the playoffs, a deflection at 5:04 of the second period, following a turnover by Victoria captain Joe Hicketts. But the Royals took only 40 seconds to do what they do best 鈥� counter-attack. A precision stretch pass from Ryan Gagnon hit Fisher for a breakaway goal to quickly answer the Soustal goal.
A Kelowna power-play goal by Kirkland, from the point between the wickets of Victoria goaltender Coleman Vollrath at 5:21 of the third period, was answered by a Fisher deflection of a Gagnon point shot at 8:26 to tie it 3-3.
But Kirkland, a 2014 third-round NHL draft pick of the Nashville Predators, was to be heard from again on the point on the power play. The six-foot-three Kirkland is a prime example of Kelowna鈥檚 size advantage, although Victoria is a much faster side.
Michael Herringer, raised in the Comox Valley, was fine in goal for Kelowna with 32 saves. The veteran Vollrath made 27 saves for Victoria.
Special teams proved pivotal with Kelowna 2-5 on the power play and Victoria 0-5.
鈥淲e have to get back on our horse and find a way to win,鈥� said Lowry, of what has now become a best-of-three.
