With captain Max Graham injured and Michael Cicek and Will Sharpe out due to sickness, Kelowna showed some grit in a 5-2 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds Saturday (Jan. 18) night.
The win followed a 4-3 overtime loss to Seattle at Propera Place on Jan. 17.
Rockets defenceman Jackson Gillespie (3) score twice, and Levi Benson, Jakub Stancl and Hayden Paupanekis added singles in the 5-2 road win. Goaltender Rhett Stoesser stopped 50 of the 52 shots he faced.
Gillespie scored his first goal late in the first period to put Kelowna up 1-0. Benson made it 2-0 halfway through the second period with his fourth goal of the season. Gillespie potted his second of the night seven minutes after Benson, to give the Rockets a 3-0 lead.
Seattle got on the board five minutes into the third period as Hyde Davidson scored his first goal of the season. Brayden Holberton closed the gap to 3-2 five minutes later. Kelowna91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s Jakub Stancl (16), and Hayden Paupanekis (12) added empty net goals in the last 90 seconds for the 5-2 win.
The Rockets were outshot 52-24 and went 1-2 on the powerplay.
Kelowna91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s next game is at Prospera Place on Tuesday, Jan. 21 against the Brandon Wheat Kings with puck drop at 7:05 p.m.
