Blazers Deserve Better in 4-3 Loss to Rockets
September 26, 2015 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kamloops Blazers News Release
A missed offside call on the Rockets fourth goal turned out to be the winning tally as the Kelowna Rockets defeated the Kamloops Blazers 4-3 in Kelowna Friday night.
The Rockets were the stronger team out of the gate and scored on their first shot of the game. Dillon Dube made a great pass to Tyson Baillie as he buried the first goal 53 seconds into the game.
The Blazers tied the game up 7:44 into the first period. Garrett Pilon took a quick shot on a turnover beating goaltender Jackson Whistle high on the blocker side to make it 1-1. For Pilon, it was his first career WHL goal.
The Rockets outshot the Blazers 11-5 in the first period.
Tyson Baillie would give the Rockets a 2-1 lead 1:15 into the second period on an odd man rush. He ripped a shot past goaltender Connor Ingram.
Jesse Zaharichuk tied it just under a minute later on a 2-on-1 rush. He held on to the puck before roofing it over Whistle to make it 2-2.
Tomas Soustal made it 3-2 with 2:45 to play on a rebound that snuck through Ingram.
The backbreaker was a goal on a breakaway by Justin Kirkland. Kirkland was offside on the play, but the goal stood up to make it 4-2 for the Rockets with only 35 seconds left in the second frame.
The Blazers continued to get stronger as the game wore on outshooting the Rockets 28-19 over the final two periods.
Spencer Bast cut the Rockets lead to 4-3 as he took a puck to the net and jammed it in for his first career WHL goal.
The Blazers had pressure with the goaltender pulled for the final 1:45 of the game, but did not score in a 4-3 loss to the Rockets.
Final shots on goal were 33-30 for the Blazers. The Blazers were 0-for-6 on the power play, while the Rockets finished 0-for-3.
Jackson Whistle earned the win with 30 saves, while Connor Ingram took the loss making 26 stops.
These two teams will go at it again on Saturday night as the Blazers host the Rockets in their home opener at the Sandman Centre.
Western Hockey League Stories from September 26, 2015
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- Blades Strike Gold - Saskatoon Blades
- Blazers Deserve Better in 4-3 Loss to Rockets - Kamloops Blazers
- Broncos Spoil Wheat King Home Opener - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Rockets Win Opener 4-3 - Kelowna Rockets
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