Kelowna Falls to Victoria

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WHL Kelowna Rockets

Kelowna Falls to Victoria

March 20, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


Victoria Royals' Logan Pickford versus Kelowna Rockets' Gabriel O'Brien
Victoria Royals' Logan Pickford versus Kelowna Rockets' Gabriel O'Brien
(Kelowna Rockets, Credit: Steve Dunsmoor )

The Kelowna Rockets dropped a highly contested battle to the Victoria Royals on Wednesday night at Prospera Place as the visitors got a late goal from Reggie Newman for a 5-3 victory.

GAME SUMMARY

Kelowna would open the scoring in the second period when Hiroki Gojsic scored his 19th goal of the season when he deposited a Dawson Gerwing past Royals goaltender Jayden Kraus for a 1-0 lead. The Rockets would make it 2-0 when Levi Benson reached double digit goals on the season when he scored his 10th of the year. The Royals would bounce back with three goals of their own, as Cole Reschny would score back-to-back goals and Brandon Lisowsky would pot his 39th of the season for a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.

Jakub Stancl would tie the game with a backhand goal on the power play, but Reggie Newman would deflect a goal past Rhett Stoesser for the game winner. Kenta Isogai would score into the empty net to make it 5-3.

"I thought we played really well tonight. We played a hard game, thought we earned our opportunities, we played sound in front of our goaltender, closed off time and space which was something we really wanted to focus on," said Rockets Interim Head Coach Derrick Martin. "In moments where we had a miscue or a breakdown, our goaltender was big tonight. We gave ourselves an opportunity. Are there a couple of plays we would like back? Yes, but the same probably could be said on the other side."

"The game winner is puck luck that we're not getting a whole lot of right now, which is something they (Victoria) earned over the course of the year so they get the two points and we feel a little bit empty tonight but as a coach I'm super proud of the group for their effort."

ADDITIONAL STATS

Victoria outshot Kelowna 37-33

Both teams went 1/2 on the power play

Rhett Stoesser made 32 saves

UP NEXT

Kelowna will wrap up the regular season this weekend with the Fan Appreciation Game taking place on Saturday, March 22nd against the Kamloops Blazers. Kelowna will then head to Vancouver on Sunday to take in the Giants in their regular season finale.

Tickets can be purchased online at selectyourtickets.com, by calling Select Your Tickets at 250-762-5050 or by visiting the Select Your Tickets box office at the Prospera Place box office. The box office is open 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and opens at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday home game days.

Check out the Kelowna Rockets Statistics




Images from this story

Victoria Royals' Logan Pickford versus Kelowna Rockets' Gabriel O'Brien
Victoria Royals' Logan Pickford versus Kelowna Rockets' Gabriel O'Brien
(Steve Dunsmoor )		   

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 20, 2025


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