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WHL Kelowna Rockets

Rockets Drop Overtime Decision To Thunderbirds

January 17, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Kelowna Rockets News Release


Kelowna Rockets' Kanjyu Gojsic and Seattle Thunderbirds' Samuel Charko on game night
Kelowna Rockets' Kanjyu Gojsic and Seattle Thunderbirds' Samuel Charko on game night
(Kelowna Rockets, Credit: Steve Dunsmoor )

The Kelowna Rockets fought back from a 2-0 deficit but fell 4-3 in overtime to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday night at Prospera Place.

Michael Cicek, Levi Benson and Will Sharpe had goals for the Rockets while goaltender Jake Pilon made 31 saves.

GAME SUMMARY

Seattle opened the scoring just over five minutes into the first period as Coster Dunn scored his 14th of the season on the power play. Seattle would extend their lead to 2-0 when Braeden Cootes put his 18th past Jake Pilon at 11:22. Michael Cicek cut the lead in half with his 14th of the season to get Kelowna within one heading into the third.

Levi Benson would tie the game as he gathered his own rebound and beat Scott Ratzlaff less than five minutes into the frame, Benson's third of the campaign. Kelowna would then take the lead with less than six minutes remaining as Will Sharpe would score his second in a Rockets uniform and fifth of the season for a 3-2 lead but Nathan Pilling would tie the game late and send it to overtime where Brayden Schuurman beat Pilon for a 4-3 victory.

"We talk about it a lot that the third period needs to be our best period," said Rockets Interim Head Coach Derrick Martin. "I'd like to see our first period get a little bit better but I'm proud of the group's effort in the third. We've got to be a group that buttons things down when we've got that lead but it's not all doom and gloom tonight."

"We saw some growth in our group and that's what we're after, but we're also not just after feel good moments, we're after wins and it feels like we let one slip away tonight."

ADDITIONAL STATS

Seattle outshot Kelowna 35-29

Kelowna went 0/3 on the power play while Seattle went 2/6

UP NEXT

The Rockets will now hit the road for the second game of their home-and-home with the Thunderbirds as they'll be in Seattle tomorrow night. The Rockets next home game will be Tuesday, January 21st against the Brandon Wheat Kings with puck drop going at 7:05 PM.

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

Kelowna Rockets' Kanjyu Gojsic and Seattle Thunderbirds' Samuel Charko on game night
Kelowna Rockets' Kanjyu Gojsic and Seattle Thunderbirds' Samuel Charko on game night
(Steve Dunsmoor )		   

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2025


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