Warren Henderson
Black Press Sports
Twice the Kelowna Rockets have stared down elimination from the 2012-13 Western Hockey League post-season.
On Tuesday night in Kent, Wash., Ryan Huska’s club were hoping to perform the feat a third straight time against the Seattle Thunderbirds to force a seventh and deciding game in the Western Conference quarterfinal series.
“Obviously every game now for us is critical, we don’t have that cushion to falter so we have to play desperate hockey,” said Huska, the Rockets’ head coach. “We’re headed into a big challenge down there, it’s like a Game 7 situation with the season on the line. We have to have the same approach we’ve had the last two games, play hard as a team and try bring it back to Kelowna.”
After stunning losses in each of the first three games overtime, the injury-plagued Rockets have delivered back-to-back victories to stay afloat, the latest a 4-3 verdict on Saturday night at Prospera Place.
With six players out of the lineup—including captain Colton Sissons for the remainder of the WHL playoffs—the Rockets have had to lean on their depth, a key to the team’s success throughout a record-setting 52-win season.
Huska and his staff have had to call on the team’s younger players, such as Cole Linaker, Austin Glover and Justin Kirkland, to fill the void and keep four lines rolling.
“We’re not going to change that (four lines), we’ve done that all year, so going to 2 1/2 or three lines doesn’t make sense at this time of year,” said Huska. “Seattle’s going to continue to push and come at us, so we need to use our depth like we have been.”
Only one team in WHL history, the 1996 Spokane Chiefs, has ever recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
The Rockets are, not surprisingly, hoping to become the second.
“We still feel confident, we know the way we need to play and when we do put in the effort we know we’re tough to beat,” said 20-year-old forward Dylen McKinlay. “We think it’s (Seattle’s) Game 7 down there and we know they don’t want to come back to Kelowna.”
Above all, Huska said his players still have faith that coming back all the way is attainable.
“The belief is still there, the guys have hung on to that all along,” Huska said. “When things don’t go your way, you have to keep your spirit and the players have done a good job of that.”
A seventh and deciding game would be played Wednesday night at Prospera Place.
Game 6 was controlled mainly by the Rockets until the Thunderbirds made things interesting on goals by Seth Swenson at 19:23 and Robert Lipsbergs 19:34 of the third.
The Rockets opened the scoring on a powerplay at 10:50 of the first period as Damon Severson set up Tyson Baillie for his team-leading fourth goal of the playoffs.
Just 41 seconds later, Colton Heffley, left alone in front, converted a Tyrell Goulbourne feed for his first of the post-season to give Kelowna a quick 2-0 lead.
Dylen McKinlay spotted the Rockets to a 3-0 advantage at 12:20 of the second period, but just 1:16 later Alexander Delnov put the Thunderbirds on the board beating Jordon Cooke with a low shot on the breakaway.
Myles Bell restored Kelowna’s three-goal cushion at 13:49 of the third with his third playoff goal, setting the stage for an unsettling last minute.
Blazers take out Victoria in 6
Kale Kessy pulled a hat-trick as the Kamloops Blazers stuffed the Victoria Royals 6-2 Monday night to take their first-round series in six games.
Cole Ully, Sam Grist and JC Lipon also scored for the Blazers, while Ben Walker and Keegan Kanzig countered for Victoria before 2,541 fans at Bear Mountain Arena.
Cole Cheveldave turned aside 16 shots for the win. Kessy, drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in 2011 and traded to the Edmonton Oilers last week, scored seven times in Round 1.
