Vernon’s Curtis Lazar scored his 10th goal of the season as the Edmonton Oil Kings fell 6-5 to the Regina Pats in Western Hockey League play Sunday at Rexall Place.
The Kings head into the Christmas break atop the Central Division at 23-9-1-2, while the Pats are fourth in the East at 19-15-2-1.
Lazar, who turns 17 in February, has 19 points and 30 penalty minutes in 33 games. The 6-foot, 190-pounder will compete for Team Pacific at the World Under 17 Hockey Challenge, Dec. 29-Jan. 4 in Windsor, Ont.
Meanwhile, the Kelowna Rockets ended their pre-Christmas schedule with a 5-1 win over the host Saskatoon Blades Saturday night.
Kelowna, fourth in the B.C. Division at 14-16-2-3, got goals from five different scorers – Colton Sissons (20th goal), Brett Bulmer (13th), Carter Rigby (10th), Jesse Lees (2nd) and Tyson Baillie (6th). Shane McColgan had two helpers, and Adam Brown earned the win, stopping 37 shots.
The Rockets, who ended their six-game Prairie road trip at 2-2-0-2, return to Prospera Place Dec. 27 to face the Spokane Chiefs (15-11-2-3).
