A slow start and an ineffective power play.
In the end, head coach Jason Smith said the two deficiencies cost his Kelowna Rockets the game.
Brayden Burke scored at 3:05 of overtime to lead the visiting Moose Jaw Warriors to a 3-2 victory over the Rockets Wednesday in WHL action at Prospera Place.
Following a three-game winning streak, Kelowna (26-16-4-0) has dropped its last two outings.
“It’s obviously disappointing,” said Smith. “I think we didn’t play well enough to win the game.
“For two periods we had a hesitation and a pause in our game, especially in our defensive zone where we spent too much time defending and not enough time in the O-zone.”
The Rockets, who fought back from a 2-0 deficit on goals by Nick Merkley and Calvin Thurkauf, also struggled on the power play.
Kelowna went 0-for-7 with the man advantage, including misfiring on a four-minute minor and coming up empty on a pair of 5-on-3 situations.
“Those are premium opportunities,” Smith said of his team’s power play chances. “We were slow moving the puck, had a bit of a pause, and when you don’t pass the puck tape to tape…you can’t shoot the puck and you don’t create lanes.
“We didn’t get enough to the net and obviously we didn’t score.”
Brett Howden and Matt Sozanski also scored for the Warriors (27-12-6-1) who were coming off a 4-1 loss Tuesday night in Kamloops.
Brody Willms was solid in the Moose Jaw net stopping 30 shots, while Michael Herringer made 25 for Kelowna.
The Rockets were without forwards Reid Gardiner and Nolan Foote who are both sidelined on a day-to-day basis.
Defenceman Gordie Ballhorn, 19, returned to the Kelowna lineup Wednesday after missing 21 games with a lower body injury.
The Rockets return to action Friday when they visit the Vancouver Giants, before playing host to the Portland Winterhawks on Saturday. Face off at Prospera Place is 7:05 p.m.
