Chiefs lose shootout
Kyle Beach and Mitch Wahl came up empty in a shootout while the Kelowna Rockets scored on their first two shoots, handing the Spokane Chiefs a 3-2 loss Wednesday night. (Story from Kelowna paper below.)
It was a game the Chiefs only mustered 21 shots through overtime but picked up a short-handed goal by Tyler Johnson in the second period to tie the game at 1 and a rebound goal by Brenden Kitchton midway through the third period to tie the game at 2.
The Chiefs, 1-2 in shootouts, picked up a point to move two points ahead of fourth-place Portland in the U.S. Division and now trail Everett by four and Tri-City by eight with six games to go.
Rockets Chiefs Gamer
By Larry Fisher
The Daily Courier
The Kelowna Rockets were counting on Evan Bloodoff to be a difference-maker this season. Better late than never.
Bloodoff was that on Wednesday night, though teammate Brandon McMillan was ultimately the difference, scoring the shootout winner as the Rockets edged the Spokane Chiefs 3-2 in WHL action at Prospera Place.
McMillan also scored in regulation for the Rockets (31-30-2-4), but it was Bloodoff who got the home side going, opening the scoring in his home debut. The 19-year-old forward from Castlegar, who missed the first 63 games of the season after knee surgery before returning for last week's Alberta road trip, was arguably Kelowna's best player against Spokane. Aside from scoring his second goal of the season, jamming home a rebound off Antoine Corbin's point shot 33 seconds into the second period, Bloodoff also had a dangerous individual rush in the opening minute of the third period, where he drove wide on a Spokane defender but couldn't quite finish his deke attempt.
"Just his speed, and that's what we've missed without having him in the lineup," said Rockets head coach Ryan Huska. "And it's not just his play on the ice, but his demeanor in the dressing room, too.
"We've missed him while he was gone, and I thought he was very good again tonight."
The younger brother of Rockets' 20-year-old captain Lucas Bloodoff, Evan said he's largely just trying to fit in and find his groove on a line with leading scorer Shane McColgan and fellow rookie Brett Bulmer.
"I like to play a role like that, just get the guys going and finish all my checks and use my speed — just get some energy out on the ice," Bloodoff said. "Shane's a really good player, he's super fast and I just really love playing with him. He's so crafty with the puck and if I just put my stick on the ice and go to the net, he'll probably put one right off me and in."
Tyler Johnson, on a shorthanded breakaway to tie the contest 1-1 in the second period, and Brenden Kichton, on a rebound to even the contest 2-2 in the third, replied for the Chiefs (40-21-3-2), who had won nine of their past 10 games and 11 of their past 13 coming into Wednesday's tilt.
The Rockets had lost six of seven coming in, but McMillan made sure that losing trend stopped. Scoring in similar fashion to Johnson, McMillan deked to his backhand and went bar down on Chiefs goalie James Reid for a shorthanded breakaway goal to give the Rockets a 2-1 lead at 7:35 of the third.
Then, after Geordie Wudrick scored with a backhand deke of his own to open the shootout, McMillan broke in with speed and snapped a shot blocker-side on Reid to seal the deal.
Kelowna native Kyle Beach, who leads the league with 48 goals, was denied by Adam Brown as Spokane's first shooter. Brown, who made 19 saves through regulation and overtime, then stopped the Chiefs' Mitch Wahl on a creative deke as he locked up the brakes but couldn't beat the Rockets' netminder.
Reid, the game's second star behind McMillan and ahead of Evan Bloodoff, made 31 saves for the Chiefs, but the Rockets also hit three posts in a second period. After a scoreless first, that middle frame saw Spokane outscore Kelowna 1-0 despite getting outshot 15-7.
Beach, meanwhile, was largely ineffective on the night, especially offensively. He did make his presence felt physically and verbally, drawing a couple penalties but also turning down a couple invitations to fight from Rockets agitator Mitchell Callahan.
The Rockets host the Seattle Thunderbirds (17-36-7-5) on Friday and the B.C. Division-leading Vancouver Giants (39-22-2-3) on Saturday.
ICE CHIPS: Kelowna's scratches were RW Kyle St. Denis (concussion, indefinite), C Cody Chikie (shoulder, out for season), C Spencer Main (hip, day-to-day) and D MacKenzie Johnston. Spokane's scratches were RW Mitch Holmberg, C T.C. Cratsenberg and D Tanner Mort. . . . Kelowna was 0-for-7 on the power play; Spokane was 0-5.