Kelowna’s big second period stops Chiefs

KELOWNA, B.C. – Playing the Kelowna Rockets is never an easy task; especially when it’s on the road and on the second night of a back-to-back.

The Chiefs (31-29-3-1, 66 points) allowed three second period goals, and the Rockets (50-11-4-1, 105) cruised to a 5-2 victory in Western Hockey League play on Saturday night.

Spokane finished the season 0-4 against the league-leading Rockets, but despite the loss, remained in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference with eight games remaining in the regular season.

Jackson Playfair opened the scoring in the first period, putting Spokane on the board with a power-play goal, a minute into the game.

After the Rockets scored three in the second, and a fourth early in the third, Chiefs’ Keanu Yamamoto scored his second goal in as many nights, cutting the Rockets lead in half.

An empty-net goal capped Kelowna’s scoring, and the Chiefs were dealt their second consecutive loss.

Spokane will have a couple of days to rest before finishing off the three-game road trip in Vancouver, B.C., on Tuesday.

Despite allowing four goals, Spokane goalie Tyson Verhelst stopped 33 shots in the game.