Cougars outlast Rockets in shootout thriller

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Kelowna opened up a 2-0 lead, but the momentum shifted in the second period. Prince George scored three unanswered goals, including two just 51 seconds apart, to take a 3-2 lead into the third.

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The Rockets also made things harder on themselves with some careless play.

“I didn’t think that we managed the puck very well in the second period there,” Reagan said. “We just maybe got a little bit sloppy and got comfortable with a 2-0 lead.”

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The penalty kill held up through much of the night, but the constant workload took its toll. With key players logging heavy minutes, the margin for error became smaller.

“I liked our penalty kill early on in the game, but you put a lot of pressure on some key guys that got to play a lot of big minutes,” Reagan said. “Eventually, at this level, teams are going to figure out a way to score.”

The Rockets needed a response in the third period, and they got one.

After killing off an early penalty, Kelowna pushed back and found the equalizer through Eli Barrett, sending the game to overtime. The Rockets outshot Prince George 14-3 in the final 20 minutes, giving themselves every opportunity to complete the comeback.

Reagan was pleased with the response, particularly after the second period threatened to swing the game out of reach.

“Our penalty kill did its job in the third period,” he said. “Sometimes it’s about the times where you do get those kills or those saves or those stops or those goals.”

The Rockets couldn’t find the finishing touch in overtime, despite several chances to end it. Seven shots were recorded between the teams in the extra period, including a Kelowna opportunity involving Braunhausen and Guest that nearly produced the winner.

For Reagan, the game came down to finding a way to finish what the Rockets had started.

“We were close tonight, but we just didn’t figure out how to put that last piece in place,” he said. “We’ll learn from this, we’ll grow from it, and hopefully we’ll get rewarded later on in the season because of these growing pains that we’re going through.”

Prince George eventually prevailed in the shootout, leaving Kelowna with one point instead of two.

The result was particularly frustrating given the Rockets’ recent struggles on the power play. Kelowna collected three of a possible four points over the weekend without scoring with the man advantage.

Reagan acknowledged that the lack of production was costly, but he also gave the rest of the team credit for finding ways to stay competitive.

“You can look at it from the standpoint that our power play didn’t produce for us this weekend and cost us a point, or two wins, I guess,” he said. “But you have to give the rest of our game credit to be able to grab three out of four points when your power play’s not scoring for you.”

The Rockets have now earned at least a point in five straight games. While the results haven’t always gone their way, Reagan believes the team is getting closer to putting together the kind of consistent effort that leads to wins.

He pointed to Kelowna’s defensive play and ability to generate shots as reasons for optimism, while acknowledging there are still areas that need attention.

“We’re close to figuring out how to consistently win,” Reagan said. “There’s obviously areas that we need to be better in.”

The Rockets have one game remaining on their five-game homestand, hosting the Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday before heading out on the road. Reagan sees an opportunity to finish the home stretch on a positive note.

Saturday’s game offered another reminder of how quickly a promising night can turn. Kelowna built a two-goal cushion, gave it away through a difficult second period, then showed enough fight to force overtime. The effort earned a point, but not the finish the Rockets wanted.

Reagan knows there is still work to do. He also knows the games have been entertaining.

“These are entertaining games,” he said. “There’s no question about it. You come to a Kelowna Rockets game, you’re going to be happy with the entertainment value for sure.”