When adversity strikes

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After playing as good a first period, Wednesday night, as we’ve witnessed from the Rockets at Sandman Centre in recent memory, the wheels fell off the wagon on a misplay by starting goaltender Jari Kykkanen.

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After skating to a 1-1 tie after 20 minutes, thanks to Carson Golder’s power-play goal, his fifth in six games and 14^th of the season, the game turned on a dime.

Blazers forward Emmitt Finnie’s lazy wrist shot toward the net glanced off the leg of line-mate Nathan MacPherson-Ridgwell. The puck, calmly, came towards Kykkanen, who was prepared to use his stick to routinely guide it towards the corner.

Unfortunately for the 18-year-old, making his first career start against the Blazers, the puck went underneath his stick and into the back of the net.

2-1 Blazers.

If Kykkanen wasn’t rattled by the goal, his teammates must have been.

One minute and 31 seconds later, the Blazers scored again to take a 3-1 lead.

Just one minute and 15 seconds later, it was another goal, and the road team was reeling.

Outshot 17-3 in the second period, Rockets veteran Dylan Wightman showed no quit in setting up rookie forward Logan Peskett for his third goal of the season, but the damage was done.

Frankly, the game could have turned ugly shortly after the opening face-off.

D-man John Babcock was accessed an interference minor penalty just nine seconds into the game, after hitting Blazers forward Matthew Seminoff in the neutral zone.

The BC Division leaders, who had to play the remaining 59:51 without the 19-year-old forward, who never returned to the game after the hit, were unable to score on the ensuing power-play.

With the game out of reach after 40 minutes, the two teams skated out the third period before Fraser Minten, who scored three times Tuesday night in a 6-4 win at Prospera Place, earned his third goal of the game much to the delight of the hometown crowd of 5,120.

While the Blazers won for the 20^th time this season and extended their winning streak to six games, the Rockets dropped their 16^th game of the season and have just 3 wins – 7 losses, and two overtime losses in their past 12 outings.

Last season, the team didn’t lose its 16^th game until the Blazers, oddly enough, beat the Rockets 4-0 on March 19^th.

Outscored 12-6 in the home and home series, the Rockets have little time to feel sorry for themselves and must remain mentally strong with two tough games against the Seattle Thunderbirds this weekend.

Like the Blazers, the T-Birds haven’t been friendly either, ending the Rockets’ season a year ago in an opening-round five game playoff series win.