Trailing 2-0 at the midway point, the Vancouver Giants were very much still in Friday night’s hockey game.
“Things were not bouncing our way early, 2-0 and I think we were outshooting them 19-15, but it was just a matter of sticking with it and we could have made it a real interesting game, but we didn’t,” summarized head coach Michael Dyck. “We took a stupid penalty and then it just went from bad to worse.”
The Kelowna Rockets made it 3-0 on that power play and then 21 seconds later, added another for an insurmountable 4-0 lead. Both those goals came in the final minute of regulation of the second period in what turned out to be a 6-0 victory in Western Hockey League action on home ice at Langley Events Centre.
The Rockets improved to 21-10-1-3 while Vancouver sits at 16-19-2-0.
RECAP: Six different Rockets found the back of the net on Friday as the Giants dropped the opener of a three-in-three by a 6-0 score. The rematch goes tomorrow night from Prospera Place at 7:05 PM.
— Vancouver Giants (@WHLGiants) January 29, 2022
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Kelowna led 1-0 after 20 minutes on Turner McMillan’s goal with less than four minutes to play before Marcus Pacheco doubled the lead at 12:34 of the middle frame. Pavel Novak (on the power play) and Adam Kydd then put the game out of reach with goals in the final minute.
![Adam Hall digs for the puck at the Rockets goal. Friday night, Jan 28, at the Langley Events Centre the Vancouver Giants (16-19-2-0) dropped a 6-0 decision to the visiting Kelowna Rockets (21-10-1-3). (Gary Ahuja, Langley Events Centre/Special to Langley Advance Times)](https://www.bpmcdn.com/f/files/hope/import/2022-01/27987814_web1_220129-LAT-DF-Giants-downed-by-Rockets-Adam-Hall_1.jpg)
“We just came unraveled,” Dyck said, adding that it was a sign of a lack of confidence when things get tough. “They have to dig in … we’ve done it before where we battled through adversity (but) tonight we didn’t and it went from bad to worse.”
Mark Liwiski made it 5-0 with a short-handed goal 1:40 into the third before Gabriel Szturc tacked on another with less than four minutes to go.
READ ALSO: Giants fall 2-1 to Kamloops Blazers in road game
Vancouver has gone 2-2-1-0 in their past five games as they look to solidify their playoff position. Currently, the team sits in seventh place, six points ahead of the ninth-place Tri-City Americans.
The Giants are back at it tonight, Saturday, Jan. 29 as they complete the home-and-home series with the Rockets in Kelowna. Vancouver also hosts the Kamloops Blazers back at Langley Events Centre on Sunday, Jan. 30 at 4 p.m.
“It will be a good test to see how they respond,” Dyck said about the Rockets rematch.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Vancouver Giants down Victoria Royals
Vancouver went 0-for-5 on the power-play while Kelowna was 1-for-3.
Final shots were 28-25 for the Rockets with Talyn Boyko earning the shutout following his 25-save performance.
Jesper Vikman made 15 saves on 19 shots through 40 minutes with Will Gurski playing the third period and stopping nine of 11 shots.
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