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Coming off a big win against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday night, the Kelowna Rockets had momentum as they made their way south to take on the Wenatchee Wild.
But the Wild had other plans and quickly took control of the game, handing the Rockets a 6-3 loss on Saturday.
The Wild got the scoring started early in the game as Kenta Isogai broke free from a two-on-one and netted his 18th of the season.
Not long after, Tij Iginla’s shot was stopped, but Andrew Cristall recovered the puck and buried his 22nd goal of the season, tying the game.
Tij Iginla's rebound was left on the doorstep for Andrew Cristall to extend his point streak to eighteen games.
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) January 7, 2024
#ALLCAPS | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/b72Sos0a3z
The Wild then scored once more in the first period and once again in the second period to take a 3-1 lead.
With 5.8 seconds left in the middle frame, Cristall thought he had his second score of the game, but the goal was waived off because Luke Schelter made contact with the Wild’s netminder.
Wenatchee kept the pressure on the Rockets and by the 7:38 mark of the final frame they had a 5-1 lead, forcing Kelowna’s Jake Pilon out of the game and bringing in Jari Kykkanen.
A little more than two minutes later, Isogai completed the hat trick, giving Wenatchee a 6-1 lead.
Schelter then set up Dylan Wightman while on the power play to give the Rockets their second goal of the game.
Iginla proceeded to score his team-leading 27th goal of the season, cutting Wenatchee’s lead in half, but it was not enough as the Rockets fell 6-3.
Blink and you'll miss Tij Iginla's 27th of the season. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/CP886QSHef
— Kelowna Rockets (@Kelowna_Rockets) January 7, 2024
This was the final matchup between the two teams this season, with both teams securing a pair of wins.
Cristall’s goal extended his career-best point streak to 18 games and the Rockets will be back in Kelowna this upcoming Wednesday to take on Seattle.
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