The Swift Current Broncos (13-15-0-1) had long stretches of outplaying the Kelowna Rockets (11-13-3-0) Wednesday night, but couldn’t solve Jari Kykkanen over the final 40 minutes in a 5-2 loss.
The Rockets jumped out to a 1-0 near the halfway point of the first period off the rush. Andrew Cristall skated into the Broncos zone on right wing before circling back and finding Caden Price heading down the slot. Price took the feed and wired a shot over the blocker of Reid Dyck for the opening goal of the game.
Just under three minutes later, Cristall skated down the left wing into the Broncos zone, evaded a poke check and then picked the corner over Dyck’s shoulder from the bottom of the left circle to add to the Rockets lead.
Swift Current got momentum back on their side after Josh Filmon was tripped on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot. Filmon skated in on Jari Kykkanen and pulled the puck to his backhand, beating Kykkanen glove side to cut the Kelowna lead in half with 5:05 to go in the first.
Less than two minutes later, Sam McGinley hit the highlight reel to tie the game. Starting from the slot of his own zone, McGinley skated into the Rockets end, cut down the left wing before heading behind the Rockets net and wrapping the puck in to tie the game at two.
The two teams went into the intermission tied at two with the shots 18-16 Kelowna.
After an early Swift Current power play was killed off, Kelowna regained their lead. Cristall poked the puck loose and took off on a breakway from the neutral zone, sneaking a puck through the pads of Dyck to restore the Rockets lead 4:08 into the second.
Just under four minutes later, Dylan Wightman chopped the puck on net from the right circle and it hit the underside of Dyck’s blocker arm before deflecting in to give Kelowna a two-goal lead 8:03 into the second.
Kelowna’s three-goal third period was capped off on their first, and only, power play of the game in the final minute. Carson Golder wound up for a slapshot from the top of the right circle and blasted it over the blocker of Dyck to put Kelowna up 5-2 heading into the third.
Swift Current heavily outplayed, and outshot, the Rockets over the final 20 minute of the game, racking up 16 shots on goal to Kelowna’s four, but couldn’t get one past the Kelowna goaltender.
Kykkanen was there at every turn, denying the Broncos on numerous chances over the final period of play as the clock wound down to signal a fifth-straight loss for Swift Current.
The Broncos will try and get back into the win column against the Edmonton Oil Kings on Friday night as they begin a short two-game road trip before the Christmas break.
Announced attendance was 1,663.