#Seattlecompletes #roundsweep #Rockets
https://gotopnews.com/post/2614886
Steve Dunsmoor The Kelowna Rockets gave everything they had, but in the end it wasn’t enough. The second year in a row Rockets season ended in the hands of the Seattle Thunderbirds. The T-Birds completed their four-game first-round sweep with a 3-0 surgical win at Prospera Place on Wednesday. Despite result, crowd of more than 3,400, mostly partisan fans, gave team a standing ovation as final seconds of season passed, and players gave a final salute before exiting tunnel and exiting tunnel. Dressing room for the last time this season. After the match, head coach Kris Mallette took a few moments to address the team. He said he told them how proud he was of way they competed throughout the series and how hard they worked throughout season. “We’re young, that’s right. These four games are a really good experience for them. We have a standard we want to reach and we competed. We could have blown up in every game and every game we weren’t in. It might not have been that nice, but the players were appreciated for how hard they worked and how hard they worked. They fought and never gave up.” Wednesday’s match was goalless after 20 and may have turned around in the opening moments of the second period. The Rockets opened the period with a two-man advantage of 66 seconds but looked indecisive with the puck. Dylan Wightman was the only one who looked really good from the slot, but that was turned down by Tomas Milic. Kelowna got four power plays during the first period but didn’t get far. Seattle seemed to be slowly taking control from there. Captain Lucas Ciona turned Reid Schaefer’s shot from top of rim home in a bang-bang pass game in evening’s first-man advantage near second’s midpoint. Milic made another big stop to keep Rockets off board, and again knocked Wightman away late in period when Kelowna veteran fired a backhand and then a forehand but was unable to get puck off extended pad. Goals from Dylan Guenther and Jordan Gustafson in the third round sealed the match. If there was any doubt about result, T-Birds stopped Rockets in final period and allowed only one harmless shot on goal. Players will return this week to clear out their lockers and meet with the coaching staff before heading their separate ways this summer. For goalkeeper Talyn Boyko, Adam Kydd, and Carson Golder, who started Wednesday and turned 35 38 shots, a handful of calls to join the U-18 world championships may have been the end their youth journey.
@Calgary Flames
