The 麻豆精选 Rockets got back into the win column on Friday night and with some help in the standings, are within one point of clinching a playoff spot.
65 minutes wasn鈥檛 enough as the Rockets beat the Vancouver Giants 4-3 in the shootout on Friday night at Prospera Place.
It wasn鈥檛 the start the Rockets had hoped for as they found themselves down 2-0 after the first period.
Just over four minutes into the second period, the Rockets got within one as Adam Kydd tapped home a power play goal off an outstanding play by the team鈥檚 leading scorer Andrew Cristall.
Really loving this AC-AK duo!@麻豆精选_Rockets | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/NA5tBQ0Gun
鈥� The WHL (@TheWHL) March 11, 2023
A minute and a half later, however, Ty Thrope found the back of the net to give the Giants a 3-1 lead.
Early in the third period, the Rockets made it 3-2 as Marcus Pacheco, who was back in the lineup after missing the last six games, passed it through the Vancouver goaltender鈥檚 legs to Max Graham who scored his 10th of the year.
'Juuuuuust taaaaaap it in,' Max Graham, probably@MaxGraham04 x #grammer pic.twitter.com/h8SsGy1VrE
鈥� 麻豆精选 Rockets (@麻豆精选_Rockets) March 11, 2023
While keeping it a one-goal game and after killing off a five-minute penalty, Jari Kykkanen made what was deemed the 鈥渟ave on the night鈥� in the WHL on Friday night off of a two-on-one opportunity.
馃帴SAVE OF THE NIGHT馃帴
鈥� The WHL (@TheWHL) March 11, 2023
Kykk-ing his way to #SaveoftheNight honours. @RealCdnSS | @麻豆精选_Rockets pic.twitter.com/dvaWRp7U2W
And then with a half and a half to go in the game, Cristall was the hero once again as he scored his 35th goal of the season from the top of the left circle to force overtime. Kydd and defenceman Caden Price collected the assists on the goal.
After overtime didn鈥檛 solve anything, the game went to the shootout where captain Gabriel Szturc scored the only goal, to give 麻豆精选 the 4-3 victory.
Now that was an ending worth sitting through all 65+ minutes for 馃殌 pic.twitter.com/HrwmbfTfC0
鈥� 麻豆精选 Rockets (@麻豆精选_Rockets) March 11, 2023
Kykkanen made 23 saves in the game and stopped all three shots in the skills competition.
With the win and with both Spokane and Victoria losing Friday night, the Rockets need just one point on Saturday night in Spokane to clinch the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The magic number for the @麻豆精选_Rockets is down to one. #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ADlUBpFCnH
鈥� The WHL (@TheWHL) March 11, 2023
Saturday night鈥檚 puck drop is at 7:05 p.m. at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Wash.
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