91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ

Skip to content

Iginla91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s 3-point night, flare for the dramatic lead Kelowna Rockets to win

Iginla scored the game-winning goal with 22 seconds left in the third period
web1_231216-kcn-rockets-win_1
The Kelowna Rockets celebrate Tij Iginla91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s goal with 22 seconds left in the third period that lifted them to a 4-3 victory over the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday night, Dec. 15, 2023. (Mark Peterson/@Kelowna_Rockets/X)

Tij Iginla and the Kelowna Rockets had a flare for the dramatic on Friday night (Dec. 15) as they beat the Prince Albert Raiders 4-3.

Max Graham got the scoring started for the Rockets as he found the back of the net at the 10:49 mark of the first period. Iginla and Hiroki Gojsic collected the assists on the goal.

It remained 1-0 Rockets until early in the second frame when Oli Chenier scored shorthanded to tie the game.

The two teams then exchanged powerplay goals as the period continued. Exactly halfway through the period, Marcus Pacheco scored on the powerplay, his second goal of the season, to regain the Rockets lead. Iginla collected another assist while the team91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s leading scorer Andrew Cristall collected the other helper.

Prince Albert91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s powerplay goal came at the 13:58 mark when Justice Christensen scored his seventh goal of the season.

The back-and-forth game continued in the third period as the Rockets once again regained the lead when Ethan Neutens scored his fifth goal of the season, with John Babcock and Trae Johnson collecting the assists.

It wasn91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™t until the 17:19 mark of the third when the Raiders tied the game with another powerplay marker. It was Krzysztof Macias, scoring his 13th goal of the season.

But the Rockets weren91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™t getting off the ice without the win. In the final minute of play, a scramble in front of the Raiders net led to Iginla scoring his team-leading 24th goal of the season with 22 seconds left in the game, to give the Rockets the 4-3 win.

While the goal looks like it belongs to Gojsic, it has been credited to Iginla.

The goal also capped a three-point night for Iginla, who sits sixth in goals in the entire WHL.

Rockets goaltender Jari Kykkanen made 20 saves in the win, including the WHL91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ™s save of the night.

The Rockets win improved their record to 14-15-2-0. They can go into the winter break with a .500 record if they win on Saturday night (Dec. 16) against the Saskatoon Blades. Puck drop is at 5 p.m. Pacific time.

READ MORE: Laugh in the New Year with Train Wreck Comedy at Kelowna Curling Club

READ MORE: Vegas Vacation: Kelowna airport flying again to U.S. destination

Breaking News You Need To Know

Sign up for free account today and start receiving our exclusive newsletters.

Sign Up with google Sign Up with facebook

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and apply.

Reset your password

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and apply.

A link has been emailed to you - check your inbox.



Don't have an account? Click here to sign up


Jordy Cunningham

About the Author: Jordy Cunningham

Hailing from Ladner, B.C., I have been passionate about sports, especially baseball, since I was young. In 2018, I graduated from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops with a Bachelor of Journalism degree
Read more



(or

91ÂãÁÄÊÓƵ

) document.head.appendChild(flippScript); window.flippxp = window.flippxp || {run: []}; window.flippxp.run.push(function() { window.flippxp.registerSlot("#flipp-ux-slot-ssdaw212", "Black Press Media Standard", 1281409, [312035]); }); }