With virtually identical records in the standings, this Saturday night matchup between the Rockets and the visiting Spokane Braves promised to be an exciting affair.  As Gino has stated several times, Spokane is the reason for the "I" in KIJHL, and we always seem to have great action on the ice whenever our southern neighbours journey to town.  This one, however, didn't turn out to be overly exciting.

    The Braves came away with a 4-2 victory, despite only skating 13 players against the full Rockets roster.  The Spokane club was full value for their win, riding on the back of some strong netminding from Mitch Tyson, a very strong defensive game, and a playmaking clinic put on by veteran Uriah Machuga, who setup all four Brave tallies.

     The teams were deadlocked at 2-2 after twenty minutes, with Keith Wake and captain Darren Andre each hitting the mark for Golden (both goals on the powerplay).  The second period went scoreless, and early in the third period Spokane hit for the eventual winning goal with Matt Thurston's second of the game enroute to the 4-2 win.

     To describe the Rockets play in this game, adjectives such as "flat" or "lethargic" may apply.  The local stars just could not put together any kind of sustained flow to this game.  That being said, the squad will be looking to get back on-track quickly, as they entertain the Kimberley Dynamiters this Tuesday evening at home.