Friday, Feb.24th, 2023 Kimberley 4 Rockets 0
Game 5 of the opening round of the divisional playoffs came down to a ‘must win’ situation for the Rockets, as they travelled south to Kimberley. Yet another highly-entertaining, fast-paced contest saw the Nitros take full advantage of home-ice, rolling to a 4-0 win and securing the series.
As with every single game thus far in the series, the opening period featured close, tight-checking end-to-end action. Perhaps to be expected from these two clubs, the period went scoreless. Of the 20 goals scored in the series to this point, only 3 goals were recorded in the opening twenty minutes.
It wasn’t until the 14:38 mark of the middle stanza that either team hit the scoreboard, as Nitros Kade Leskosky struck for his 3rd goal of the post-season. Both netminders, Levi Hall (Rockets) and Matt Fleet (Dynamiters) were solid between the pipes.
In the final frame, Kimberley expanded their lead to 2-0 at 3:28 with Cash Regan finding the range. Jayden Kostiuk converted a Kasey Miller pass at 9:51, and late in the period Regan struck for his 2nd of the evening with an empty-netter.
Final score was 4-0. Kimberley outshot Golden 49-29.
The Dynamiters move on to tangle with the Fernie Ghostriders in the Eddie Mountain Divisional final.
The somewhat abrupt exit from the post-season for the Rockets does not take away any of the shine from a very impressive ‘rebuilding’ year for the club. This is reflective in the awarding of Eddie Mountain Division ‘Coach Of The Year’ to Rockets Chuck Wight. Together with the expertise of Assistant Coach Jed Houseman, the Goldenites improved in virtually every statistical area, finishing the season in 3rd place in a very tough division. Here are just a few of the improvements over the previous season……
2021-22 2022-23
Wins: 13 Wins: 25
Points: 29 Points: 53
Goals For: 109 Goals For: 175
With a solid building base for next season, the Rockets will be looking to further improve upon their game at both ends of the ice.
The Rockets organization wishes to acknowledge the efforts of all of the talented athletes on the club, especially our ’20-year olds’ (Jordan Lario, Levi Lamotte, Nick Morin and Zac Siudy) as they move on from the junior ranks. We send along the very best wishes for success in all of their future endeavours.
