It’s been quite a long time coming, but the Rockets finally solved a sixty-minute perplexity that has been on their shoulders for over a month.
Last weekend, the club gained a split on their western swing through Princeton and Osoyoos, bringing to an end a winless drought stretching back to mid-November. Inserted into the lineup were newcomers Connor Martel and Simon Mendiola, acquired recently in a trade with the Beaver Valley NiteHawks.
It was a great test for the Goldenites on Friday night, as they took on league-leading Princeton. To this point in the season, the Posse is not only on top of the KIJHL with 44 points, but have scored the most goals (123) and have allowed the fewest goals (62).
Despite coming out on the short end of a 5-2 decision, the Rockets came away from the contest with a few positives. Golden’s talented backstop artist Riley Deck was simply sensational in goal, turning aside no less than 49 shots on net. In addition, the Rockets kept the high-powered Princeton powerplay (24.7%) off the board, and held the opposition at bay through a scoreless third period. Cooper Thompson (on a feed from linemate Chase Pilling), and Brayden Bissell hit for the Golden markers.
Saturday evening in Osoyoos, the Rockets spotted the Coyotes an early 1-0 lead, but stormed back to hit for goals in each period enroute to a solid 3-1 victory. Chase Pilling (with a powerplay tally), Simon Mendiola (his 1st as a Rocket assisted by Connor Martel), and Cooper Thompson all found the back of the net for the Rockets. Brayden Bissell was a key playmaker in the game collecting a pair of assists. Rearguard Stefan Bodtker also added a helper. Between the pipes, Landon Garbitt blocked 31 Osoyoos drives.
The victory was a key win, and moved Golden into a fourth-place tie with the Creston ThunderCats in the Eddie Mountain divisional standings. Golden is set to close out 2024 before the Christmas break with a pair of games this weekend. Looking to secure additional divisional points, the Rockets will entertain the visiting Kimberley Dynamiters Friday at the Plywood Palace, before travelling south to Invermere Saturday to tangle with Columbia Valley.
First home contest of the New Year is slated for Saturday, January 4th when the visiting Williams Lake Mustangs will be in town.
Written by Tom Stanton
