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Overtime goal keeps Kelowna in the series

Breakaway goal helps Rockets beat Winterhawks

By Paul Danzer, Columbian Soccer, hockey and Community Sports Reporter
Published: April 16, 2011, 12:00am

GAME RECAP

Rockets 2, Winterhawks 1, OT

Series: Portland leads 3-2. Game 6 at Kelowna, 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Star of the game: Kelowna goalie Adam Brown made 54 saves.

Key sequence: Kelowna killed off a five-minute major penalty in the first period that included two minutes of five-on-three skating for Portland.

PORTLAND — The Portland Winterhawks were determined to avoid extra work. Adam Brown and the Kelowna Rockets were not ready to call it a season.

The result on Friday was a compelling Western Hockey League battle that ended with an overtime mistake as the Rockets extended their season with a 2-1 victory.

Brown stopped 54 Winterhawks shots, and Jessey Astles’ second breakaway goal of the series was the overtime winner.

GAME RECAP

Rockets 2, Winterhawks 1, OT

Series: Portland leads 3-2. Game 6 at Kelowna, 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Star of the game: Kelowna goalie Adam Brown made 54 saves.

Key sequence: Kelowna killed off a five-minute major penalty in the first period that included two minutes of five-on-three skating for Portland.

Astles intercepted a pass by Portland’s Derrick Pouliot and sailed in alone to beat Portland goalie Mac Carruth 7:08 into the first overtime to silence a Rose Garden crowd of 8,505 and send the series back to Kelowna for Game 6 on Sunday.

One power-play goal a piece — from Kelowna’s Mitchell Callahan in the first period and from Portland’s Nino Niederreiter in the second — were the only goals through regulation as Brown and Portland goalie Mac Carruth each stood tall.

The Winterhawks had solid possession in the Kelowna zone when the game was decided. Astles intercepted a return point-to-point pass from Derrick Pouliot intended for Tyler Wotherspoon and broke away for the game-winner.

“He’s a young player who made a mistake there,” Portland coach Mike Johnston said of Pouliot’s pass. “He should have taken the shot on goal or laid it behind the net.”

Astles was the overtime hero, but the game never would have been close if not for the play of Brown in goal. Johnston said he’d take getting 50 shots on goal any night.

“That’s a pretty good game, in a playoff game especially,” Johnston said.

“Brown didn’t let a lot of rebounds fall. He did the other night in Kelowna, but he didn’t let a lot fall tonight.”

Brown said it he wasn’t the only Rocket turning in a stellar performance.

“I thought the boys played really hard, probably our best game of the series all around,” Brown said. “We just battled all the way through.

“There were a lot of shots from the outside and (teammates) were cleaning up the rebounds for me.”

He was busy start to finish, and stared down more than a half dozen point-blank Portland chances — at least five times denying Portland’s Ty Rattie.

“I probably should have had a hat trick in the first period,” Rattie said. “Pucks weren’t bouncing my way. Maybe next game.”

The hockey wasn’t always crisp — Johnston said the ice wasn’t great as the game wore on, making it harder to pinpoint shots and passes — but it was compelling throughout.

It might not have come down to OT if the Winterhawks had taken advantage of an early five-minute major penalty against Kelowna’s Colton Jobke, who also got a game misconduct for taking a run at Portland’s Brad Ross in the first period.

Ross, playing for the first time since Game 1 because of his own illegal hit, said he didn’t anticipate a blindside hit.

That power play included two minutes of two-man advantage. It was an opportunity to seize control. But Brown and his boys withstood the challenge.

“The only thing I was thinking (during the game) is, ‘Wow, this is pretty exciting,’ ” Brown said. “The crowd was really into it and it was a lot of fun to play in tonight.”

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Columbian Soccer, hockey and Community Sports Reporter